Get Up, Get Out, and Get Fit with “FUN”ctional Fitness

Do you think going to the gym is boring? Do you need to have a healthier lifestyle? Have trouble fitting in exercise time? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you need to try the Student and Faculty Fitness Programs offered by coaches Gretchen Hand and Carlos Jimenez. Each session is forty-five minutes long and will help participants exercise muscles they did not even know existed! Every work out with the coaches consists of cardio exercises that get the body toned and, most importantly, will increase self-esteem and body wellness with increased stamina and endurance as a result.

The “FUN”ctional Fitness program is designed for students and it takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The program for faculty and staff takes place on the same days but starts at 12 p.m. and ends at 12:45 p.m.

In regards to how the program got started, Coach Hand states, “I was hired as the head strength and conditioning coach in August and immediately went to work with Carlos Jimenez to create a wellness program that would be beneficial to the entire campus. Together we make a great team. We incorporated complimentary workouts, data collection, and program developments that help all students, faculty, and staff.”

Hand also claimed that to reach their goal for a more fit and healthy campus is to get everyone active four times a week. To make this workout plan even more fun, they started the February challenge for faculty and staff. Gretchen explains that, “Each department is challenging each other to come in and workout. Whichever department has the most workouts not only will earn bragging rights, but also a very fit and special prize.”

Brie Burdge, the AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) and Director of Learning Campus, and Caroline Belot, the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant for French and Fulbright scholar, have recently joined the wellness program. Burdge says, “It [the program]  is a great opportunity not only to get fit for yourself, but also to encourage and support your coworkers to push themselves and in return receive support from them when you just don’t think you can do it.”

Caroline Belot says, “It [the program] is a great way to stay in shape and to get trained by a coach [which] has a professional plus.”

Both interviewees agree that it is generally easy to squeeze this workout into their schedules. When asked about the differences, they noted that after starting the workout, Burdge said she almost craves the gym and that if she misses a day she is disappointed. In addition, she also feels good about herself emotionally like she has accomplished something and she feels better and less stressed.

Belot says, “Well, I’ve just started [I’ve done the workouts for] two weeks only, but it feels very good afterwards.”

Are you still sitting down reading this article? Get off your chair, go get changed and join the “FUN”ctional Fitness or the faculty and staff fitness program and, as coach Hand says, “Let’s get this party started, Wilson!”