5 easy ways to incorporate exercise in your daily routines

As a student I know that most of us won't always have the time or goodwill to go to the gym or to change clothes for exercising otherwise. While exercise is important for looking better and feeling better, I also often happen to wonder 'but when should I do that?' or 'meh, I don't want to dress up for that'. Therefore, I will now post some advices about incorporating exercise in things you do on a daily base, regardless of how much time you have. 

The first advice is to walk or ride your bike whenever you can. Of course, when it is raining cats and dogs, you are excused, but taking the bus on a sunny day while you only have a 10 minute walk or 5 minute bike ride ahead cannot be justified by anyone. A nice bonus is that you get to catch some sun, which means that your body receives vitamin D, which stimulates the production of calcium, which - in turn - is good for your bones, nails, and teeth. 

The second thing to do is to replace the elevators and escalators by stairs. Sure, for a 10 floor building, you may start out with walking only half of the stairs and then continue by elevator/escalator, but in a 4 floor building there is no excuse unless you are in a wheelchair or bound to walking with crutches. 

My third advice is something I tried out myself. Given that you can stand the looks of people when they see you doing it, you might hold your bottles of water in your hands and train your biceps as you walk.Simply buy or fill two 0.5 litre bottles with water and hold one in each of your hands. Then, when you walk on your left foot you train your right biceps and the other way round. Once you arrived at your destination, drink the water. Because it is good for you. 

The fourth thing you might do is for when you stand in a queue or in the bus/train.Squeeze your butt, hold it for a few seconds and then relax again. It is fairly simple and nobody has to see you doing it when it is crowded or when you stand strategically, but you will see results if you manage to do this a couple of times on a daily base! 

Last but not least: your abs! You can train them by squeezing them all day long. Doing this will give you a better posture, a slimmer silhouette and you also train your abdominal muscles to become slightly stronger. Although the real thing is doing sit-ups, this exercise is effective for those do not want to lie down on the floor. 

So, what do you do to stay in shape? Do you make the most of little moments like I do or do you plan actual exercises and gym sessions? Let me know! 

6 things to do when you take a break from studying

Studying, just like anything else you do, tires you and your brain after a while. While it is important to know when you function best for study purposes (some work better in the morning, others work better in the evening), it is also important to know that it won't help you to study 5 hours in a row without a break. Your brain will get tired and eventually, you will just be staring at whatever you do and function on automatic pilot, which is not the way to go if you really want to remember something. It is therefore wise to take a 5-15 minute break after 45-50 minutes of studying/working. Here are a few things you should do during those breaks: 

• Go outside for fresh air. Fresh air will really refresh your brain. If you really insist on staying inside (some weather circumstances demand staying inside), open your window for the time you take a break. Fresh air in your study room is just as important as fresh air in your brain. If the weather is on the better side of the spectrum, keep your window opened while you are working. 

• Exercise. I do not mean that you should go to the gym for several hours, but just a few short, little exercises improve your circulation to your brain and thereby improve your focus. Dancing to your favourite music also counts, so you might as well turn on your mp3-player and shake that booty! 
• Take a healthy in-between. I keep emphasizing healthy food because it is crucial to your entire physical and mental functioning. Bite an apple, get a whole-corn bun, or enjoy some non-salted nuts for new energy. 

• Relax. You might listen to your favourite music or anything else that makes you feel calm and at ease. Yoga / meditation exercises, a short walk in your neighbourhood, or a magazine are some great distractions that do not need to cost much time. 
• Power nap. A twenty minute power nap can get your brain back in business when you have had a long evening the night before or when you have just exhausted your brain with hours of studying. 
• Use your break to relocate yourself and your stuff. As I mentioned before, changing locations can help you memorize things better because you brain tends to link processed information to the physical environment and context.

So, these were the tips for things to do during a short study-break. What are you doing when you take a few minutes off from studying? What do you eat and drink throughout a typical study day? Let me know!