by C. M. Erickson

Created on: December 16, 2010   Last Updated: December 22, 2010

For any student who has mastered the difficult task of developing a workout routine at college, there is a very real fear that being away from your routine might tip you off your workout bandwagon. However, with a bit of personal discipline (that you clearly already have), a little bit of flexibility and ingenuity, and an honest conversation with friends and family, you can keep yourself on the exercise straight and narrow.

Personal discipline

The time you are away from college is usually vacation time. Vacation time implies irregular schedules, friends and family who want your attention, little to no control over food choices, and no access to your gym with all its familiar machines and fitness classes.

Your friends, family, and personal desires to relax or see some new thing will compete with your desire to maintain an exercise routine. You must commit to yourself to keep up your fitness. Decide what is your bare minimum to maintain fitness. Do you need to keep your cardio up? Are you worried about losing muscle mass? Figure out what your critical concerns are, and focus on them.

Flexibility and ingenuity

You most likely will not have access to your usual run routes or gym, so you must improvise while home. Often many gyms allow you to pay for short-term access of a few weeks, or even by the day or hour. Shop around for the best price and opening hours during the holidays, and do not forget to ask for a student discount.

Often-times you can improvise your workouts you normally do. If you like to run, you can probably still do that while on vacation. Just check to make sure the route you like is safe. You can even invite family and friends along if you are planning on a recovery run.

If you are headed home, see if an old bike still works. While not the same as a spin class, you can still get out and ride your bike for exercise.  Check for old aerobics tapes laying around. You might get a good laugh out of sweating to the oldies, but you might get a decent workout, too.

If you are worried about muscle mass, keep up your fitness with bodyweight exercises. Do pushups – normal pushups, feet elevated pushups, clapping pushups, pushups with one hand on a thick book. Do situps holding a heavy book. Do walking lunges, body-weight squats, or plyometrics (explosive movements, such as jumping onto a park bench with both feet, or even the top of a picnic table). See if the local high school stadium is open and run their stairs. Look for a solid branch or pull

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