Yesterday, you went to class, club meetings, work, rehearsal, review sessions, appointments and office hours, squeezing in one or two meals when you had a few minutes. Tired, you went back to your room at night to a heaping pile of homework. The hours crept by as you sat listlessly at your desk, and it became increasingly clear that the cupcake you had with lunch was not going anywhere fast.

It’s hard enough finding time to eat and sleep, let alone drag your tired body to SPAC to work out. How can you stay fit when you can’t find the time to take care of yourself?

Patricia Olsson-Prescott, a NU Department of Athletics and Recreation personal trainer, offered the following tips for how to keep in shape without ever leaving the comfort of your dorm room. These exercises, which take advantage of dorm furniture and heavy textbooks, can be done between classes, after meetings or even when you need a study break in the wee hours of the morning.

1. Sit and Stand

“The squat is the most basic, essential exercise,” Olsson-Prescott said. It can be recreated in your dorm room with the simple Sit and Stand. This is a “compound movement” that works the major muscles in both the thighs and the core.

Sit in your desk chair straight and tall. Then stand, and make sure to tuck your navel in and up throughout the exercise. Push through your heels as you stand, sit back down, and repeat at least twenty times.

2. I.T.Y.

“The back gets a lot of strain from leaning or hunching forward,” Olsson-Prescott said. “It’s important to pull it back in the opposite direction.” The I.T.Y. exercise is designed for just that purpose. The exercise is named for the shape your body makes with each respective position.

To make the “I,” lie down with your stomach to the floor. Draw your navel in and up to stabilize your core and protect your back from tension as you push your breastbone into the carpet. Keeping your body still and your hands at your sides, bring your hands a few inches up toward the ceiling, squeeze your shoulder blades and release gently. “This should be a gentle contraction at the base of the shoulder, about where a bra would hit on a girl,” Olsson-Prescott said.

Then, stretch your arms out to your sides, making a “T” with your body. Bring your arms up and squeeze your shoulder blades. Finally, bring your arms up over your head to make a “Y” with your body. Complete the cycle at least ten times.

To increase weight and resistance on this exercise, try holding books or cans of soup in your hands.

3. Push-ups

After completing your I.T.Y.s, stay on the floor and move into the push-up position. Push-ups can be done in the traditional position, or they can be modified by doing them on the knees.

Alternatively, you can also try wall push-ups: Stand about six inches from the wall and place your palms against the wall slightly lower than shoulder level. Bend your elbows (keeping your navel drawn in!), lean toward the wall, then push the wall away, straightening your arms and making sure never to lock your joints. To increase the difficulty, step farther away from the wall. To make it easier, step closer.

4. Bicep Curl

Finally, a use for that thick, heavy textbook that you’ve never opened! Grab your heaviest textbook in one hand and hold it straight down. Bend your arm up until the book almost meets your shoulder, then bring it back down. Repeat 10 times for each arm.

To mix it up a little bit, try incorporating the bicep curl into a lunge. Lunge forward with your left leg, and curl with your right arm. Bring your leg in, and uncurl. Do this 10 times on each side.

5. Opposite Arm, Opposite Leg

Start with your hands and knees on the floor. Extend your left leg back and your right arm out; then return to the starting position. Don’t forget to tuck in your navel! Repeat with your right leg and left arm. Do at least 10 repetitions on each side.

6. Bicycle

“The bicycle is a great classic for the abs. You can’t beat it,” Olsson-Prescott said. Lying on your back with your knees bent and hands behind your neck, bring your left knee into your chest and bring your right elbow in to meet it. Alternate opposite elbows and knees, repeating at least 10 times on each side.

7. Plank

The plank is another great exercise for the abs. After completing the bicycle, flip over and lie on your stomach. Prop up your upper body on your elbows while keeping your upper arms flat on the floor. Then, hold your body up, touching the floor with only your toes and upper arms. Again, keep your navel drawn in and up. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds.

Making exercise a priority is easier than it seems

“Use your own body energy,” Olsson-Prescott said. “Walk everywhere and take the stairs whenever possible. Incorporate moving your body into your daily life, and then you won’t have to take the extra hour to go to the gym.”

So although it may seem as though there’s no room for exercise in a busy schedule, there are many creative ways to get a good workout without ever leaving your dorm room. Just remember to keep your navel drawn in and up!

All photos by author. Exercises modeled by Weinberg freshman Abhita Reddy, in the comfort of an Elder dorm room.