{"id":508,"date":"2014-02-20T16:46:52","date_gmt":"2014-02-20T16:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/?p=508"},"modified":"2014-02-20T16:46:52","modified_gmt":"2014-02-20T16:46:52","slug":"breaking-a-sweat-on-a-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/2014\/02\/20\/breaking-a-sweat-on-a-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking a Sweat on a Step"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dana Reynolds<\/strong> – Staff Writer<\/em><\/p>\n

College students often find many excuses to avoid going to the gym. For example, they may feel too tired or are too busy to find the time. However, the benefits of getting a proper amount of exercise each day outweigh the perceived inconveniences.
\nThe most obvious benefit is that exercising helps keep the weight off. Many students go to college and fear that the \u201cFreshman Fifteen,\u201d which often results from stress-eating, is in their future. Exercise can help reduce the stress that results from keeping up with the new vigorous workload of college.
\n\u201cExercising is a good way to clear your mind,\u201d sophomore Kirsten Larson said. \u201cSometimes I just have to take a break from studying. Going to the gym allows me to work off my stress.\u201d
\nGetting a proper amount of exercise can also help students perform better in the classroom. Cardiovascular exercise can improve a person\u2019s circulation, which affects the amount of oxygen that reaches a person\u2019s brain. With more oxygen comes an improved ability to perform mental activities.
\nCentre offers various fitness classes that work to keep students active. One of them is the Combo-Step Aerobics Class, taught by Nancy Robertson on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. The class is generally based on step aerobics, but the contents of the class vary each time.
\nEvery hour focuses on elevating the heart rate, working all of the muscle groups, strengthening the body\u2019s core, and improving flexibility.
\n\u201cThere are usually between ten to 25 students depending on campus activities and [whether it\u2019s] finals week,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cWe use hand weights, resistance tubes, large exercise balls, the steps, and gliders. My class is very athletic, but I offer three levels of work for each move.\u201d
\nRobertson is a strong believer in the benefits of exercise. She loves to sweat and to be active and has been teaching aerobics classes for 33 years. The fitness guru is certified in dance aerobics, step aerobics, and water aerobics.
\nMany Centre students find that attending Robertson\u2019s classes is more entertaining than normal exercise.
\n\u201cIt is way better than just running for an hour,\u201d junior Olivia Leftwich said. \u201cYou get to engage with other people, laugh, and be silly. The instructor plays great music and makes sure that we are doing things correctly.\u201d
\nThe aerobics class has also been highly recommended to students who want to incorporate a strong cardiovascular workout into their regular exercise regimen.
\n\u201cI get an awesome workout in aerobics,\u201d sophomore Natalie Tate said. \u201cIt is great cardio but also a lot of great [muscle] toning that I wouldn\u2019t be doing on my own.\u201d
\nSenior Martha Grace Burkey prefers the step aerobics class because she feels empowered and encouraged to reach new fitness levels as she goes to exercise during the week.
\n\u201cPersonally, I get a lot out of the class when I go. I\u2019m also the kind of person who pushes myself. You must remember that the instructors do not do the workout for you,\u201d Burkey said. \u201cYou have to commit to having fun and going hard if you want to come out with a good and intense workout session.\u201d
\nWorking out should be a satisfying way to relieve stress. For those students thinking about kicking up their heart rate through step aerobics instead of running on treadmills or cycling on a stationary bike, Roberstson gives one last piece of information.
\nShe emphasizes that she will only enforce two simple rules for her class \u2013 for students to get their heart rates up and to have fun. Robertson is a strong believer that exercise is one of the first steps to take in order to better oneself.
\n\u201cI know that exercise must be enjoyable for [students] to want to do it again. I try to make my class fun and encouraging for all participants,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cExercise on a regular basis improves overall health, too. Exercise, along with healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, is the key to success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/a>
Students attend the evening step aerobics fitness classes taught by Nancy Roberston in order to add some variety to their typical cardio exercise routines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dana Reynolds – Staff Writer College students often find many excuses to avoid going to the gym. For example, they may feel too tired or are too busy to find the time. However, the benefits of getting a proper amount of exercise each day outweigh the perceived inconveniences. The most obvious benefit is that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}