3 Ways to Exercise Without Hitting the Gym | CollegeXpress
Three Asian females of different body types walking outside for their health

3 Easy Ways to Exercise in College (Without Hitting the Gym!)

Feel like exercising but don't have the time or patience to go to the campus gym? Here are three great ideas to help you get moving.

Don’t have time to hit your school's fitness center but feeling the need to work out? Or maybe you feel uncomfortable with the gym atmosphere and would like to exercise in an alternative manner. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few easy ways to get your daily dose of exercise without visiting the campus gym.

1. Take a walk

Incredibly basic, we know—but seriously, walking is an underrated form of fitness, and it's so easy to do! According to the American Heart Association, walking does a slew of good things for your health. It can improve your blood pressure, reduce the risk of cancer, decrease the chance of heart disease, and even boost your mental health—not to mention, it burns a few calories and helps maintain your weight. This exercise is perfect for spring, so lace up your tennis shoes and take a walk around campus—you’ll find it refreshing.

2. Watch YouTube

Yeah, you read that right. Surf YouTube for workout videos that are simple to emulate in your dorm room! We recommend Body Talk Daily Videos for quick exercises—they’re great if you have a big load of homework waiting for you on your desk. If you’re looking for something a bit more extensive, try videos that are tailored for dorm living. You could even round up your roommates and have a little fun following a dance class video together! 

3. Ride your bike

Biking is the perfect exercise for students living in a college town. Ride your bike to class, ride your bike to the store, ride your bike to your friend’s apartment. The health benefits are plentiful! If you ride a bicycle on a regular basis, you’ll improve your cardiovascular fitness, reduce stress, improve your posture, and strengthen your muscles. Bonus: If you have a car, this will save you gas money.

Related: 6 Ways to Live a Healthy Lifestyle in College

Hitting the gym for a few hours isn’t the only method for exercising in college. There are alternative ways to work out that are just as advantageous to your well-being. These three easy modes of exercise will leave you feeling healthy and happy!

Live your best life in college by reading more articles and advice on health and wellness.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Ashley McDonald

Ashley McDonald is a freelance writer and blogger for CollegeXpress, Her Campus, HuffPost, and more. She studied Journalism and English at Central Michigan University.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Reed College

Portland, OR


Ruth Aguilar

Ruth Aguilar

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me by providing me with many scholarship opportunities and information about universities I want to attend. What I love about CollgeXpress is how it provides a variety of information, and as the first child attending a university next year, it has been very essential and helpful. I’m so grateful for this because the information provided by CollegeXpress has also helped me see that there are so many college opportunities, and it always informs me by email. In other words, CollegeXpress has been like a guide for me as a future college student.

Aaliyah

Aaliyah

High School Class of 2022

My mother signed me up for a couple of scholarship contests through CollegeXpress. I was also able to do some research and compare the different schools on my list. I was able to see the graduation rates and different programs that helped me decide on Adelphi University. I will continue looking for some scholarships for my start in September.

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Armstrong

High School Class of 2022

I am a deaf student, and I had always dreamed of going to Gallaudet University. CollegeXpress helped me search though other qualified universities. They helped me know for sure that Gallaudet University was the right choice for me!

Melanie Kajy

Melanie Kajy

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me tremendously during my senior year of high school. I started off using the college search to find more information about the universities I was interested in. Just this tool alone gave me so much information about a particular school. It was my one-stop shop to learn about college. I was able to find information about college tuition, school rank, majors, and so much more that I can't list it all. The college search tool has helped me narrow down which college I want to attend, and it made a stressful process surprisingly not so stressful. I then moved to the scholarship search tool to find scholarships to apply for because I can't afford to pay for tuition myself. The search tool helped me find scholarships that I was eligible for. The tool gave me all the information I could ever need about a particular scholarship that was being offered. The CollegeXpress scholarship search tool is so much better than other tools offered, like the Chegg scholarship search. Thanks to CollegeXpress, I was able to apply to tons of scholarships in a relatively easy way!

Kyla McClain

Kyla McClain

High School Class of 2024

I found CollegeXpress when you partnered with Bold.org for a scholarship. I found your website, put my information in, and got connected. I only wanted to stay in North Carolina [for college] and not move far from home, but you all opened a door up for me. I started researching colleges you suggested for me. On your social media platforms, you also give really good test-taking tips that I used and suggested others to do the same. It helped me a lot on my exams, so thank you.