Casey Brown
Staff Writer
The Muscles in Motion exercise class met for the first time at 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 27 at the Aggie Rec Center. Robin Eichenauer, a licensed Zumba instructor and creator of the Muscles in Motion class, led seven students in natural body movement exercises with weights and dance, which tones and strengthens muscles.
Muscles in Motion meets every week on Thursday nights, lasting 45 minutes. It is a total body workout.
“We start out with a warm-up, which is squats. We work our backs, we do curls, we do overhead French presses for our triceps, we do chest exercises, we do butterflies,” Eichenauer said.
Eichenauer created the class by participating in and instructing previous classes at the Aggie Rec Center.
“I kind of took Zumba Toning and the Body Pump, Susie’s class, and merged them together and came up with my own class,” Eichenauer said.
Eichenauer says group exercise classes are important because of the unique dynamic that they offer; they are inclusive to people of all types and skill level. The first meeting of Muscles in Motion showcased diversity.
“I had a freshmen; I had a 67 year old; I had somebody thin; I have heavy people; Male, female. It was a hodgepodge of people. There isn’t any reason that anybody should feel uncomfortable in that class,” Eichenauer said.
People working out in groups have built-in accountability, partners to work with, and more fun. They can also receive help from the instructor or other students around them.
“For me, group exercise classes are the best because they keep me accountable,” Eichanauer said. “I’m not suffering by myself. And you have somebody to work out with on a regular basis, and if they are fun then you have something to look forward to.”
Strength and weight training are important for overall health and bone health.
“For women especially, it is important that we do weights because it increases our bone strength. Women are more prone to osteoporosis and brittle bones, especially as we get older,” Eichenauer said.
Exercising helps reduce many symptoms that busy students and faculty experience.
“For me personally, exercising keeps me happy. So many people struggle with stress, anxiety, or depression. If you can just make yourself go the first couple of times, it is a natural relief. It really, truly helps. And then, of course, being physically fit helps overall health,” Eichenauer said, “When you work out your body naturally releases endorphins which make you feel happy and energized.”
The benefits of exercising can translate to other health areas even for people who do not struggle with anxiety or depression.
“Exercising helps cardiovascular health, it helps lower cholesterol, and it helps keep your blood pressure down. It also helps instill better eating habits. If you are working hard to be healthy, then you are more conscience of what you are putting in your mouth,” she said.
Eichenauer created the class as a place for students to interact as a group, get healthier, and practice new habits as well as for her own personal health. The next class with be Thursday Oct. 17 at 5:15 p.m. in the Aggie Rec Center.
“I have so much fun interacting with the students. It is not so much being the instructor but actually working with them,” she said, “When I started riding my bike [a few years ago] I couldn’t make it around my block, but now I can ride it up Mt. Scott.”
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