By Tatiana Zavodny
Features Editor
Whether students want to lose those freshmen 15 or are just looking for a way to stay healthy this semester, fitness classes may be the perfect way to achieve their goals.
The Clarke recently posted their updated schedule for their unique and exciting fitness classes that will be available throughout the fall semester. With seven different options to choose from, students are sure to find a class that fits their needs and their schedule. So how does the Campus Recreation Department select which classes make the cut?
“We try to keep [the classes] that are most popular,” Sonya Starr-Mclin, the Administrative Coordinator of Campus Recreation, said.
Among the list of most popular classes are Ashtanga Yoga and Indoor Cycling. These low-impact activities can help improve your strength and flexibility. Ashtanga Yoga is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays during U-hour, while Indoor Cycling is held on Mondays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. as well as Friday during U-hour.
For anyone interested in a high-intensity activity that will exercise your entire body, then Boot Camp may be the perfect opportunity. The Campus Recreation flier explains that the course provides “a variety of intense group intervals over a 1 hour period of time.”
Another way to fight the boredom of going to the gym every day but still receiving a total body workout is through Total Fit. The class is promoted by Campus Recreation to “tone and tighten your entire body…leaving you with a complete feeling of satisfaction and balance.” Boot Camp and Total Fit are offered on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. and Monday at 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., respectively.
Another option to relieve some stress and burn calories at the same time is Taekwondo. Offered from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, this fitness class welcomes beginners since no prior experience in the sport is required.
If you’re looking for a more light-hearted way to burn a few extra calories, then laughing along while taking Laughter Yoga or dancing to the beat of Latin music during Zumba may be just for you.
All fitness classes are meant to provide a non-intimidating environment, as most of them are often adaptable for all fitness levels. Also important to this environment are the instructors.
“All of our instructors are great,” Starr-Mclin said. “Most of our instructors are students here on campus.”
One of the best aspects of these seven unique fitness classes is that every single one is free for registered students and available for a small fee to faculty and staff. To participate, students simply need a membership to The Clarke gym, since the fee to use it is already included in most matriculated students’ university registration fees when they pay tuition. No other sign-up forms are required and students can attend the classes that suit their needs whenever they choose.
Most classes do not begin until the week of Sept. 16 and locations for each class vary from The Clarke gym, the University Village Apartments (UVA) and the University Commons building depending on the activity.
“If [students] haven’t tried a fitness class, they should,” Starr-Mclin said.
The Campus Recreation Department also offers personal training and intramural sports at an extra cost. For more information, check out the campus recreation website for fitness classes at www.csusm.edu/rec/fitnessclasses.html or call (760) 750-7400.