Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions, but most find it hard to stick with them because they don’t have the time, or they lose interest in fulfilling them. The stereotypical resolution that people think of would be to lose weight or to tone their body but they hit some road blocks with this, especially us college students. The issue that people have is that they can’t afford to pay the gym fee, they don’t have the time to go to the gym, or they feel awkward or uncomfortable thinking of exercising in front of others. Well, I am here to tell you that there are alternatives to going to the gym, and they are cheap and can be done from the comfort of your dorm. The alternatives are 2 mobile apps that are free and you can easily download onto your phone. The names of these apps are 8Fit and 7M Women.

8Fit is a an easy-to-use app and can be personalized for what you are looking for in a workout. I have personally used this app and it does provide good workouts to do in a small space, especially when I am unable to get to the gym. The app includes:

  • Daily workout options. This includes:
    • How long it should take
    • How many repetitions
    • What type of workouts you will do
  • Yoga sessions. This helps with:
    • Stretching after your workout
    • Having a different option for working out rather than doing the daily set
  • Meal prepping for the week:
    • Helpful suggestions on what to eat
    • Portion sizing for the meals
  • Activity log tracker:
    • Different options to be picked for the many different ways to workout
    • Good way to see your workout progress

8Fit is easy to set-up and personalize to your specific wants or needs. This is perfect for the college student that wants to save money, or just doesn’t want to go to the gym.

7M Women may sound like it is just meant for women but that is not the case. This app provides many different options, like 8Fit, but its main goal is to help you lose the weight you want to lose. The best part of this app is that the workouts that you can do are 7 minutes long, so it is perfect for those students who don’t have enough time in the day to go to the gym. The benefits of using this app are that it is easy to set up and using it is even easier.  There are options for just classic forms of working out if you want to keep it simple, or you can choose the option for a workout to make yourself sweat.  The workouts that are under each category are helpful and make you feel like you are going to the gym to workout.

Before using these apps, I would recommend that you purchase a yoga mat, because the floors in the dorms are not exactly soft and plushy. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to working out. You are already going to be sore from the workout so why throw a hard floor into the mix? Plus, I’m sure your roommate will be happy you’re not sweating all over your floor.

I hope that these options that have been presented will help you fulfill those resolutions or at least make you feel better.  Enjoy the burn.

Dan Vlach