By Courtney Fulton

Living in today’s world, we are always looking for new ways to stay in shape. Most people feel they need a gym membership and have to live off of protein and nutritional food. But what some people don’t know is that you can take your everyday routine and actually make a workout as you go. The key to burning calories is to have your heart rate raised and there are plenty of ways to increase your heart rate as you go about your day. According to Alexis Wolfer of The Beauty Bean, there 6 easy workouts you can to work into your everyday life not only at Fashion Week but while you’re at school too. These simple workouts can be made into daily habits and by following these, you will be sure to see results.

Lets begin with when your on your way (either stuck in traffic or taking the subway):
Sit up straight, both feet planted on the floor in front of you. Keeping your hips and bottom firmly in place, use your abdominal to move your upper body as far left as you can and then as far right. Ideally, your shoulders will remain parallel to the seat and shift side to side. Be sure to keep your back straight (don’t lean forward). While this move takes a bit of time to get used to, you will definitely see the results.

While walking from class to class:
As you strut your stuff around campus, make sure to not only keep your abs engaged, but also try working your bum with each step by pulsing your back leg behind you a little more than usual. Just a tiny squeeze of your glutes with each step will add up over the course of the day. And while it may look and feel a bit odd, the results are well worth it. And remember: Always take the stairs! Taking the stairs not only gets you to your destination faster, but you also get a high cardio workout.

While standing around:
Whether you’re in flats or heels, work those legs with calf raises. If you’re in flats, lift on to your toes as if you’re in heels. In heels? Just put your body weight in your toes to hover your heels off the ground. Do small pulses or see how long you can hold up for. We particularly like this one for when we’re waiting in line for coffee, which is often! Want to take it to a whole other level? Do some bicep curls with that weighted purse of yours!

When your bored in class:
Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight up against the back of your chair. Squeeze your abdominal as hard as you can, as if you’re trying to touch your belly button to the back of the chair. Hold in for 10 seconds before releasing. Repeat as many times as you can.

When in the bathroom:
Beyond avoiding the grossness factor of sitting on the toilet seat, hovering in a squat while doing your business will tone your legs and glutes too!

On your way home (whenever that is!):
Interlock your fingers in front of you and stretch your arms out in front of your body, with your palms facing out. Round your back to stretch the area in between the shoulder blades and mid-back. Take a breath (or two!) before releasing.

Registered Nurse, Deena Rudolph, also lent us a few tips on ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “Other healthy tips would be to avoid ADDING salt to your food. Added salt increases fluid retention and leads to high blood pressure which is bad for your blood vessels (in your heart, brain, kidneys, and other vital organs). I would say to avoid prepared meals like lean cuisines, etc because they are high in preservatives (SALT). If you can prepare food, it should be as close to the way it was grown in the ground or on the animal as possible. Diet drinks are not good either–some of the artificial sweeteners actually increase insulin levels which in turn causes hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). So although you may be avoiding a few calories, you’re causing your blood sugar to be elevated. And of course, drink plenty of water, as close to 8 glasses as you can. Keep a bottle with you all the time and sip it as the day goes on, you will be surprised how much you drink when it is always available.”