The beginning of the semester can be hectic and stressful, especially for new students or those taking large course loads. Many people think they don't have the time, but being active is important. Here are five exercises you can do quickly and easily at home without spending a dime on any expensive equipment. Build and tone your chest Place your hands on the ground, a little wider than shoulder-width apart, and always remember to keep your hips in line with your shoulders and knees. Starting in the up position with your arms extended, slowly drop your chest to the floor until your sternum is about three to four inches from the ground, or roughly the height of a coffee mug. Then slowly return to the starting position. If you find that doing a pushup on your toes is too difficult, drop your knees to the floor while maintaining a straight line through your shoulders, hips and knees. Once doing a pushup on your toes is not as challenging, elevate your feet on stable objects around the house like chairs, coffee tables or even a couple of unused textbooks. Be wary of elevating your hands independently as you increase your risk of hyper-extending your chest and shoulder muscles. Everyone loves toned and sexy arms You don't have to spend money on expensive dumbbell sets to get the arms you're looking for. A gallon of milk weighs about eight pounds, which is an excellent weight to perform many arm exercises. You can substitute water for milk in the jug. Start with your triceps. Sit down in a chair, and extend your arm straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your elbow close to your head and slowly lower the weight behind your head until you form a 90-degree angle between your forearm and upper arm. Be sure to bend only at your elbow and not at your shoulder. Then return the weight to the starting position with your arm extended. It may help to spot yourself by placing your other hand on your upper arm just below your elbow. Next focus on your biceps. Again, sit in a chair, but this time start with your arm straight down at your side. Slowly lift the weight up to your shoulder, decreasing the angle between your forearm and upper arm, and bend only at your elbow and not at your shoulder. Slowly return the weight to its starting position. Finally work your shoulders by sitting in a chair with your arms extended straight up to the ceiling. Slowly lower the weights until your arms are fully extended, straight out from your shoulders and the base of your neck, or to the point where the weights are roughly at chin height. Finish by slowly returning the weights to the starting position. When you find jugs become too light, start filling them with loose change, sand or even some dirt you steal from your roommate's potted plant. Homemade abs The simple crunch is an exercise to target and tone your midsection, but you can make it even more interesting and effective by using a chair and some resistance. Lie flat on your back in front of a chair and rest your calves on the seat, elevating your feet and making opposing 90-degree angles between your calves and thighs and your thighs and back. Place your hands to the side of your head, and point your face up toward the ceiling, holding it there for the entirety of the exercise. Then contract at your waist, trying to bring your head as close to your knees as possible without actually sitting up. Exhale on the way up, hold the contraction for two seconds at the highest point, and inhale on your return to the floor. As you progress and the exercise becomes easier, bring back that milk jug or unused textbook to add a little resistance to your workout. Place the weight on your chest directly below your chin. Hold the resistance there with your hands. Contract up, hold, and then return to the starting position. Add a well-balanced diet, and you'll be sporting a six pack in no time. This is just a short list of the countless exercises that you can do at home to help improve your health and physique. Peters Recreation Complex is a great place to work out and relieve stress. But if you can't make it, that's not a problem. Just be creative and make your home workout inventive and fun.

Trent Scott is a junior in nutrition and exercise science and personal trainer at Peters Recreation Complex. You can e-mail him at sports@spub.ksu.edu.