The clock strikes 2 a.m. and you still have 10 pages to go not including the works cited. Your eyelids are heavy, and you consider calling it a night. We all know those late nights in the library when coffee just doesn’t cut it. Besides caffeine, getting your blood pumping can be just the boost you need to power through late night studying.
Try these exercises to finish your assignments and get through the night.
Sun Salutation
GIF by Erin Thomas
Yoga fanatics will be familiar with this one. Starting in a standing position, inhale reaching up to the sky and fall forward hinging a the hips to touch your toes. Placing your hands on the ground, step your feet back into a plank position.
Follow the downward movement of a push-up and then push up and forward into an upward dog position. Push back into a plank and then downward dog. After moving back into a plank, step both feet back to your hands, and hinge at the hips with a flat back up to standing position.
This exercise is perfect because you get some deep breathing, stretching, and isometric muscle contractions to get that blood pumping. It also fits nicely between the stacks.
Run the Stairs
GIF by Erin Thomas
Pretty self-explanatory, but stair work hits the major muscle groups of the lower body demanding even more blood flow and raising the heart rate. Nothing like racing up 3 floors to remind your body that it’s not time for sleep yet.
Walking Lunges
GIF by Erin Thomas
Another perfect exercise for between the stacks, lunges combine work for major lower body muscle groups with some hip flexor stretching. After sitting for hours, your booty will thank you.
For good form, make sure your front knee doesn’t go in front of your toes. Try to get low enough to make a 90 degree angle with the front knee.
Shoulder and Back Stretches
GIF by Erin Thomas
Most of us hold stress in our upper body, especially when hunching over laptops deep into the night. An easy way to stretch the shoulders is by bringing one arm across the chest and pulling it towards your body with the opposite arm. Another stretch is interlocking the fingers with your palms away from you and reach them up to the ceiling.
The Book Shuffle
Photo by Erin Thomas
Since the middle of the night is prime time for mayhem, why not make a workout out of it. Find a stack somewhere far away from any librarians. Reach down to the bottom shelf grab a couple books in each hand, lift them up and place them on the highest shelf. Then reverse it by taking books from the highest shelf and squatting down to put them on the lowest shelf.
Lifting, squatting, reaching, stretching – this silly prank might be exactly what you need to get energized. And who knows? Maybe you will find a book you need.
The library doesn’t have to put you to sleep. These are just a few ways to keep your energy up during those long nights using the resources you have. No citations required.