Dropping in on Drop-in Fitness

As I have mentioned in previous posts, one of my goals this year is to stay physically fit and take care of my health. Keeping that in mind I’ve been making effort to regularly workout and find fun ways to stay fit on campus. U of T puts a lot of importance on physical fitness and has many different activities organized for the benefit of students. Along with registered classes, U of T fitness centres, such as Hart House and the Athletic Centre, offer a wide variety of drop-in fitness classes as well! These classes are completely free and you can drop in to whatever class suits your schedule best—just don’t forget your TCard!

Being a person who is easily bored by traditional workouts, fitness classes are a way for me to consistently stay active because they allow me to have fun and get a good work out in. This past week I decided to finally venture out and try some of these drop-in classes offered at U of T. I started the week by dropping in on a Zumba class held at the Athletic Centre. I have been doing Zumba classes for quite a while so I knew what to expect. Zumba which is basically a latin inspired dance-workout and is even more fun than it sounds! The class, although a little crowded, was full of so much energy and the instructor was such a great teacher. Although I’m not the greatest dancer I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the class because whenever we forget the moves we were allowed to just make them up—the idea is to stay moving and have fun! Later in the week, I decided to undertake a more challenging class—Bootcamp…level 3! I’m not going to lie, 10 minutes into the workout I wanted to call quits because it was no easy class to take early on Sunday morning. However, the instructor was very encouraging and helpful so I kept going. The workout was a combination of different cardio and strength exercises. Honestly,  after getting through the first 15 minutes it wasn’t too bad and was actually, “really fun but realllyyy sweaty”, as a friend described it afterwards. Finishing that workout was quite an accomplishment and I definitely think I will continue attending these Bootcamp classes.

Right after the Bootcamp class, I decided to attend a Nia class as well—Sunday was definitely an eventful day. Now, at this point I had no idea what Nia was all about, I just knew it was supposed to be relaxing. Relaxing after that Bootcamp class sounded like a great idea. The Nia class was honestly quite enjoyable. It was an interesting fusion of martial arts like moves and dance. The moves we were taught were fairly simple, and the class was relaxed and easy-going. I had a great time trying out a Nia class for the first time and found it quite relaxing and uplifting. I will definitely be trying out a few more of these classes. Overall, I had a great time trying out these drop-in classes, as I was able to get a great workout in and take a break to have fun. I highly recommend that everyone try out the numerous classes that U of T has to offer—after all they are free and don’t require too much commitment. Take a look at the class schedules at Hart House and the AC, and make time to take a break from all that studying to do something active. Remember, taking care of your health is just as important as doing well in school. Exercise will help you stay healthy not only physically but also mentally. So, go out there and try a fitness class—I guarantee you will have a great time! That’s all for today! Until next time!