With so many group fitness classes, intramural sports, active clubs, and beautiful scenery, it’s pretty difficult to not  get in some form of exercise at my school. Amazingly, though, there is a large portion of the population who doesn’t take advantage of all these great opportunities, and they are truly missing out. Fitness is proven to be beneficial in academic areas too because it improves mood, memory and brain function. Just do it!

One of my friends Chelsea is an instructor for a fitness class here on campus– Pilates! Monday night I grabbed a friend to come with me and headed over after dinner. I honestly have never taken a Pilates class. I’ve done yoga, zumba, spin, boot camp, body works, step, and kickboxing class but never pilates. One more thing I can cross off the list!

These classes are fun because there’s always other newbies and beginners there. You shouldn’t feel self-conscious about your athletic ability because everyone is there to have fun and enjoy their workout!

(I only got the giggles once!)

This was a mellow-style pilates with lots of breathing and stretching, and some Jack Johnson music playing in the background. I liked it, and I plan on making it a weekly thing! I felt like I stretched my whole body while working out individual muscles in the feet, legs, and core.

Since this class is only once a week, I tried to remember some of the things that I could do on my own a few more days a week:

• Hip Bridges
• Hip Bridge with alternating leg lifts
• Superman (back hyper-extensions)
• One-leg circles (lay on your back, one knee bent; draw large circles rightward and leftward with your straightened leg)
• SLOW bicycles with inhale/exhales

If you’re on a college campus, I bet they offer these same classes. Honestly, you won’t regret finding one hour of your time to try a new workout class :)