How about a 24-day challenge?

The plank is an excellent exercise to work the entire body. Especially the abdominal muscles and the lower back extensor are activated, but also the upper back, the shoulder muscles, the buttocks and the thigh muscles are trained.
If a plank is performed regularly, it can even prevent back pain and improve the posture of your body.

Let's go! Participate in the 24-day plank challenge!
We start with 20 seconds today! Here, you can see where we will go from there:

Have you already solved a riddle today?

If you can solve this riddle, you have the chance to win a Hochschulsport voucher.

A Christmas elf sits at the candlelit table at night and writes three Christmas letters to three different friends. He has just finished writing the addresses on the envelopes when a gust of air blows out his candle.
Since he is too lazy to relight the candle, he randomly puts the letters into the three envelopes in the dark, one letter per envelope.
What is the chance that he has randomly put exactly two out of three letters into the right envelope?

Click here to submit your solution and to have the chance to win a Hochschulsport voucher:

Guaranteed Christmas spirit!

When the smell of warm, delicious cookies is in the air and Christmas music is playing, even the Grinch gets into a joyful mood.

For your nose and taste buds, we recommend Mandorlini with marzipan, a Sicilian almond pastry!

For your ears and soul, the Chair of Music Education of the University of Augsburg recommends a selection of classical pieces of music.

Click here for the recipe and the music:

Shoulder and back pain due to sitting for too long?

Following the instructions of Dr. Lena Kroll (Institute for Sports Science), you can mobilize and relax your shoulder and neck area in just 15 minutes. You will also get to know some exercises, which you can perform at your desk and that have a positive effect on work-related strain.

Have fun trying them out:

Want to be creative? Try HIRAMEKI - ひらめき! Being creative also promotes mental health!

The Chair of Art Education offers some valuable suggestions on how to generate a creative flow in the Advent season.

Win a nutrition coaching!

You want to lose weight and reduce your weight in a natural way? Or you want to live healthier and feel more vital? Then a personal nutritional consultation is just the right thing for you. Together, we will calculate your personal nutritional plan, which can be easily integrated into your everyday life. A qualified and experienced nutritionist will give you valuable tips and helpful advice on all aspects of your diet.

To win the personal consultation, you must guess how many people participate in too little athletic activity in Germany?

The estimate closest to the correct answer wins. Click here to submit your estimate:

Already had too many Christmas cookies this year?

Then be active and participate in our Christmas Cookie Workout with Anne Rau (Hochschulsport coach).
Tune in live via the following link for a 15-minute workout on 9 December at 6 p.m.!

Topic: Christmas Cookie Workout

Join Zoom meeting:
Meeting-ID: 995 6198 0753
Code: b6Yka*

Click here to join the Zoom meeting:

Is your PC screen more than an arm's length away from you right now?

If this is not the case, you should change this to provide a helathy environment for you to work in. The optimal distance between your eyes and your PC screen should be around 60 to 70 cm, or in other words, a little more than an arm's length.

You can find this tip and other tips on how to set up your desk in a way that promotes good health in a short explanatory video from our partners at the Techniker Krankenkasse.

This arrow will take you straight to the video:

Do you want to know what we can learn from a farmer and a coffee bean?

Tanja Weier from the Central Student Advisory Service presents a short exercise that promotes mindfulness and the (re-)activation of positive feelings in our everyday lives. This exercise can easily be incorporated into our daily lives.

Click on the arrow below to get to the full story and the short exercise.

Short reminder: The Christmas Cookie Workout from day 7 will take place today at 6:00 p.m.!

How active is your everyday study life?

UniA:ctive is a project that aims to promote movement among students and to provide inspiration for a wide variety of training and exercise opportunities. An active lifestyle is an important key to learning success and should be part of your daily routine.

Today, we will introduce three sub-projects of UniA:ctive, which you can use at any time and completely free of charge to make your study day more active.

Pomodoro - more than just a tomato sauce!

Today, you will find out what the Pomodoro technique is and how it can positively affect your learning habbits and life at university in general. On top of that, the technique can also help you to fight procrastination.

Sonja Eser from the Central Student Advisory Service explains this technique in a short video:

Would you like to leave the tasks and stress that occur during the Advent season behind you? Would you like to come to a rest, to recharge your batteries, to strengthen, stretch and relax your body? Would you like to concentrate on what really is important in the pre-Christmas shopping rush? You can do all of that and support a good cause at the same time.

Join us for our Christmas Karma Hatha Yoga via Zoom on:
Tuesday, 12/14 9:00-10:00 a.m. (hybrid, with registration).
Thursday, 12/16 7:30-8:30 a.m. (online only, no registration).

Click here to get more information and the Zoom link:

Want some running advice from a triathlete?

In a short video, the former professional triathlete Katja Mayer explains how you can improve your running technique and strengthen your legs. This is so important because one of the most common reasons for a bad running technique is a lack of strength of your legs. Luckily, Katja Mayer is here to help, and she will show you a few exercises to improve the muscular strength of your legs. All you need is a hill or stairs.

Click here to get to the video:

Win a Hochschulsport voucher!

You are sitting in the library? You are ready for a short break and want to win a Hochschulsport voucher?
Then use the time for a little exercise challenge and walk through the library. While walking, count all the stairs in the Central Library and the Humanities Library.

The voucher will be raffled among all correct answers. Click here to submit your solution and to have a chance to win the voucher:

Smoothie - more than just summer drink?

The orange and pomegranate smoothie is a delicious alternative to punch or mulled wine during the Christmas season. Cinnamon and vanilla really spread the Christmas spirit among your taste buds. This easy-to-make smoothie will definitely get you excited for Christmas.

Click on the arrow below to get to the recipe:

Escape the Christmas stress for a moment and relax!

Relaxation has a positive effect of your physical and mental well-being and helps to reduce stress.
When you are stressed, there is an imbalance between your daily challenges and your resources.

There are several ways to find relief from this stress. Click here to find out what you can do:

OutdoorA:ctive - be active outdoors!

You want to do sports outside, and you do not feel like going on a run?
In this case, OutdoorA:ctive is the right thing for you. The project offers you the opportunity to exercise while enjoying the fresh air, and it provides ideas for various exercises and training possibilities.

You can learn more about what OutdoorA:ctive is in an interview with our experts by clicking on the arrow below:

Be kind to yourself!

Today, we ask you to be extra nice to yourself. Why? Because we often forget to be nice to ourselves as a result of our daily stress and because we take care of so many other things, but unfortunately not of ourselves...

Tanja Weier from the Central Student Advisory Service provides a few suggestions on how you can have a day of "mindfulness and (self-)appreciation":

Does coffee really dehydrate your body?

No! This nutrition myth has been persistent for some time, but today we know that coffee is not a factor that affects your body's water balance. Obviously, it does not hurt to drink a glass of water in addition to your cup of coffee, but it is not a necessity. Actually, coffee can even be included in your daily fluid assessment. Studies have shown that the caffeine contained in coffee has a diuretic effect, but the influence on your body's water balance is so small that it is negligible. So, we can still (occasionally) reach for a cup of coffee without hesitation to get us through the day.

Click here to get further information about two more nutrition myths:

Curiosity and eagerness for knowledge can give your health a boost?

Yes, says Prof. Dr. Markus Dresel in his Christmas greetings for all members of the university.
In a short video clip, the Vice President of the University of Augsburg explains what is important to him when it comes to learning and health and what he wishes all of you.

Win a personal moving relaxation coaching session!

Gentle forms of movement and relaxation can help to reduce stress and find inner peace. Typical methods for relaxation are meditation and breathing exercises. However, many other forms of movement can help to harmonize body and mind, too. In particular, the interplay of tension and relaxation during gentle movement sequences leads to well-being and energy.

Click on the arrow below and tell us what ideas you have for integrating health-promoting routines into your everyday life. The most creative idea wins!

Did you have a long and exhausting day at university or work?

Luckily, we have right thing for you! With a 15-minute short relaxation break by Dr. Kathrin Weiß (Institute for Sports Science), you can start your day relaxed, or you can take a break in between your classes to get back to work with new energy.

Relax while listening:

You notice how strained your eyes are after spending a lot of time in front of the computer?

Working in front of a screen is so strenuous for the eyes because they have to constantly adapt to new stimuli, and they rarely get the rest they need and deserve. This promotes myopia in the long term.

Here are two exercises to relax and activate the eyes in order to counteract this development:

In the mood for some Christmas-themed brain calisthenics?

Just like every Christmas season, we have heard Christmas carols everywhere in the last few weeks. But can you identify all the Christmas songs we have recreated for you using emojis?

This riddle is a good option to shorten the waiting time until the gift giving or to have a guessing round with your family at the dinner table.

The arrow below will lead you to the correct answers.

Have fun with this riddle! The UniA:ctive-Team wishes you a very Merry Christmas! 🌟