Week five of fall term means colder mornings, less daylight and fewer trips to the gym. Between midterms and less motivation to go out in the cold, fall term can really throw off students’ fitness routine.
The University of Oregon recreation center is available to help with those problems. The Rec is home to three floors of state-of-the-art equipment and tons of friendly trainers that are willing to assist students with keeping their fall fitness routine on track.
Senior Caleb Snyder has been an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified trainer at the Rec for three years. He said he became a personal trainer because he saw the difference exercise made in his own life and wanted to offer other people the same opportunity to better themselves.
Snyder believes that UO students should stay physically active because exercise can be an amazing stress reliever. “Sometimes, as college students, we get so caught up in doing well in classes proving to ourselves that we are intelligent, that we forget to take care of ourselves,” he said. “Taking a step through the Rec doors is an inviting environment that will help students be better in every single aspect.”
Senior Amelia Ziegler is an ACE certified trainer and a Group X instructor at the Rec. She said she became a personal trainer two years ago because she has always loved working out and saw how being active allowed her to quickly bounce back from injuries.
Ziegler’s top three tips to students who are new to working out or just wanting to maintain a fall fitness routine are to make fitness a part of their regular schedule, find exercises they enjoy doing and make their fitness goals attainable.
Group X classes are a series of diverse hour-long workouts that are taught by student instructors. Ziegler said the classes are a great start for beginners because students can choose what type of workout they want to do. They also don’t have to worry about putting together a workout plan because the instructor has already done so.
Snyder’s top three tips to students are to just get started, make a plan and stay consistent. “The amount of time that students exercise does not matter because any amount of exercise is a step in the right direction,” he said.
He wants students to remember that there are so many resources — including the trainers — at the Rec, as well as advice on the internet that can help students make a plan to start their fitness routine. Snyder said that executing that plan and staying consistent over time is what yields results.
The Rec offers students $35 Group X passes for the term that allow them to attend an unlimited amount of exercise classes. If group classes are the not a comfortable environment, the Rec also offers personal training sessions for students looking to get assistance in a less crowded setting.
The Rec is open weekdays from 6 a.m. until midnight and weekends from 10 a.m. until midnight. Trainers and staff are willing to assist students in any way they can to ensure that the cold doesn’t keep students from fitness.