Many students become increasingly worried about toning up and losing weight during this time of year because they want to be ready to hit the beach in March. The problem is compounded by the fact that the holiday months have just passed and most people have put on weight during this time.
A problem that students often encounter is they don’t know how to go about getting rid of that extra weight. The UREC here at FSU has a way to remedy this problem for not only students, but staff, faculty, and community members as well.
The UREC offers students not only an opportunity to work out on their own, but also a chance to get a more customized fitness experience by offering a variety of exercise classes.
Brandon Archambault, senior in the corporate fitness and wellness management program, is a student fitness instructor at the UREC. He teaches three classes that include Water Aerobics, Complete Core, and Beach Bodies by Brando.
“I did the field study for my program at the UREC last summer and I worked with the ‘Working on Wellness,’ or WOW, program that Ferris has developed,” said Archambault.
WOW focuses on making it each individual’s responsibility to maintain their health both inside and outside. WOW states that wellness has six dimensions that include intellectual, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental health. Archambault is glad to be involved in this program.
“My supervisor asked me to stay on with the program and work teaching classes here,” said Archambault. “I’ve always been interested in fitness and nutrition and these classes are fun to teach. I enjoy interacting with other people and improving the lives of my individual participants.”
Archambault sees a variety of people come and go in his classes. Some are interested in toning their muscles while others simply want to lose weight. There are people of all fitness levels.
“I see both faculty and students in my classes. Beach Bodies is almost completely composed of students and Water Aerobics has mostly faculty and staff,” said Archambault.
Isabel Harris, a nontraditional student who is working toward her MBA, takes a class with Archambault on a regular basis. She said, “I take the class to utilize what Ferris has to offer and to work on my health in general for myself.”
Harris really enjoys her class with Archambault and said she feels really good after the workout and not too sore.
“Besides taking the class I like the treadmills, elliptical, and track that the UREC offers and I’m using them to help me train for the Warrior Dash,” said Harris. “The Warrior Dash is coming to Michigan for the first time this year and is a 3.3 mile run with 12 obstacle courses. I hope to see results with losing weight, toning, and getting in shape for the dash from the classes and training.”
Shane Turcott, freshman in the corporate fitness and wellness management program, is training with Archambault as well and hopes to eventually become a trainer at the UREC. He takes both the Complete Core and Beach Body by Brando classes with Archambault.
“I enjoy doing this because I like to feel healthy all around and it has been helping me train for an MMA fight,” said Turcott. “Taking classes with Brandon gives me good experience and will help me become certified to teach as well.”
Both Archambault and Turcott hope that when the people who come to the classes leave they have a sense of accomplishment and belonging. They also hope to help raise self-esteem within individuals.
“I want fitness to become a positive thing in their lives and not a negative thing,” said Archambault. “I want people to experience all the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and I want them to be excited about coming to work out.”
There are many classes besides the ones that Archambault teaches to maintain students’ interest and give them a chance to build variety into their workout routines. Programs such as Step, Total Tone, Anusara Yoga, and Zumba are all being offered. You can sign up for these classes at the UREC reception desk.
The programs do cost some money. For FSU students if you go twice a week for 12 weeks it is $30 and if you go three times a week for 12 weeks it’s $44. To drop in on a class is $2. If your budget is too tight to pay then you can always utilize the UREC and the many different varieties of workouts you can create there.
Spring break is right around the corner and this is a great way to get some professional help fast. You can take these classes with your friends and have a great time mixing it up. Get your body ready to hit the beach and take advantage of the resources FSU has to offer. n