By Ana Berbel, Contributing Writer
West Liberty’s campus offers many ways for students to stay fit and healthy. There are numerous sport clubs that students can join, physical education classes and even official sports teams that they can tryout for. During the past year, these opportunities have been increasing with the appearance of new programs, such as the personal trainers and the new official sport teams that will start next year.
The Wellness Center has been open for many years now, and its popularity just keeps going up. It is open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. By being open so early, it offers students a chance to start the day with exercise, which is beneficial for learning throughout the day; students that decide to go at night set themselves up for a better sleep since the body is tired after the workout.
“I think it’s great that West Lib has sport facilities for everyone to use, especially the gym. It’s great because you don’t have to pay for an extra gym membership elsewhere and you can always try to fit in a quick gym session in between classes without having to leave the hilltop and driving somewhere for 20 minutes and back. I think it makes it really easy for students to stay fit and healthy,” said junior Lisa Nachtwey. “I work out six to seven times a week, not only to be healthy, but to feel good in my own body. It also helps me get my mind off all the school stuff and just focus on myself after a busy day of studying.”
The new personal trainer program has been a complete success. It offers students a chance to have a free personal trainer to workout with. Students that are interested in being coaches or that really enjoy exercising can become trainers.
As of right now, there are only three trainers who are completely booked; therefore, they are going to collaborate with West Liberty’s Student Life’s Instagram account to reach a broader audience.
“The three trainers Dalton, Jonah, and myself are partnering with the @WLactivites Instagram and will be posting on it very soon. We are all three pretty much booked and can’t take any more clients, so we thought we could try to help a wider scope of people by posting videos of how to do certain exercises, workout tips, and even dietary recommendations,” Miranda Snell said.
Although the gym is a good way of getting some exercise, some students are not really fond of lifting. West Liberty has many alternatives, such as playing racquetball, joining a sport club like the Soccer Club or going to a class like Zumba on Mondays at 7 p.m. or Cardio Bootcamp on Tuesdays at 5 p.m.
“Zumba takes place Monday nights from 7-8 p.m. in Blatnik. The hour class is a total body workout with cardio and body weight exercises,” said Meredith Garner, the Zumba instructor. “Not only does it have benefits to physical health, but it increases mental health, too. Zumba builds confidence, improves coordination, encourages positivity, and is a social event. It’s always more fun when friends are involved!”
West Liberty University has a great, healthy environment with many wellness resources for students. These resources will continue to grow with the new track that is going to be built and the new teams that will be introduced next semester.
Photo credit: Daniel Loh
