Thursday, June 24, 2010

Nobody gonna break my stride!

Got a case of the Mondays? Grab a Jax Pass and join Fitness and Wellness graduate assistant Alissa Underhill for her 6 p.m. cycling class. You’ll be sure to have a great time and sweat out any tension you may have picked up throughout the day.

Last Monday I had my first cycling experience.

Small class sizes are the reason I came to SFA and that’s exactly what this class delivers.

The cycling room holds a maximum of nine people, allowing Underhill to communicate easily with participants.

“It’s fun for me to teach because I am able to interact with the patrons, and many of the people return to my class every week,” said Underhill.

Cycling is a self-paced class that offers the opportunity to increase or decrease resistanceat ones own comfort level. Underhill put it best when she said, “You get what you put into it.”

While coaching the cyclists Underhill plays a unique combination of calm alternative music that really got me in the zone.

Artists on her play list include Passion Pit, Coldplay and The Killers- all music I wouldn’t normally listen to, but have a newfound appreciation for. When I was trying to find personal focus during the class the music is what got me there.

Underhill refuses to play typical perky work out music. “I pick music I listen to when I work out, and hope others will like it too,” she said.

And they definitely do. Patrons that had been in her class before even requested songs!

Underhill told me cycling is her favorite class to teach because she loves cardio workouts. Like most of us, she likes the way she feels after an intense workout as well as the health benefits.

I always knew cardio was important but after taking the class I decided to do research and find out why. According to the American Heart Association website, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in the United States.

Healthy.net claims the main process resulting in cardiovascular diseases is atherosclerosis, or clogging and hardening of the arteries. The narrowing and hardening of the arteries increase their resistance and pressure and makes the heart work harder, which can then wear down this vital muscle.

Obviously arteries may easily become clogged by a repeated diet of saturated fats and cholesterol. The great part about cardio workouts is they get your blood pumping and actually help push out the bad stuff! Not that I’m suggesting to eat a Big Mac and then attend cycling class, but cardio workouts can definitely help the cause.

I don’t think I’ve sweated that much since I played sports (three years ago)!

YOUR inside connection to Campus Rec- Steph

Monday, June 21, 2010

Shaking it up in Zumba!

It seems to me that I get the Group X blog assignments. I think it’s because our student staff likes to see the crazy stuff they can get me to do. In early spring, I covered the Hip Hop Group X class and last week, Zumba.

I started taking the Campus Rec Zumba class last semester with two members of my promotions team, Kelsey and Lauren. We definitely are not the Latin vision of dance, so it was quite entertaining. We had our little corner in the back of the class. I had the perfect spot where I couldn’t see myself in the mirrors of MP2 and no one could see me through the windows. Throughout the semester, we all seemed to get farther and farther away from our corners toward the center of the floor. Bear with me, I have a point.

So Monday, I confidently walked to the front of the class, stood in front of the mirror, looked at my reflection and thought, “let’s do this!” It is at this point I notice, Shay, the NEW instructor. She definitely had Latin flavor and when she asked if anyone had taken Zumba before, I raised my hand like the inner nerd I have been trying to hide for years. I wanted her to know I was a veteran and I was here to have fun and shake it A LOT.

Five seconds into the warm up I realized this was not the same Zumba class. I was sweating and catching my breath before the warm up was even finished. Shay made the warm up fun and hard core all at the same time by incorporating Top 40 music hits and scooting her way throughout the class versus sticking to the front.

So after a quick water break, it was time to begin the workout. We shimmied, we shook, and we broke a sweat. But the best part is we had FUN! It was not the Richard Simmons dance workout we saw our moms or grandmas (hello freshman) do. The class veterans were excited to get a full body workout and do some of the same moves we loved from the last class. Shay was very interactive with the class, she moved around the room, sang, and talked to the class. We definitely were disappointed for the class to be over and elated to come back on Wednesday.

What I have noticed about the Campus Rec Group X program is the closeness of the instructors. They attend each other’s classes and promote others like they were teaching it. We have had Trish (teaches Trim N’ Tone) in our class and she was wonderful. She has tons of energy and she helps out by doing modified steps. After class, she runs down to MP1 and teaches her Trim N’ Tone class.

Wow!!! Wish I was that in shape…maybe I will be at the end of the summer from my AWESOME Zumba class!

Session I Group X classes run until July 9 and Session II is July 12 through August 13. Session I Zumba is Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Session II Zumba is Tuesday and Thursday at the same time. Group X schedules can be downloaded off the Campus Rec website, www.sfasu.edu/campusrec, or picked up at the Rec Center.
Til next time…….Liz Ross

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Massages to-go?



I visited Therese Hosteller of California, for a 15 minute combination of massages.

For students and members, 15 minutes with Hosteller is only $12! Not to mention the convenience of stopping for a quick massage at your very own Student Rec Center!
Hosteller has been practicing the art of massage therapy since 1988, and her primary focus has been on enhancing athletic performance.

“Sports massage is my thing! said Hosteller, “I like working on people with injuries because you can actually see them heal.”

Hosteller has an extended massage education from working for an orthopedic surgeon for three years focusing on injury recovery for athletes.

I was informed that Swedish massage simply means to stretch the body. Maybe it’s just me, but based on the name I always assumed it meant something much more complex. Wrong. When performing the Swedish massage, a masseuse will use a kneading motion to increase the blood flow, and follow with techniques designed to stretch the body’s muscles and tendons. Simple huh?

When I was through asking questions, Hosteller sat me down in a chair and stretched my neck from side to side. She even
showed me a simple technique I can do at home!

Next, I laid down on the table while Hosteller checked my legs for tension and unevenness.

“Most people have uneven legs, and I can fix it,” said Hosteller.
Apparently, people tend to put pressure on one side of their body resulting in leg unevenness. If you are right handed you tend to be left leg dominate and vice versa.
My legs were fine, but my thighs had tension in places I never knew existed. She showed me where most rock climbers carried bodily stress, and it turned out I was sore in those places!

Hosteller offers a variety of massages including chair, reflexology, table, Swedish, sport, trigger point and deep tissue. You can even have a focused massage and information session on a specified trouble spot.

Prices range from $12 to $50, beating out any salon massage as far as I know.

Before I leave you, I want to share one last tip I learned from Hosteller. Salt has natural healing agents, so taking a bath with it or even mixing it with warm water and rubbing it on a sore area with a towel can help tremendously! Sea salt is preferred, but table salt will work too.

I will be away for the next two weeks soaking up the summer sun. But don’t worry, my promotions’ team, Lauren and Liz, will be posting and making sure you have your weekly dose of Campus Recreation.

YOUR inside connection to Campus Recreation- Steph