By Lauren Kane –
It’s a Wednesday evening at around 6:30 p.m., and you’re feeling guilty about that extra dessert you indulged in at Miley Dining Hall. You might be contemplating suiting up in workout gear and running the Cliff Walk for the thousandth time, or maybe heading to the gym for an hour of repetitive cycles on the elliptical.
If this routine sounds like the exact opposite of what you need to get motivated, then you are not alone. New ways of exercising are catching on. Salve offers a break from the exercise mundane. In the basement of Rogders Recreation Center, on Monday and Wednesday nights at 7 o’clock, students are getting ready for Beach Body season in Salve’s own Pilates classes.
While the same instructor teaches both classes, Mondays tend to be different than Wednesdays. Monday’s class focuses on toning and using weights, while Wednesday’s is more focused on cardio and step exercises.
Students are encouraged to start attending classes at any point during the semester and no previous experience with Pilates is needed. Attendance often varies from class to class. The class is first come first serve, so if you overhear everyone talking about their plans for Pilates, get to Rogders on the early side!
Pilates is defined as an exercise method that seeks to develop controlled movement from a strong core. Many people use Pilates equipment at home, which go along with the exercise method, but Salve’s classes focus on the basics of mat exercises, meaning you won’t have to face any intimidating workout machines.
“It’s definitely better than Zumba if you want to lose weight and get in shape,” said Brittany Ring, a consistent attendee of the Pilates classes, “the teacher knows what she’s doing.”
The instructor, Anna Gibbons, is an expert in health and fitness, as she competes in bodybuilding competitions. It is most likely that the classes will continue into the next semester, but a definite schedule has not yet been released or set.
If Pilates doesn’t appeal to you, Salve offers a variety of other classes as an exercise alternative to going to the gym. For example, this past semester, yoga classes were offered in the Ochre Court drawing room on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. However, these classes held a charge of $15 per class and $100 for 10 classes.
For more information on free classes in the upcoming semester, check in at Rogders Recreation Center for schedules. The SalveToday webpage also keeps students up-to-date on scheduled exercise classes on the Calendar of Events.
