By: MELISSA SEYBOLDT
Staff Writer
Passing by the group fitness room on the lower level of the Student Activities Center, you might overhear an enthusiastic instructor hollering something like, “We’re gonna ramp it up a little more, get the heart rate up. And four… three… two… one,” emphasized by upbeat music.
More specifically, if you pass by on a Wednesday between noon and 12:50 p.m., you’ll hear Maureen Kennedy leading her Interval Challenge class, one of seven group fitness classes offered at IU South Bend this semester—not for college credits but for the benefits of an active lifestyle.
“I feel like it gives people a good workout,” Kennedy said after finishing with a group of students. “It’s giving them cardiovascular and it’s giving them strength, and you’re mixing it up – you’ve gotten what you need for the day. And it’s not intimidating – anyone can do the stuff I’m giving them. I don’t want someone who’s new to group exercise to come in and feel really uncomfortable.”
From the “dynamic flow of connected yoga asanas” to “full body, sweat soaking” workouts, other classes on the weekly schedule include 20/20/20, Yin and Vinyasa Yoga, Cycle and Strength, Hatha and Restorative Yoga, Extreme Boot Camp and Zumba.
Natalie Tavernier, fitness and activities coordinator for IUSB, echoed Kennedy’s thoughts.
“They’re not as scary as everyone thinks they would be. We try to make sure that everybody feels very comfortable coming to all of the classes, and to make everything very open and modifiable for everybody on every level, whether they wanted to start at the beginning of the semester and go all year, or if they start the last week. Everybody’s gonna get something out of it.”
She added that classes will run through finals week, a newer development that was put into place last spring.
Monica Rubiano is a graduate student who heard about group fitness via an e-mail from IUSB’s Health and Wellness Center. She “really really really” enjoys the yoga class She also attends 20/20/20, Interval Challenge and Zumba.
The classes are open to members and paid guests, according to the SAC website, and through Sept. 13 they are free to members and non-members. After that, a single class pass, punch pass or gold card will need to be purchased. A single-class pass costs $2 for students. A fitness punch pass costs $20 for 11 classes, and an unlimited fitness pass costs $60 per semester. These are available at the front desk of the SAC.
For more information visit iusbtitans.com.
