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Do it right, live the fitness life
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They are selling health at the REC, all you gotta do is go and get it.
Personal fitness in this country has taken on a new need. As the obesity rates in the United States start to look like the buffets we devour, a hearty fitness program stops looking like a hard time and more like an attempt to save our lives.
“Look around, there’s a bunch of unhealthy people out there,” Assistant Director Lisa Stuppy said. “If we can make them even a little bit more healthy, then that’s good, that’s what we want to do that’s our job. We can help them live longer. If I can get one person to get hooked on exercise then I’m doing good.”
The Student Recreation Center (located on the South side of University Drive) offers a wide array of opportunities to change that flab into flex.
The most popular routines are the Group Exercises (pg 36 of the recreation guide). The classes take on more than 15,000 participants every year. Obviously some of those are repeat participants. It is easy to see why so many students take the trip.
The classes are ALL FREE! Alright, so you pay for them with the student fees you gotta pay to go to school, but there is no extra cost to take classes. The REC offers yoga and step classes, cycling, weight lifting, deep-water aerobics, kickboxing and core conditioning.
Perhaps the most intriguing of classes offered at the REC is Pi-Yo, a combination of Pilates and Yoga.
“It’s a great class,” Stuppy said. “Core conditioning is kind of a buzzword right now and Pilates and Yoga both help out a lot with core conditioning, as well as balance and overall body awareness/stability. It’s a great mix.
“A lot of times people don’t like a whole hour of Pilates. An hour of Pilates is very challenging. Sometimes mixing it with the Yoga not only has the added benefit of balance and flexibility but kind of dissipates some of that Pilates-only core movement.”
The classes are drop-ins, at no cost; all you need to do is show up with your exercise gear and go. If you are attending a class for the first time, try to show up early and speak with the instructor to get squared away.
REMEMBER: to do anything at the REC, you must have your student identification card. It gets you into the building. Without it, all you can do is hang out in the lobby.
Stuppy said that the REC classes are less regimented than those you will take through the Kinesiology Department. There is no required attendance.
“You can go when you want to go,” Stuppy said. “Night classes allow students with busy schedules to get their workout on at their leisure.”
For students looking for a more-focused workout routine, with a little kick in the tail, the REC also offers the assistance of a slew of personal trainers. You can BUY 8-session blocks to get accustomed to the gym and figure out your routines. Stuppy said that some students will continue to buy the blocks of training the entirety of their educational years.
“We feel that we offer really sound training at a reasonable cost,” Stuppy said. “We want our program to be affordable to students, but we don’t want to undersell our product either, but they will be spending a lot less than they will be at the Y or Gold’s Gym.”
Personal training is no walk in the park. It will work you hard.
“Personally I really like it,” Stuppy said. “You work harder. You stay more motivated. You’re responsible for someone. If someone designs your program for you, you fall into fewer ruts. The trainer is always watching your form and mixing things up. When you or I come to the gym, we say, ‘oh, I think I’ll lift weights today or I guess I’ll ride the bike’. They have a knack for making things more unique, with more variety. I think it’s very beneficial and I think a lot of our clients see the benefit in it.”
Another twist in the fitness pretzel is BOOT CAMP. Oh yeah buddy, push-ups, pull-ups, up-hill runs; the core of the corps.
“It’s a no frills class, with basic walking and jogging,” Stuppy said. “You go out to the river and you might spend an afternoon running up Protest Hill. It’s a lot of body-weight exercises, push-ups, crunches, and pull-ups. We don’t use a lot of equipment. It’s outside, in the morning. It’s more of a back to basics workout.”
Basically, the REC gives you a ton of activities all semester long designed to get you into better shape. You can take one of the free classes or hire a personal trainer. You can take the Triathlon course or martial art fitness. Just do it.
“College is a time when we build our habits, the habits we use now will probably last a lifetime,” Stuppy said. “What we’re really trying to do is establish a healthy lifestyle.”We are here to help them build lifetime healthy habits. It’s important to take care of your body and your health. We want them to know they have a place on campus. We want them to feel like they can come here and meet their friends and have a positive stress release.”
You can swing by the REC during any of its business hours. Pick up a REC guide and keep it handy. Go to the classes, get in shape and meet some good people along the way.
Group exercises
Cycle
Step
Yoga
Lift
Pi-Yo
Deep Water Fitness
Contact Kickbox
Kickboxing
Core Conditioning
Street Dance
Instructional Programs
Yoga Foundations
Mat Pilates
Yoga for Back Care
Martial Arts Fitness
Qigong
Downhill Conditioning
Triathlon Training
Masters Swim Training
Beginning Tai Chi
Bootcamp
Dustin Lapray
Managing Editor
