Reasons to ditch your solo workout for group fitness classes
Get motivated in a group workout.
College students have it pretty good, fitness-wise. With free gym access (free meaning already covered in tuition costs) often provided, many students can be found at the gym working on their fitness to avoid that pesky freshman 15, which looms over the myriad of food choices students are blessed (or cursed) with.
Still, some students -- many of them female -- can't be found running on the treadmill or using stationary weights in the gym for hours on end. Instead, these students are probably just down the hall, in the room with the walls pulsating to the beat of the music, following an instructor through an intense workout -- and having fun doing it.
Fitness classes such as Zumba, body sculpting and yoga are popular options on college campuses as students ditch the solo workout in favor of exercising in a group.
“Ditch the workout, join the party” is the perfect encapsulation of Zumba -- a Latin-inspired combination of dance and cardio -- said Gabrielle Farah, 22, referencing the slogan of the popular dance-fitness class.
Farah, a recent graduate of Iona College, became a Zumba instructor while still an undergraduate student and made the class a weekly staple Iona’s Wellness Program. About 90 students attended her inaugural class in August 2010 and the program continued to grow as students began bringing more roommates and friends.
Amanda Scheriff, a rising senior and speech-language pathology major at Iona, was one of Farah’s students in the Zumba class and participated in the college’s yoga class as well.
“Zumba is really fun to do as a group and the classes in general are great to help you get fit and to motivate you to get fit,” Scheriff said.
Motivation is a big part of what makes fitness classes popular, not only among students but also anyone looking to get in shape.
Rebecca Umbach, a rising senior and criminology major at the University of Pennsylvania, notes that one of the main benefits of exercising with a group is the competitive aspect.
Because she doesn’t want to look silly in front of her peers, Umbach said she will push herself during her fitness classes at Penn, be it Zumba or, more likely, BODYCOMBAT -- a martial arts-inspired cardio workout drawing from karate, kickboxing, taekwondo, tai chi and Muay Thai, all set to music.
“I’m definitely not a gym rat, but group fitness classes make exercising fun,” Umbach said. “I feel like going to [BODYCOMBAT] or Zumba or other classes, you dedicate yourself to the next hour and really push yourself. Although I come out wanting to vomit, I do feel really good afterwards.”
The best part about the classes, Umbach, Scheriff and Farah agree, is that they are truly for anyone.
“Zumba is great for everyone -- you don’t have to be a good dancer or a fitness expert,” Farah said. “A lot of people get discouraged because of the dance moves, but I feel like if you’re really motivated to work out, then you can do it.”
Farah also notes the importance of developing healthy habits early in college in order to cement exercising and eating healthy into your daily routine, which will most likely become more chaotic as the years progress.
So, why not incorporate a workout that is intense as well as fun?
“Apparently, you burn 800 calories for the hour of [BODYCOMBAT],” said Umbach. “That’s a lot of mac-and-cheese -- or beer, whatever is your vice.”
Amanda Kelly is a Summer 2012 Paste BN Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.
This story originally appeared on the Paste BN College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.