Monthly Archives: October 2012

Unless you’ve been hiding inside for the last three days without any connection to the outside world, you know that Hurricane Sandy has made her mark on towns all along the east coast. Even State College, which, let’s be honest, is pretty far inland, experienced heavy rains and strong winds, power outages and even a (sort  of) cancellation of University Park classes which (apparently) NEVER happens!

The weather we have, and continue to, receive makes me want to curl in a little ball in my comfy bed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt and watch movies. It makes me want to stay there all day. It does not, by any means, make me want to get out of my warm fuzzy cocoon and trek, in the rain, to the White Building to participate in a fitness class. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Luckily, there are plenty of fast dorm room workouts that allow a little bit of exercise without requiring anyone to go outside in the torrential downpour that was Monday night. A dorm room may seem small, but there is still plenty of room for a short abdominal workout or jumping jacks, planks, mountain climbers, you name it! There is no reason not to get a little bit of exercise in even though its really gross out.

For those of you who have trouble finding the motivation to make yourself exercise (me) and therefore rely on an instructor at the gym, never fear! I have a solution for you. Everyone likes watching TV, right? Right. And exercise is good for you, right? Right! So, why not combine the two activities?! There are plenty of TV or Movie Workouts that you can do while watching an episode of your favorite series. In fact, there are several Tumblrs devoted to them! The beauty of these exercises is that you don’t really feel like you’re exercising – you’re just having fun! Check out these websites the next time you want a fun workout that doesn’t really make you feel like you’re working out. Sidenote: there isn’t a ton of cardio in these exercises, so don’t make it your only workout routine, but once in a while, they can be a fun break!

• http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/tv-workouts
• http://pinterest.com/ReenBarnes/tv-show-workouts/
• http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/movie-workouts

I have returned, fellow students, from the White Building. And let me tell you right now, I am thoroughly exhausted. This week I attended a class entitled “Full Body Workout” with my friend Tess. The name does not lie. I have been done for an hour and my FULL BODY hurts. I don’t even want to think about what tomorrow will have in store for me. But, even though I am so incredibly tired, I feel awesome. Let me tell you about this amazing class, which to be honest, has been my favorite class so far.

The class is an hour long, which seems like a long time. And when I was in class, it felt even longer. The class is split into two parts. The first half hour involves a lot of cardio, and it reminded me a lot of Zumba but without the crazy choreography. The second half involves more strengthening exercises. During the last part of class we used weights, did a ton of squats, lunges, planks and push-ups, and worked our abs. It was awesome that the class was split in half because I was exhausted from the cardio and needed an exercise that would involve strength rather than a lot of movement.

By the time the class was over, I was tired, sweaty (ew), and really proud of myself. This was the first class I took at the White Building that I left feeling like I had just completed a great workout. Zumba left me feeling tired from the cardio and Pilates left my core feeling pretty sore, but this class did both! Another great thing about this class is that it is offered every day from 3:30 to 4:30. If your schedule is anything like mine, this is probably the part of the day when you start to feel tired and in need of a nap. Exercising through the feeling not only wakes you up, but after class is over, your body is flooded with endorphins to keep you awake!

All in all, this class was perfect for me, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a very complete workout that involves cardio and strength-training and works many different parts of the body.

Full Body Workout is offered at the White Building on the following schedule:

• Mondays: 10:00 and 3:30
• Tuesdays: 11:15, 3:30 and 7:00
• Wednesdays: 10:00 and 3:30
• Thursdays: 11:15 and 3:30
• Fridays: 11:15, 12:10 and 3:30

For this week’s adventure to the White Building, Corinne and I attended a, drum roll pleaseeeee….. Zumba Class! Let me tell you, I’ve been avoiding Zumba for a long time, for several reasons. The biggest reason (maybe the only reason)? I have zero, if not negative, coordination. I’ve been told I look like a spider monkey when I dance, and I can’t say I disagree with the assertion. Nevertheless, I’ve always been curious about Zumba and whether or not dancing around for half an hour actually makes you feel accomplished. However, I can say I was pleasantly surprised by the class.

We attended a class that probably had about twenty other people in it, but I know there are larger Zumba classes offered at other times of the day. Our class was 45 minutes long, but again, times may vary. Our instructor was very helpful and made even difficult moves look pretty simple, and the music was very fun to dance to. Whether I got a good workout or not, I definitely had fun.

Onto the actual workout.. there were some maneuvers that were challenging, but it was on a level of coordination, not muscle strength. Moving for almost an hour is great cardio (and you do move the whole time, even if its just little hops), and as I said, the class was super enjoyable. But, if you’re looking for a true strengthening workout, I would probably recommend a different class before Zumba.

Everybody in the class was at about the same skill level, and the dances weren’t too challenging, so even I could keep up. Plus, I didn’t feel like anyone was great at the dances (even if they were good dancers) since they hadn’t seen them before! Everyone in my class seemed to be having a lot of fun together.

So, I would recommend this class if you are looking for a fun, cardio-heavy workout that will break the routine of just running or using the ellipticals, but if you want a strengthening workout, this class may not be the best choice for you.

Zumba is offered at the White Building on the following schedule:

• Mondays: 6:45
• Tuesdays: 3:00
• Wednesdays: 11:15, 6:45 and 8:00
• Thursdays: 3:00 and 5:15

I’m taking a break from the gym class review this week to discuss another health-related topic I simply cannot ignore. And that, my friends, is the diets of people all over campus.

I understand that our newly found freedom extends to all portions of our lives, but I think we all need to start taking better care of ourselves. Believe me, finding out I have a stomach ulcer made me realize that fact really fast. So, I’ve been trying to eat better, substituting salads in the place of fried food and drinking plenty more water. And guess what I found out (after choking down several spinach salads)? There are “healthy” foods that aren’t actually risk-free. Spinach, as my luck OBVIOUSLY has it, is one of them. Allow me to explain.

I was sitting in chemistry class watching a precipitate reaction between calcium chloride and oxalic acid. I thought it was a normal day of chemistry until I learned that the reaction I was watching goes on inside of me and can be really dangerous. We all drink milk (which we are told is good for us) and milk contains calcium (obviously). Spinach, you may or may not know, has moderate levels of oxalic acid – as a sidenote, so does rhubarb, which is why rhubarb leaves are poisonous. If you eat too much spinach (and especially if you wash it down with milk), a reaction can occur in your body and create small precipitates that can cause blood clots or create kidney stones. In fact, the use of spinach as a baby food is now highly warned against; since babies have such small bodies, the ingestion of spinach can be lethal. 

So the next time you think you’re being healthy in your diet, think again. You may be surprised what you’re really doing to your body. Also, spinach was the one vegetable I was starting to like, so awesome for me, right? Sneaky little green.