Jump-start your brain with these quick workouts
Feeling overwhelmed? Do you have so much homework that you don't know when you'll be able to eat, let alone exercise? News flash: working out can help you not only feel calmer about your heavy workload (thank those almighty endorphins), but it can also help you feel more focused. Even when you don't think you can spare more than five minutes, try out one of these quick exercises to jump-start your day, brain or whatever else needs help that day.
Speedy speed walk
You might have visions of your grandma while pumping your arms around the block, but hey, this exercise is a great one when you only have a few minutes. By speed walking just a few "laps" around your block or house, you'll be able to clear your mind, get a change of scenery and provide your circulatory system with a little bit of help. Nothing quite prompts brain power like good blood flow, right? And if any of your neighbors give you funny looks, just ask them to join you - they might be surprised by how good it can feel, too.
If the world is just too cold to bear at the moment, marching in place can be just as helpful as heading out around the block. It can be helpful to face away from the desk or table where you are working, just so you get that same benefit of a "change of scenery" from the exercise.
Pump it with exercise bands
Exercise bands are cheap, highly portable and take up only a few inches of space when hung up on your wall. Best of all, you can do leg and arm exercises with them in a snap. If you're a true fan of multitasking, you can even do some bicep exercises while you read through your notes. You have no excuse not to get your heart pumping now.
Five minute meditation
Sure, this is like the slow jam of the exercise world, but you might be surprised with how relaxed and more energized you feel after five minutes of meditation. Try and wipe your mind of all your current responsibilities, and concentrate on making your mind a blank, comforting place. You might want to repeat a mantra to yourself ("I can do this"), or it might feel better just to pay attention to your breathing.
