For many college students, the return of summer weather is both a blessing and a curse. Settling into a comfortable, sun-drenched picnic spot in the Quad, one is presented with scantily clad reminders of the pressure to greet the season with a swimsuit-ready physique.

Balancing the commitments of school, work, internships and time with friends can take a toll on many students. It becomes easy to succumb to stress and to binge drink, eat poorly and forget to exercise. According to the American Heart Association, 160 million Americans over the age of 18 are overweight, and the numbers are only growing. To stay healthy and avoid complications like diabetes and cardiac disease, it is becoming more important than ever for young adults to begin, and maintain, healthy habits.

"I understand that college students are busy, and it's easy to get caught up with school and socializing," IMA Fitness Coordinator Carrie Wigton said. "But it's helpful to try to set a healthy habit now so that when you become older, in the work force, you're not struggling with that."

With some basic planning and commitment, even the most hectic of schedules can include time for working out.

One simple way to keep motivated, Wigton said, is to do what you like.

"Studies have shown that if you don't enjoy the activity, you're not going to stick with it," she said. "Ideally, you would do a combination of cardio activity and weight training."

The IMA offers many different options for weight, or strength, training. They have weight rooms, machines, offer beginning weight classes and have a staff of personal trainers. They also have cardio machines, an indoor track and a variety of fitness classes. Cardio activity could also include playing pick-up basketball, volleyball or soccer games, or intramural sports like ultimate Frisbee.

The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that adults have at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. However, people looking to lose weight or gain muscle tone will have to dedicate a bit more time. A schedule that includes cardio, strength training and a balanced diet will achieve the best, and healthiest, results.

"For somebody new to working out, I would just want them being active three days a week," Wigton said. "Whatever they would want to do, that could include going to the gym and working out, it could be going on a walk with friends or with their dog, it could be playing ultimate Frisbee on the weekend, but just something that would get that person active to enjoy it."

The greater Seattle area offers countless options for fitness activities, especially when the sun is shining: riding a bike, walking, jogging or rollerblading on the Burke-Gilman trail or around Green Lake, kayaking on Lake Washington, hiking or rock climbing.

Kelly Garneski is a graduate student and a member of the Adventure and Wildlife Club on campus.

"I think it's important to try a variety of things," she said. "A lot of people start out just running hard. I love running, but I can't do it every day. I would suggest kayaking, walking and hiking. I think that people should try different things and get out and have the scenery change."

"I think the best advice I can give is set a goal, make it obtainable and stick to it," said junior Angie Lewis, who works part-time at 24-hour Fitness. Named Miss Greek 2006 and Miss Cascadia 2007, Lewis is earning a major in business and a minor in music, working as a personal trainer and preparing for her first triathlon this summer.

"The biggest complaint I hear is, 'I don't have enough time,' " Lewis said. "You've got to make time. Make a plan, write it down and schedule it. Scheduling in advance is the most important thing."

Wigton agreed that students must make time for exercise.

"Just like you would schedule your classes, you need to schedule in workout time," she said. "It needs to become part of your routine, whether it's your daily routine or your weekly routine."

She explained that it takes 21 days to create a habit, "so you have to stick with it for at least three weeks to make it automatic in your schedule."

Wigton also suggests starting off slowly and working up to a consistent workout pattern.

"With someone brand new," she explained, "you want them to be successful and you want them to enjoy it, not feel like it's a burden."

Finding a way to motivate your workouts can make it easier to maintain. Wigton suggests finding the motivation that is most effective for you and structuring your workouts around it. For some people, working out can be a relaxing time alone, when they can listen to music or think about their day.

Others do best when exercising with friends, or in a social class atmosphere. Some enlist the help of a personal trainer to help them methodically work toward their goals. Knowing that other people are holding you accountable for showing up to exercise can be a powerful motivator.

"I think exercise is fun," Garneski said. "I enjoy being outside, and I enjoy working out. It's hard with grad school, you do a lot of sitting still, so being able to get out is fun."

Lewis said she gets excited about her workouts.

"To get to that point, I think you need to find what it is you enjoy about the gym," she said. "For me, when I start seeing results, when I start feeling better, when I start looking better, that's a good reason."

Make sure that the motivation is positive, because approaching exercise with a negative mindset can lead to failure.

"I'm always working toward a goal," Lewis said. "That will get you excited, and it's something you can think about when you're working out."

Rick Bradley's Quick Fit 15-Minute Exercise Program

Exercise guru Rick Bradley has developed a 15-minute fitness program called "Quick Fit" that he adapted for the life of busy bureaucrats. The routine has four key components.

1. Aerobic activity: 10 minutes

Bradley's goal is for you to do 10 minutes of continuous aerobic activity – it can be anything from treadmill time to a fast-paced bike ride to class.

2. Abdominal exercise: 50 Half bent-knee sit-ups. 1 minute

Lay on an exercise mat or the floor with your back flat, your knees bent to about a right angle, and your feet flat on the floor. Pull your chin to your chest and keep it there, and extend your arms and hands, with your fingers pointed toward the tops of your knees. Now slowly lift the shoulders off the mat four to six inches, bringing your hands to your knees, and come back down. Repeat 49 more times.

3. Strength moves: 3 minutes

Use dumbbells to do these three moves, selecting the weight so that 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise is fatiguing.

a. Chest press. Lay with your back flat on the floor and arms extended out to your sides, bent at a right angle at the elbow, forearms pointed toward the ceiling, hands holding dumbbells. Press the weights up toward the ceiling, fully extending arms, then lower. Do 10 to 15.

b. Curls. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms straight down at your sides, palms facing the body, holding dumbbells. Bend arms at the elbow, keeping upper arm still but raising the weight to the front of the shoulder. While lifting the weight, rotate to the palm of your hand faces up during the curl. Slowly lower weight. Do 10 to 15 on each side, alternating.

c. Shoulder raises. Stand with arms straight down in front of you, palms facing together, holding dumbbells. Keeping elbows slightly bent, raise your arms straight out to your sides, so you look like a large letter "T" and slowly lower weight. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

4. Flexibility: 1 minute

a. Side bends. Stand tall, feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips. Then reach up to the sky with the left hand, bend to the right from the waist, bringing the left hand and arm overhead and reaching to the right. Slowly return to start with hands on hips, then bring right hand up and lean and reach to the left. Continue alternating, reaching and leaning to the opposite side with each hand, with the arm fully extended, for 30 seconds.

b. Sit and reach. Sit upright on the floor with legs straight in front of you. Extend your arms straight, reaching toward your toes, and gently lean forward. You do not have to reach your toes — just stretch to the point that you feel a gentle tension, but no discomfort. Hold for 30 seconds, and then relax.

— PBS.org

Reach reporter Sarah Anderson at features@thedaily.washington.edu.