Monday, January 24, 2011

Three steps to a successful New Year's resolution



It’s the time of the year where everyone is creating New Year’s resolutions, but the hard part is keeping those resolutions.

Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness for Recreational Sports Trent Tangen has three tips to help you set up goals and resolutions that you will be more likely to keep. First, he says it is important to make sure the resolution is your own. Second, break the big picture resolution down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Third, use your resources to help you succeed.

“Usually when somebody makes a resolution or a goal one problem I commonly find is it’s not really their resolution. It’s something they see a movie star or actor or somebody else do. We’re all different and have different needs,” said Tangen.

Tangen says it is important to focus on your core values. You should determine what your personal needs are and make sure you are happy with your resolution.

When it comes to breaking the big picture down he recommends simple things like coming up with a schedule. If your goal is to do better in class you could join a study group that meets at a certain time or create a study plan. This creates a manageable way to reach your goals.

He also suggests students take advantage of the resources they have on campus. Lean on classmates, faculty, friends, or fitness instructors at TRAC for support.

Tangen says he usually finds people breaking their New Year’s resolutions 2-3 weeks into the year. He encourages people not to quit, but to re-evaluate their goals using these steps.

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Monday, January 10, 2011

Flip Fitness class comes to TRAC



Did you know you could get a workout by playing cards? A new class called Flip Fitness, which is being offered by UIS Recreational Sports during the spring 2011 semester, will give you that chance.

The Flip Fitness was developed on the East Coast, but is now becoming popular around the country. An instructor randomly draws from a stack of 52 cards, which decides what type of exercise the class performs. The suit determines the type of exercise and the number on the card indicates how many times the exercise is performed.

“Every workout is going to be different because when you start the class you shuffle the deck of cards and so you never know what order you’re going to get,” said Trent Tangen, assistant director of Fitness and Wellness for REC Sports.

Flip Fitness will have you doing exercises such as push ups, jumping jacks, plank holds, squats and much more. It’s designed to be a full body exercise that works your upper body, core, and legs while improving cardiovascular and strength.

“Flip Fitness is a great exercise because it's 30 minutes and it's quick, so you’re not going to get burned out and get tired of coming because it’s not an hour long class,” said Tangen.

Tangen says Flip Fitness is also a good muscle confusion exercise because you are constantly changing positions.

“It’s muscle confusion because you’re doing squats, then you’re on the floor doing push ups, and then you're back up doing jumping jacks,” he said.

Flip Fitness is designed for users of all ages with three different skill levels for beginners and advanced.

For more information on Flip Fitness and a schedule of classes log onto the Group Exercise section of the REC Sports website. The first class is scheduled to begin on January 18.

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