What are your 2023 fitness goals worth to you? How far are you willing to go – how much are you willing to pay – to get fit and healthy this year? The College of Charleston’s Campus Recreation Services (CRS) knows it takes a lot of work – a lot of effort, time and sweat – but they also know you can’t put a price on your health.
That’s why CRS is now offering group fitness classes to faculty and staff for absolutely free!
For the first time ever, there will be no charge for attending Cougar Fit – a circuit training/HIIT-based class dedicated solely to faculty and staff.
Led by exercise science major Lanear Brown and designed to both accommodate and challenge all fitness levels, the 50-minute class is held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and focuses on strength training and cardiovascular exercises for maximum weight loss and metabolic boosting – as well as correct form and technique for injury prevention.
“Cougar Fit is built to meet you where you are physically, and build from there,” says Brown, noting that every exercise may be modified for individuals’ fitness level and/or injuries. “It’s a fun, welcoming group, and we stay motivated by making sure no two classes are the same.”
And if you get inspired by mixing things up, there are a variety of other fitness opportunities open to faculty and staff: Not only do they have free access to the treadmills, free weights, recumbent bicycles, weight machines, elliptical machines and rowing machines in the F. Mitchell Johnson Physical Education Center’s workout area (take a quick tour of the space in the 360- video below), but they may join other campus group fitness classes, as well. From Indoor Cycling and Butts and Guts to Power Yoga and Zumba: There’s something for everyone – and it’s all free!
“We’re excited to offer faculty and staff multiple opportunities to participate in our group fitness program at no cost,” says Bucky Buchanan, assistant director of CRS. “As an institution, we realize the value in health and fitness.”
“And, as faculty and staff,” adds Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) Chair Wes Dudgeon, “it’s up to us to set the tone for a broader, more global sense of what knowledge and education mean. We know that by exercising the body, we better exercise the mind. I’m encouraged to see a push in the campus community for more fitness opportunities.”
And that’s why CRS has created a comprehensive fitness and wellness program for the CofC community. In addition to group fitness classes, staff and faculty have access to wellness and fitness workshops, a weight management program and individual fitness assessments.
“Fitness assessments are crucial in setting a baseline for your fitness goals,” says Elizabeth Kelley ’15, an HHP instructor who is also leading the performance testing component of the College’s 10-week Bridge Run Training Program for staff, faculty and students. “Participants have the option of starting out the program with some performance testing, so they can see where they currently are with their fitness, and then we’ll do another round of testing toward the end of the training. This actually provides the perfect opportunity for us to roll out our fitness assessments – and the data it provides may lay the groundwork for the long-term goal of making that part of the experiential learning for HHP students through hands-on internships and clinical exercises.”
For now, however, it’s time to start making those 2019 fitness goals a reality. Your health is certainly worth it!
