Between going to work or school, spending time with friends and family and getting enough sleep, it can be tough to prioritize your health, especially on a budget, so we enlisted health & fitness guru Colby Triolo to help.


Hi, I’m Colby—a sophomore at Cornell, marathoner, CrossFit lover and owner of You Make You which aims to empower others to empower themselves in all aspects of life.  The point of this introduction is to show that I’m pretty busy, and have therefore aced the art of balancing my health and fitness with a jam-packed schedule, while (of course) on that #CollegeBudget. Today, I want to share my tips to help you do the same.

The key to fitting workouts in to a busy schedule is to go short, but intense. As a Certified Personal Trainer, let me assure you that you can get in a good workout in less than an hour. Check out these ideas for ways to get the burn of a one hour workout within 20-45 minutes.

Workout without a gym

Tips for a Short, Effective Workout Without a Gym

· Always have a plan before starting your workout. Any moment wasted thinking of what to do next is a moment less of working out.
· Decide what you want to focus on: lower, upper, or total body.
· Choose 10-15 movements that maximize the variety of muscles used rather than one specific muscle. Find exercises that get your heart pumping fast to get the biggest bang for your buck. It’s important to challenge yourself the entire time, especially with a short workout time. Incorporate burpees, squat jumps, box jumps or even treadmill/bike sprints between strength exercises.
· Plan the execution. Options include working, then resting for a set amount of seconds (work 45 seconds, rest for 15), doing rounds of set reps (4 rounds with 10 reps of each exercise) or AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in a set amount of time (AMRAP 30 minutes doing 15-20 reps of each exercise).
· Assign reps, order your exercises and don’t forget to add (hidden) cardio— exercises in that get your heart rate up without you having to hop on a treadmill. These include step ups, mountain climbers, squat jumps, etc.

Fitting Fitness into Your Budget: Working Out without a Gym Membership

Repeat after me: You. Do. Not. Need. A. Gym. To. Get. Or. Stay. Fit.  I have gone months without stepping in a gym while still working out every day. Here’s how you can work out without the costly fee of a gym membership.

· Bodyweight exercises: Organize them into workouts like above or do standard sets and reps. Here is a basic list to start, but there are endless options.

Lower BodyUpper Body
Squats (or squat jumps)Pushup
Walking LungesCommando Planks
Curtsy LungesChair Dips
Squat and KickShoulder Pushups
Long JumpsPlank Position Punches
Wall SitsCrab Walks
Step Back Lunge w/ Exploding JumpT Pushups


·
If you’re craving a gym setup but want to avoid the cost, set up a basic home gym with a yoga mat, 2-3 sets of dumbbells (5-10 pounds and 15-25 pounds), and most importantly: space. Having more than one set will allow room for improvement (#GAINZ) and give you the freedom to do more exercises, since you don’t typically use the same range of weight for all exercises. For example, you will most likely desire a different weight for straight arm raises than for weighted lunges.

· Stay active during the day to get an extra burn—a little goes a long way! Take the stairs, park your car at the back of the lot, take a five-minute break once an hour and walk around the office or do some squats near your desk and walk around while you’re on the phone instead of sitting on your couch. Really get going with my Dancing with the Stars Workout.

Now that you have the knowledge to create cheap, quick, effective workouts, and the tools to create your home gym if you desire, it’s time to blast those jams and get in the zone! Click here for my workout playlist and follow me on Instagram (@be.happyhealthyfit) for inspiration and more tips. Get to it, and don’t forget— You Make You!

– By Colby Triolo

Smart Lifebites