NAUTI THOUGHTS: SDSU Fitness Classes

Happy Wellness Wednesday!

With 2018 finally getting started, those New Year resolutions are knocking on your door. This means it's officially time to start your new health kick. So go out there and sign your booty up for the gym! For the students at SDSU, the Aztec Recreation Center, or the "ARC", is the on-campus accessible gym. For a mere $19 a month, students have access to the main and express gym, the Aztec Aquaplex, bowling lanes, indoor courts, recreational fields, and group fitness classes.

If you are new to working out, it can be hard to be your own fitness coach and try to make your own fitness routine. Most of the time, workouts can only be effective if you are doing them right. So rather than waste your time differentiating the Lat Pull Down Machine from the Cable Bicep Bar, do yourself a favor, grab a pal, and take a fitness class!

The fitness classes at SDSU range from high cardio cycling and boot-camp workouts, to sculpting twists on pilates and barre classics, to various types of mindful yoga experiences. I have taken a few of these classes and would like to highlight some of my favorites.

1. Barre Blast: Prior to taking this class, I had no idea what Barre even was. For those similar to myself who are wondering what it is, Barre is a workout that incorporates classic ballet moves with strength training exercises. Accompanied by my roommate, I gave Barre Blast on Thursdays at 4 pm with Cameron V. a try. Let me tell you, Barre Blast is no joke. On top of the plie squat sets with weighted arm exercises, there were leg lifts, calf raises, floor ab exercises, and posture work. The moves felt very simple and were easy to get into but difficult to stay in. Each part of my body was shaking by the end of the workout. Needless to say, my roommate and I were sore for 2 days after the class, which included us walking down the stairs like drunk 70-year-old grandmas with bad hips. Overall, it was an amazing workout and being that sore just showed how powerful simple moves can be.

2. Yoga Sculpt: I decided to take Yoga Sculpt on Monday at 12 PM with Megan H. after running 4 miles because I thought I could use a nice stretch and needed some time to relax and recenter. About 1 minute into arriving to the class with two gal pals of mine, we were picking up weights and I knew I was in for a surprise. Yoga Sculpt is not your typical yoga class. It is a cardio-based, weight-training yoga class. No candles, no "ommm"s, and no meditation. However, there was the classic downward facing dog and some go-to warrior poses, so for that, I can see where the name comes from. If I had come looking to get my booty kicked, I would have loved this class. It is very fast moving and the teacher is very encouraging with fun and energetic exercises. It serves as a fun twist on yoga because it uses different yoga poses with weights that challenge your body and build your muscle strength, while the whole time engaging your core and developing your balance.

3. Cycling: To be honest, I have never liked cycling. It is probably because I never truly figured out how to set up the bike and the resistance knobs confuse me. When I arrived at the Monday night class with Nikki W., she started with instructing the class on how to set-up the bike and I thought "oh thank god." She mentioned that this was not going to be your typical spin class and that she wanted everyone to imagine they were in an outdoor, competitive bike race. I am not the most competitive person, but I did track in High School, so I'm thinking "game on!" We start peddling and she's screaming, and we're climbing hills and she's screaming, and we're doing sprint intervals and she's still screaming. This class was such a good workout because I felt that if I stopped, I would disappoint her. And to be honest the screams weren't all bad. Some, in fact, were pretty motivational and pushed me to peddle faster and do better.

At the end of the day, you know yourself and your body best. You can pick and choose which workout routine fits you best. As long as you are going and putting in the effort you're AMAZING!

It's 2018! We got this, let's start checking off those fitness resolutions and always LIVE NAUTI

Madison

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