4 At Home Exercise Essentials

So New Years Resolutions are in full swing, and for a lot of people that means getting healthier! But as a college student, it can be hard to get to the gym on a regular basis. We've got things like classes, rehearsals, meetings, parties and projects that eat up a lot of our time. For those days when getting to the gym seems impossible, here are some things you may want to keep in your dorm room to exercise with in your spare time!

Stop Watch

You can use this guy for doing cardio intervals (ex. marching in place or jump roping, etc.) in between strength moves, or to keep track of intense intervals.

Exercise Ball

Once you do ab work on one of these, you can never go back to the floor! It's much more effective to do ab work or balance exercises on one of these because you have to stabilize your body while you're doing strength moves, so you get double the workout for the same amount of time. Another trick is to replace your desk chair with this guy so that you can work on balance and posture while you're studying for Biology.

Free Weights
These guys take up little space but they can pack a huge punch when it comes to shaping your body. Grab a pair of 3 or 5 lb dumbbells and perform arm/shoulder exercises or incorporate them in moves like lunges and ab work to add the extra resistance.

Jump Rope

Boxers use these for a reason! Jumping rope is a great cardio workout that doesn't require a bulky machine. Try starting out by going for 10 minutes straight and work your way up from there.

By: Kelly Courington | Image: Polyvore