Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Happy Sunday, everyone. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Whitney and Charles on 90.7, the capstone. And, Charles, how are you today?
[00:00:19] Speaker B: You know, I'm doing great. It's Sunday, which is always a good time. I mean, really, if it's Sunday, I'm having a good day, so it's unavoidable.
[00:00:28] Speaker A: Good day.
[00:00:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: I feel like with Sundays, you know, usually for me personally, it's kind of my chance to, like, wind down and kind of chill out because you've had the weekend. Saturdays are normally game days and there's events going on, but then Sunday is our chance to rest and chill. So if you're listening to us today and you're just tuning in and you're flipping over to 90.7 and you don't hear any emo music and you hear our voices, we are fit to be Tied. And we talk about fitness and wellness and, you know, not just the, you know, working outside of things or the nutrition. We just like to talk about the holistic side of wellness.
And sometimes that means we go off topic and we talk about random stuff.
Sometimes that means we stay on topic. We try to entertain you guys, but at the same time, we also try to bring you a little bit of knowledge and resources around campus. So, yeah, it's been a great ride so far.
You know, Charles, I was just thinking about this. You had sent me and Dee Hanson, who's been on our show before, a video about just some information about muscle soreness and muscle tears. And we already kind of know that, like, we have research, at least we thought we had some good research on how muscle tears affect our delayed onset muscle soreness and how we get, you know, strength gains. That video is kind of crazy that you sent us.
[00:01:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it's really interesting. You know, anytime I get to talk about fitness, I love mentioning the fact that, like, in a lot of ways, we're still in the frontier of fitness, right? Like, what we know about the body is constantly changing. I mean, like, 10 years ago, we all thought that soreness was a result of, like, a lactic acid buildup in your body. And then we thought, well, soreness is a result of micro tears. And then we thought, well, in order to build muscle, you have to tear down the muscle fibers in order to build them back up. And this recent research is basically suggesting that we can build muscle, we can perform protein synthesis, which is just building muscle, basically without having to completely tear the tissue down.
So it's really interesting. There's a lot of implications to that Research that we still don't fully understand, but it was just. It was really interesting to learn about.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: It's pretty cool. You know, I think when you get into, like, physiology and how exercise affects the body, I feel like the more technology, the more research we have. And, like, nowadays, I feel like with fitness, it used to be a very small group of people. I feel like that was in this type of field. And I think now even in the department of kinesiology on campus and the majors that they have, I mean, the programs are growing. I feel like the more people that are in the field and coming up with, you know, ideas that they want to, you know, research a little bit more on, like, why something works the way it does, the one thing I hope that never changes would be biomechanics. I don't think that could ever change. I feel like that's pretty set in stone of, you know, how the body moves. But, I mean, who knows? Maybe we're learning something different every day about it. I don't know.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Right? I hope not. I guess that's an important part of our job is to try to stay on your toes and keep up with what's changing, because it's always changing. I feel like I learn something new every week and gotta adjust and adapt accordingly.
[00:03:47] Speaker A: That's right. You know, we do have a really good show for you guys today, and we are gonna be talking more about wellness opportunities on campus. And we are segueing a little bit. We will talk a little fitness in there, a little nutrition, but at the same time, you know, wellness, as we always mentioned to you guys, is holistic. And there's lots of ways to get invol and to get well. So on that note, we are going to take a break, so we'll catch you on the other side. You're listening to fit to be tied on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:04:21] Speaker D: The capstone, 90.7 fm wvua.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: Welcome back to fit to be titled 90.7 the capstone this lovely Sunday afternoon. And thank you, Tukaloosa community, for listening to us. Hopefully you don't turn us off because I think we're pretty rad and cool, and we always have some really good information for you guys. And just to recap, my name is Whitney, and I sometimes forget to tell you guys this, but I'm over at the rec center and I manage fitness services. But I don't do it alone. I have Charles and Dee, who really do all the really hard work of keeping everybody in line and keeping everybody on their toes. But we do have a special guest with us today, Ashley Bowman, who is program coordinator for wellness and work life balance. So, Ashley, thank you for being on our show and welcome.
[00:05:19] Speaker C: Yeah, thank you guys so much for having me. This is my big radio debut, so I'm really excited. I told my boss, Carolyn, that she might lose me soon. I might be discovered from this show. I may become the new voice of wellness on the radio. So I'm excited.
[00:05:33] Speaker A: That's true.
I asked you during the break, for some reason, I had thought you'd been on our show before, but then you told me, no, I haven't. Carolyn's been on our show before, and I think that was maybe a year ago and she was able to talk about some programs that we had. But actually, you know, Charles and I, we both know you. Me and you are really good friends. You work with Charles with a lot of collaborations with wellness and work life balance.
But tell us a little bit about yourself, like what you do in your position, how you got there, and just, you know, who's Ashley?
[00:06:07] Speaker C: Well, that is an interesting question.
Let me dive right in.
So who is Ashley? I'll begin in 1991. It was a warm no, but really I am the. Like you said, I am the program coordinator for wellness and work life. I've actually held this role for less than a year. I began in January, so I got about six good weeks of in person, in office work where I was learning before COVID hit. And we've been working from home, home and everything for everyone changed really radically.
So I'm still learning in this position, but I've been involved with, well, bama with the University of Alabama for about five years now. So I do know a lot about the programs and I'm excited to share a little bit about that with you guys to give you a background on me professionally and academically. I just recently finished my master's degree in health studies. So that's very exciting. I've been working toward that for the past couple of years.
Like you mentioned, Whitney, I've worked at university recreation for a while now, about four years as a group fitness instructor. So I'm certified for group fitness. I'm certified for yoga. I'm working on becoming a certified health education specialist and also as a personal trainer. So I would say fitness and wellness definitely a huge passion of mine and something that's become a big part of my life in the past five years.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: You know, it's interesting because when I met you, I believe it was at the aquatic center. Correct me If I'm wrong, but I believe it was at the Aquatic center when we saw fitness classes over there, which, by the way, guys, Aquatic center is open for lap swimming. I'm going to put that plug in there. You can register for your lane, and I'm done.
So I remember meeting you because we had classes over at the Aquatic center, and I think it was maybe yoga or something. And, like, at the time, I was coordinator of group exercise. So my sole role, I did. I do what Dee does now. And I.
Or, yeah, I did what Dee does or whatever. You know what I'm saying? It's Sunday. No one thinks on Sunday anyway. And I remember I was always, like, looking and recruiting, and that was one of the big ways that I got people to join our staff is when I would take. Take classes, I would see people that would move well or that would attend a lot. And I was like, oh, they're pretty. Like, into this. I'm gonna approach them and never forget approaching you. And I was like, hey, have you ever thought about teaching yoga? And you're like. You look behind you and you're like, who, me?
That is absolutely true.
[00:08:32] Speaker C: Yes, I do remember that very vividly. I think I was. I have a tendency to smile and laugh when I get terrified and really nervous, and I think I did that with you. I think I was just shocked. I had been doing yoga consistently for about six months. It was not long after I had started at the university. And it had never in my life occurred to me that I could help other people in that way, that I could teach fitness or know enough about it to be beneficial to someone else. So. But I have to say that that one interaction with you started me on this journey that's changed my professional and personal life in so many ways. And so thank you for that. I don't know if I ever told you.
[00:09:10] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:09:11] Speaker C: But I do appreciate that.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Warm fuzzies all around. But, you know, I mean, I think that that's a good segue to thinking about, you know, why. Why you got into this field. And I know you said it was just that one little thing of me, you know, saying that to you, but that kind of. I mean, that snowball. And obviously it did for you, and I'm thinking about other people. I've had interactions with. Charles, I know your story and just how you got into fitness, but, you know, getting into wellness, I know you did things before you were in. You were at Tuscaloosa News before the university, Is that right?
[00:09:47] Speaker C: Yes, that's correct.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: So you Went from journalism to. That was actually my bachelor's degree. Yeah. So, I mean, it's just crazy, like, you know, opportunities that are out there for people and, you know, thinking that, you know, we're not always just kind of, I don't want to say stuck, but in the same type of position that we've always been in, we can. We have the opportunity to kind of move and grow. That's what's so cool about the university. I think you're given a lot of ways to kind of see different fields and see different things. So that's been a crazy ride.
[00:10:19] Speaker C: Absolutely. And you're right, it has been. It was something that started very small for me just with regular exercise. A co worker invited me to the aquatic center. I thought I'd give it a try.
And you're absolutely right. It snowballed in my life into something much bigger than I ever thought it would be. So I would just encourage anyone out there who's listening, who thinks that they want to make a change in their life, or especially if you think you can't. I want to tell you, there's no such thing as the word can't when it comes to making positive changes in your life. And all it takes is just that one little moment, like what I had to change something completely, you know, for your future. So I think you made a great point there. Spot on.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Actually, I'm curious. So, like, you know, I'm thinking back to like that point for me when it was like, okay, yeah, this is what I want to actually do. Not just on the side, but I actually want to do this as a career. Was there like a specific point that was like, yes, this is what I want to do. Not that, oh, this is my first time doing exercise, but I've done it. I like it. I can actually see myself doing this. Was that, was there a point specifically that really triggered that for you?
[00:11:27] Speaker C: That's a great question, Charles. And I think for me it was something that developed slowly over time. I began a personal wellness journey where I lost about 20 to 25 pounds. Through exercise and through diet. I got more involved in the fitness world. I began teaching. So that whole process took a couple of years. And when I began to think about higher education, to think about my future and where I wanted my career to go, at the time, I was in a job that, you know, I somewhat enjoyed and I really loved the people that I worked with, but I knew it wasn't my long term career for my future.
And so when I began to think about that I wanted. I thought about the things that I was passionate about, the things that I enjoyed doing and learning about.
And for me, fitness and wellness was that thing that was the thing that I felt the most passionate about, that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. And I wanted to help people in the way that I was helped in my fitness journey, losing weight or just getting healthier.
So, yeah, helping people was definitely a big motivator. And that's kind of how I arrived at a decision to get my master's degree in health studies, which, of course was wonderful. Working at the university, I could do it virtually for free, taking one or two classes at a time. And I would encourage anyone again to try that. It's another change you can make in your life. Use the education benefits that we have here at ua. We have lots of benefits from working here.
So, yeah, for me it was more of a slow journey. But once I arrived at that point, I knew right away.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: I think that's, you know, a great plug, honestly, for anybody that's listening. If you're a student or a faculty staff, and faculty staff, hopefully you do know about the educational benefit that is given to you. I would check it out on HR's website, get some more information about it. Even just taking a class, I think is great, even if you're not looking to actually get a Master's degree or PhD or whatever it is, but just finding something that you could do, especially during, you know, we're still in this pandemic and we're still working kind of in this virtual half virtual world now we're getting more in person. And so it does give you a little bit more time and flexibility to do these classes. And I know, Charles, you're working on your master's and you know, that's been great for you and having the balance. So I would encourage, even if your student's listening, and I always say this to our student listeners because I wish I was told this as a student. You know, think about when you're looking for jobs moving forward, think about the benefits and the opportunities that that employer has. And so we'll talk more about that when we come back from our break. About how the university gives us these wellness opportunities so that we can be well and work together and healthy and it's just really great things. So on that note, we are going to take a quick break and we'll catch you right after listening to Fit to be tide on 90.7 the cat capstone.
[00:14:18] Speaker D: The capstone 90.7 fm wvua,
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Welcome back. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied, Charles and Whitney. And today's topic is Wellness and Work Life Balance. And who better to join us and talk about this than the coordinator here at UA for Wellness and Work Life. So our guest, Ashley Bowman here to tell us a little bit about that. So, Ashley, I'm curious, can you talk a little bit about some of the programs and things that you guys offer here at UA to help promote Work Life Balance?
[00:14:59] Speaker C: Absolutely. Charles, thanks so much. So one of the biggest things that we've had to do, in which I think something that everybody's had to do, is adapt to the current situation.
So with everything that's going on, Whitney, you mentioned before the break how we're all at home, everything is virtual. How can we adapt our programming in ways that still allow our employees to have the benefits of seeking wellness and work life balance in their lives while offering them an amount of safety, accessibility and everything like that? So with our programs, I'll just mention very briefly, we do actually have next week one of our annual events, Quad in Motion, which is encouraging exercise at UA for an entire day. So we're asking everyone to register to come out and just take a lap around the quad, participate in our walking activity, get a free T shirt. Basically, we want to encourage everyone to get outside, enjoy the weather, start moving.
That's a lot of what we do actually with all of our programs is encouraging people to make positive decisions. And it's not about making major or radical changes in your life. It's about, about making small daily choices that lead you one step at a time to better health outcomes. And we have a lot of programs and a lot of events that are designed to help with that. So Quad Emotion is one of them. It's on Wednesday, October 28, from 9am to 4pm so we just really love to see everyone come out and say hi from a safe social distance. While wearing your mask, of course.
But yeah, I think talking about things
[00:16:34] Speaker A: looking a little different in years past, Quad Emotion has, it's been the quad literally in motion. Because that's the whole point is we're trying to get people to walk around the quad. But in years past we've had tents set up and I remember like fitness and the rec center, we always have our tent set up. We're always doing like a cool grip strength test, which we cannot do that now because we'd have to spend a lot of money on hand sanitizer and then wipes and all that stuff. And people really Close to each other. So, you know, we're avoiding that type of thing. And then we've also have. I remember, like, having Blue Cross Blue Shield there. I remember they had their little arch that you'd have to. That was always funny because it would, like, almost blow away. And I remember, like, trying to help them pin it down, you know? And then also the flu shots. I know that getting your flu shot was always a big thing on the quad for Quantum Motion because you could just walk over, the nursing students would pop you with the needle, put a cool band aid on you, and you were done. So if somebody wants to get their flu shot on campus, do you know the locations that they could go or a resource or a website or somewhere that they can look that up?
[00:17:36] Speaker C: Absolutely, and I'm glad you brought that up. We are still doing the flu shots at Quad in Motion. They'll have their own tent right next to our Quad in Motion tent. Because we're outside, we are allowed to do all of these things. We're not going to be inside, so we can be as socially distanced as humanly possible.
So that is one location for the flu shots, and that's a big push. All of our health screening locations for Welbama are also going to have the flu shot. People there giving free flu shots to students and faculty staff. And of course, you can always just go into the faculty staff clinic to get your free flu shot there as well. And I will say, we only have a couple of our health screenings left. So we have two. We have one on November 3rd at Russell hall, and then one at the Capstone College of Nursing on November 5th. And a reminder for everybody who doesn't know, you do get a free $50 Visa gift card just for attending, letting us collect a little bit of health data and then speaking with someone afterwards about your results. So, again, free $50. Just want to throw that out there. That's usually a big incentive for everybody to come out and join us.
[00:18:38] Speaker A: I'm not gonna lie.
That is my 100% incentive. And I'm just gonna totally say it out there on the radio. The fitness girl is her incentive is money to go get a health screening. Because that's not something like, I mean, we always, like, we need checkups. Like, everybody needs to go to doctor. Everybody needs to get checkups. But, like, I just don't ever really want to do it. And so that's how I found out I had high cholesterol. And here I am, the vegetarian who barely eats any meat products. And I was like, what the heck, man? I have high cholesterol. Come to find out it was genetic. And there wasn't like a ton I could really do because I was already doing as much as I could. And so that was an eye opening thing. So those of you that are kind of like me and you're like, money's your incentive. Get your $50 or get your gift card and go do your health screening. And it really doesn't take that long. And what kind of things do they do in the health screening? Because I know for me, I kind of wanted to know before going in what was involved.
[00:19:39] Speaker C: Sure. And that's another one of our processes that has changed because of COVID We have made a lot of adaptations to the process with health and safety. So it's actually even faster and more convenient for everybody, especially if you're coming to us during your normal workday.
So instead of being inside, like I said, we're primarily going to be outside the location. To allow for social distancing, we have you pre register beforehand. We're trying to take fewer walk ins.
The first step of the process, we walk you through. We do everybody's favorite.
We do have to have you step on the scale for your weight measurement. But again, it has no bearing on how much money you get. So I always tell people when they kind of cringe or they don't want to look, I say, hey, just think about it. You're getting $50 just for standing here in one spot for about 10 seconds. So it's not that bad. We do to collect data like that. We get your height, weight, we take your blood pressure. So we have you sit and we put the cuff around your arm. We do a quick blood pressure check, and then a little finger stick at the end. I have had a lot of people ask if they get the full IV treatment, how much blood we.
It's just a tiny little finger stick. You'll hardly even feel it when we get data from that, including cholesterol, like you mentioned, Whitney, as well as blood sugar, triglycerides, and all that good stuff.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
You know, like I said, money is such an incentive. So when you think about, you know, you get your health screening and then there's other components that you have to do, because if you complete those other components, at the end of the year, you get another $50. Is that correct?
[00:21:11] Speaker C: That is 100% correct. All you have to do is so.
[00:21:13] Speaker A: $100.
[00:21:14] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:21:15] Speaker B: $100. Come on now.
[00:21:17] Speaker C: Yeah.
Can't beat it. That's for sure. And just all you have to do to get that extra $50 is participate in a wellness class and complete one of our programs. And we have tons of options for that. Even at the end of the year, we still have two more opportunities for you to complete a program. And everything is online this year so you literally don't have to leave your house or your office or wherever you are in order to participate.
Everything done. So all that information can be found on our website, Wellness Wellness, UA Edu and of course you can sign up on your wellness portal, which is also available from our website. So I do want to quickly plug just one of our programs that's coming up in the next couple of weeks. We have sleep more, stress less, which is, I think, an even bigger deal than it has been. I would say this is unprecedented.
Absolutely. We have so much going on that is causing stress in people's lives. A lot of us are losing sleep, myself included. So I'll be participating in this program just to learn more about it. But it's a five week program.
We have virtual meetings with sleep and mental health experts that guide you through, teach you more about the science behind it and then help you adapt those things in your life to basically get better rest to help you feel better and also to improve your mental health and wellbeing.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: I feel like, I mean, I think rest is great. I think sleep is great. I wouldn't say I always felt like that. I think when I was younger and more in my 20s, obviously when I was in college, I never really got adequate sleep, which I think most college kids really don't. But as I've gotten older, I really value sleep and rest. And from an exercise standpoint, we know now. And Charles, you can chime in if you have any info on this. But like, I know we know that rest is super important and even major athletes are trying to have adequate amount of sleep more so than ever before because we know that that's what helps repair the body physically, mentally. And it is just so important.
[00:23:24] Speaker B: Yeah, it really is. It's interesting. Like if you don't get enough rest, it has a huge impact on just about everything. Your cognitive function, your ability to think clearly.
It also helps with removing stress hormones from your body. So when you don't sleep enough, you have a lot more stress hormones, which makes it tougher to lose weight, it makes it harder to gain muscle.
Sleep has a huge impact. And like you said, I mean, this is something that I've really only recently learned to value and appreciate and I love that you guys are offering that. I think that's just an awesome aspect to add to that wellness wheel, right. Of not just focusing on fitness or nutrition, but other important things like mental health.
That's so crucial.
[00:24:06] Speaker A: I think that's a great segue to another break.
And we can talk more about rest on the other side. But you're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Whitney and Charles on 90.7 the Capstone. And we'll catch you right after.
[00:24:26] Speaker D: The capstone. 90.7 fm. Wvua.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: You're listening to Fit to be Tied with Charles and Whitney. And we are continuing this discussion on wellness and work, life and balance. So again, we have Ashley Bowman joining us today to help talk about some of the things that we offer here at ua. So, Ashley, tell us a little more about some of the other programs that you have going on.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: Absolutely. So. So like I was saying, we have lots of programs throughout the year, everything addressing issues from nutrition to stress.
We have wellness classes on cardiovascular health, on aging, just about everything that you can think of later in the year. We do have fewer programs, but we still have plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved. So next week, starting actually this week on Wednesday, October 28, the same day we have quad in motion, we are starting our next Move Spring challenge, which is an activity platform. It syncs with your Apple watch, your Fitbit device, your Garmin device, and tracks your steps. So we're asking you to choose a step, a daily step goal or an activity minutes goal. And we'll be awarding 10 lucky winners will get a free Thanksgiving turkey for completing with their challenges. Right. So we're calling a trot for your turkey perfectly just in time for Thanksgiving. And we're really excited about that program.
[00:25:54] Speaker A: That's awesome. That's such a.
Have y' all done that before with the turkey, or is this new?
[00:26:00] Speaker C: We have done it, I believe, once before.
[00:26:02] Speaker A: Okay.
I couldn't remember when you said it, my ears kind of perked up and I was like, well, that's kind of cool because, you know, a Thanksgiving dinner and turkey and all that stuff definitely adds up. So, I mean, there's some practice, your physical wellness as well as financial wellness.
[00:26:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Whitney.
Whitney, I know you said that money motivates you, but I don't know, something about getting food kind of motivates me. I think that'd be pretty great.
[00:26:27] Speaker A: Look, I'm only motivated by ramen noodles. That is my disclaimer. Ice cream and ramen noodles. And we don't even need Sheena on right now because she'd probably roll her eyes at me like, whitney, those have zero nutritional value. Like, I know, but they taste so good.
Anyway, I told you, we get off subject on this show. Sometimes that's part of the work life balance. Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, these incentives are great. And I know with wellness programs, it's kind of crazy to think that we have to have incentives because. Because in the wellness world, especially like the three of us talking right now, we know that fitness and wellness and nutrition, minus my ramen noodles, are very important to us because of the field that we have chosen to go into. And sometimes it's hard for us to get others to see that. And, you know, Charles, and actually, you guys are aware, and actually we even talked about this the other day, about our theories of change and our health belief model and, like, trying to get people to comply to exercise. And I know that, you know, with you guys, incentive is always going to be a huge thing in the wellness world. Even myself, I even confess, give me money and I'll do it. I'm fine. You know, but it's.
Have you found any other ways to incentivize or thoughts that maybe aren't including money or. People seem to be just coming because, you know, they.
They want the money or, like, have you seen any changes or any, you know, behavior changes with this?
[00:27:57] Speaker C: We have, actually. So for most people, I have to say, majority of people, they do come for the money, but I have actually encountered several people. I'm describing our process and saying, yes, you'll get your gift card delivered to your email. It's digital this year. And they go, I get a gift card for doing this. And I'm like, yes, so you just came. A lot of these people just come because they're curious about their health, they're curious about their numbers. And a lot of people that I've spoken to have actually made real change. They're telling me about their weight loss, that they've experienced, all of these new things that they're doing to improve their health outcomes. So money is a big motivator, but we do that hopefully to incentivize people. Once they start to feel better, once they kind of have an idea of where they are, it might encourage them to actually make positive changes. So that's what we're hoping to do, is inspire them to do better.
[00:28:47] Speaker A: I would say that's the same for us in our programming over at the rec center, to be honest, we don't really have an incentive for, like, group exercise classes. There's nothing like, hey, sign up for this class or whatever. The incentive that I see for group exercise specifically is the fact that it is free and it isn't costing anybody anything.
Obviously, if you're a community member, faculty, staff, you do need to pay for membership to the rec center, but that rate's actually pretty cheap. And we've redone our rates over the past year to include all three of our facilities. So you have a little bit more flexibility between.
But you know, our classes are free.
And that is either a big deterrent because sometimes people like with our personal training program and Pilates Reformer, if they pay money, that's their incentive to actually go. But then there's others that are thinking, well, I have this free service that I may never get ever again when I leave the university. I need to take advantage of that. And Charles, I'm curious with you, with personal training, if there are any other types of incentives that you notice with your clients or our patrons at the rec center?
[00:29:50] Speaker B: Yeah. So you kind of hit it on the head there with the money that, the investment of it. In a lot of ways, I feel like that's a really good motivator because it's like, okay, now I'm invested, I've got to spend something on this.
And that alone helps motivate people. Really. You hear a lot about different programs and gyms that will have people put money as like collateral for some transformation challenge. And it's a surprisingly good motivating factor because for a lot of people, they don't want to lose that money.
[00:30:18] Speaker A: Right.
[00:30:19] Speaker B: So. So that's definitely a good motivator. I would say. Another one that I feel like is really good for people is.
It's hard to say it's a motivator in that you don't really realize it until you experience it. But it's the sense of community that you get from programming.
Everything from what UA offers through health promotion and wellness to at the rec center is building that community. I feel like that's a really important motivator. When nothing else seems to motivate you, you don't feel like going into the gym, but then you know you're gonna see those same people that are always there and put a smile on your face. There's something about the community aspect that I feel is just really crucial in long term success and continual motivation.
[00:31:02] Speaker A: And I think too, you know, because of the pandemic and because everything is virtual now, we have lost a little bit of that community. In fact, probably a lot of it. I know at the rec Center. We're slowly kind of getting back to a normal type of pace. I know with wellness, we're still virtual webinars and things like that. And so we are still trying to keep people in that community. I think it'll get better at some point. But I do think, Charles, that's a really good point because, you know, for me, I took Ashley's class last week. She taught total body training, so a full body strength class. And I've been teaching, but I haven't actually gone in myself to take a class. And by just going into the studio for one class, it totally. It gave me a sense of motivation. I felt positive. I know, Charles, you've been going into the training studio. And when I see. When I walk by and. And I see the other trainers there working out around each other, obviously keeping distance, we have to wear face masks, which is fine. We're dealing with it.
That has created a more positive impact, at least for me. And so I'm curious, you guys personally, how are y' all staying motivated and continuing to make healthy life choices? Because it is very different now. I mean, we're having to find new ways. So, Ashley, I'll start with you. What.
What are some things that you're doing personally to keep you on track?
[00:32:21] Speaker C: Well, like you mentioned, things are just now starting to get back to normal at the rec center. We do have live group exercise classes now that are in person. All the facilities are open. But for a long time over the summer, that wasn't the case. And as someone who was at the time probably working out at least once, maybe twice a day, it was very.
It was jarring, honestly, to go to, had, having nothing.
So what I started doing, of course, there are all sorts of resources on the Internet as far as YouTube workout videos and things like that. But for me, getting outside and getting that fresh air, feeling like I wasn't cooped up or trapped, it was hot. Don't let me fool you. It was rough over the summer, but taking more walks outside, exercising outside.
Charles, I really enjoyed the videos that you had on University Recreation's YouTube channel about using everyday household objects to do your workouts. Getting creative, that's been the biggest thing. And having some motivation, even if I'm doing a virtual workout where I'm just zooming in with someone else. Doing your yoga class, Whitney. Or working out with my friends.
Yeah. Having that sense of community and just getting creative with the opportunities that are all around us.
[00:33:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Charles, what about you? How have you stayed motivated?
[00:33:39] Speaker B: So, you know, for me, I I love to just learn stuff.
I've said it before, I'm a nerd about this stuff. I love it. So for me, what keeps me motivated is finding stuff new to learn about and like, oh, I'll read about this exercise or I'll read about this protocol and what it does, and then I'll go out and do it. And so for that, for me, it's learning more about exercise.
And honestly, I found that is the case with most people that the more they learn about what they're doing, the more they enjoy it and the more they want to do it.
I feel like the hardest part about starting a fitness program is you don't know all the benefits that you get out of it. You don't know what all it's going to do. And once you learn that, it really changes things. So for me, it's the educational component. The more I learn, the more I enjoy it. And it does definitely keep me interested and involved, for sure.
[00:34:29] Speaker A: I think that's great. And we, you know, as a whole, at university recreation and on campus, we want everybody to feel like they have the resources. So, Ashley, thank you so much for coming on and we'd love to have you, of course, again, come on and talk about maybe our spring programs that are happening. But thanks for your time and just for being willing to be here.
[00:34:51] Speaker C: Absolutely. And like I said this, I'm considering this to be my big break. So next time you might actually have to pay me once I become like a big deal. But I'll remember, you better practice that signature.
[00:35:03] Speaker A: Yes, the autograph.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: You gotta make some money off out.
[00:35:06] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:35:07] Speaker C: That's right. Get them while you can. It's going to be a hot.
[00:35:10] Speaker A: All right, guys. Well, we'll take a quick break and then we'll close it out for your Sunday afternoon. You're listening to Fit to be tied with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:35:24] Speaker D: The capstone 90.7 fm wvua.
[00:35:36] Speaker A: Hey, friends, thanks for listening to our show today. And Charles, I have just been reminded of all the great wellness resources and opportunities that our lovely campus has. What about you?
[00:35:47] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, I just talked about how learning stuff motivates me and this does help motivate me to be a little bit better about some of those other things, the work life, balance and wellness and getting more involved with that stuff myself. So for sure it was a good job. I'm glad we did it.
[00:36:02] Speaker A: It's funny, I know that wellness.
I'm always going to refer to them as Wellness, because it's just easy for me to just say wellness faculties have wellness. But the new term work life balance is sort of new. It has kind of been worked in over the past year or so. And I think that's super important. And the timing was perfect, especially for where we are. Because you know when you go to work from 8 to 5 or 9 to 5 or whatever your schedule is, you have work and you go and that is time throughout your day that you are legitly working. And then when you leave, I have no problem turning it off. Silencing my teens messages, checking email the next day, I don't have a problem with that. But now I've noticed because my day is. I'm mostly working from home for the most part now.
[00:36:55] Speaker C: It's hard to turn that off.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: And now I find myself looking at emails at night before I go to bed. I'm like, Whitney, get it together.
You're not having to work. Have you found that as well, Charles?
[00:37:05] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know if it's just a part of my personality, but I feel like I've been like that a long time. Has definitely been exasperated by the kind of hybrid schedule that we work now.
It's definitely a lot harder to put the phone down.
I have like this setting on my phone. I found that silences all notifications after a certain time. And I realized I need that because if I see an email from a trainer or something, I feel like I got to look at it right then and there.
So it's definitely been an adjustment to try to develop that balance and know when it's okay to just turn it off.
[00:37:37] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think that's like just for our listeners and everybody even I'm saying this for myself, is knowing that it's okay to turn it off is perfect. Maybe we need to get shirts that say that exactly. Like, maybe have like the power button. We should give Ashley this idea for wellness, have the power button and on the back of the shirt knowing when to turn it off. Because this is our new normal. I hate saying new normal. In fact, I'm not even saying new normal. This is just how life is. This is how our work is now. This is how we communicate with people. It's 24 7. You're on. Ashley and I went for a walk the other day and I was checking, this was like close to close, like ending time. And I was thinking, oh, let me check one more time. And I'm thinking, what difference does it make if I check this email right now? And I can wait till the next morning. And you know, I feel like personally and Charles, I don't know how you feel about this. When we use like things like Slack or Jabber or Microsoft Teams, those types of messaging programs, I think they're helpful because you can talk very, very quick, one on one or in groups to people. But in my opinion, email is maybe given a little bit more time to respond, which is what I'm personally trying to do. Instead of firing off at an thinking, I gotta clear my inbox really quickly, I'll look at it and then I'll kind of like think about my response and like have it in my head and then respond later within a good window of time, obviously. But do you find a balance in that?
[00:39:05] Speaker B: Yeah, I would say so for sure. I actually appreciate that we started using like teams and all these things now because it does, it kind of gives you an outlet for those quick conversations. If I need something fast, I'm just going to say, hey, someone can respond. And then when it comes to email, I feel like you have a little bit more leeway there. So it is really nice.
I feel like obviously the pandemic's not a great thing to happen, but I feel like a lot of good things have come out of it just technology wise and just maybe health habits, stuff like that. I feel like a lot of good things have come out of this and that's one of them for sure.
[00:39:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's a great attitude to have. And especially in our field and what Ashley does in just the whole wellness, we want positivity because we don't like, I mean, negative things happen and we understand that and we see it, but we want to bring positivity to all types of situations. So I think that's a great way to sort of end our show for today. On the big positive note that we're all in this together and I think we've been doing a pretty good job so far.
[00:40:07] Speaker B: Yeah, so far so good.
[00:40:09] Speaker A: So far so good. I will say next week, friends, we do have a guest on our show from the Office of Student Involvement talking more about programs and students and the types of things that you're allowed to do now under the blanket of COVID regulations and policies and all that jazz. So anyway, you've been listening to Fit
[00:40:28] Speaker C: to Be Tied with Charles and Whitney
[00:40:29] Speaker A: and we will catch you next Sunday. Have a great weekend.
