Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Hello, everybody. You're listening to Fit to Be tied with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone. And wow, what a crazy week and two weeks it's been.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: I know, right? And I gotta say, I know always bring this up, but the weather has just been amazing. Like, it keeps getting cooler and cooler and I love it. I just, I can't help myself. I love this weather.
[00:00:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:00:31] Speaker A: And I feel like with it being fall, you know, I mean, like officially fall, the trees are changing colors. That's kind of my favorite thing is like seeing the actual, you know, trees change when you start driving around. And campus is so pretty in the fall.
It's just, I don't know, it just kind of lifts your spirits. Even though this semester has been very different and I think kind of challenging, but at the same time, we learned to just kind of go with it because guess what? Our campus and our community is pretty awesome. That, you know, I just kind of look for those little things in life that bring joy. And honestly, the leaves changing on the trees just kind of like makes me happy.
So.
Go ahead, Charles.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: I was gonna say, you know, in the past, I've always thought as fall gets like a little depressing because the sun sets earlier.
What I noticed, actually the sun also rises earlier. And that does help, especially with, you know, with the time change. So the other morning I got up at 6am, which is something I don't normally do.
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:01:30] Speaker B: And went for a run, but like, the sun was already up and that was kind of awesome.
[00:01:34] Speaker A: Actually, you know, it's interesting because I.
I'm not a nighttime person at all. Like, I love to go to sleep early and like, I'm done. I don't have to like, prove myself to anybody. Like, I got to go up and hang out, hang out or whatever. Like, I don't really care because I just love to sleep and get in bed.
So resting is probably one of my favorite things to do. But you're right. Getting up early in the mornings, my days are definitely longer, which certainly, surprisingly, with the time change, you would think they'd be shorter. But I'm like, you. I Woke up at 5 today and I was like, what the heck? Why am I waking up at 5? And although it was still dark outside, I waited a little bit before getting up and I got my coffee and I was like, this is kind of great. My day can start at 6 o'.
[00:02:16] Speaker C: Clock.
[00:02:17] Speaker A: I can start doing some things I need to do around the house or whatever that may be. But it's just kind of It's a nice change. I mean, I'm not going to love it forever. I'm going to be ready for spring and summer because I'm a spring and summer kind of girl. I'm not really a fall and winter as much, but, yeah, I'm down. It's fine.
[00:02:38] Speaker B: Something awesome, peaceful about, like, being able to wake up and watch the sunrise, especially when it's, like, cool weather, because then there's, like a little bit of steam coming off the river and the leaves have changed. I mean, it's just. It's awesome. I don't know. I think it's.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
So when you go for a run, Charles, do you go down to the Riverwalk?
[00:02:54] Speaker B: I do, but I go to the one on the north side of the river. So over in Northport, actually, it's a little bit less traveled, but there's some really nice sights over there.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: That's awesome. You know, I think that's great for our listeners and, you know, for those of you that are just now, you know, jumping in, listening to our show, and you're driving around on this Sunday afternoon and you hear our voices on the radio, you're probably thinking, what the heck is this show? Well, let me tell you, this is Fit to be Tied. And we talk about wellness, we talk about fitness, primarily because Charles and myself, we both work over at the rec center and we've been in fitness for quite some time, but we talk about nutrition at times. We also talk about all the little components to our Alabama Model Wellness wheel because we firmly believe that to be well and even fit, not in the physical sense as much, but, like, mentally and emotionally, you need to be focusing on these things. So, you know, this semester we have been recording via Zoom, so we're so happy that we have these virtual outlets so that we can actually, you know, still have a show because we can't actually be around each other still. So, you know, it's been kind of great. Charles, I'm curious, with a little bit of time we have for our break, you know, have you enjoyed co hosting this semester?
[00:04:06] Speaker B: I have. It's been a fun experience. You know, I think I came on the show, what, two or three times before, but, yeah, I've really enjoyed it. I think it's a lot of fun just to get together and talk about fitness. I mean, it's an excuse to do something that I already do, but now it gets recorded, so I love it.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: I do, too. And I'm grateful, you know, for you stepping in because Sheena, our other co host, has been out on maternity leave, and so we're very happy for her, but hopefully she'll be able to join us back next semester. And Charles, even when she comes back, better believe it. We're going to be calling you as our fitness expert, so we can have you on the show to bust some fitness myths.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Perfect. As long as I get to throw a little bit of space facts in there, we're good to go.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: Oh, oh, yeah, we're going to get some space for sure. All right. Well, you're listening to Fit to Be Tied. We're going to take a quick break, and we'll catch you on the other side.
[00:05:00] Speaker B: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
You're listening to Fit to be Tied with Charles and Whitney.
And today we're talking about something a little bit different. So I think normally, Whitney, we have guests that are typically faculty or staff, right?
[00:05:18] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, with this show, we like to bring in our experts around campus and the community. But you know what? Our experts are not just limited to our professional staff members on campus. We actually have a lot of students that we respect in our community. I mean, we respect all of y'. All. Let's be real. But we like to bring in people that we work with over at the rec center. And I think that, you know, hopefully if you're listening to this show, you know, I hope some students are out there listening. I don't know if you are, but maybe you'll like to start listening. But, you know, we do like to focus on our student employees at the rec center. And, you know, we have our guest on today and Ms. Ashley DiGiovanni, who is one of our personal trainers and group X instructors and a program assistant. She kind of wears all the hats. So, Ashley, welcome. Thanks for being on our show.
[00:06:12] Speaker C: Hi, you guys. Thanks for having me. What a nice introduction there. Made me sound real good.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: Well, you know, I have to be honest, you. And we're going to find out more about you for our listeners. But you do wear a lot of different hats. And, you know, I'm kind of curious. Well, I mean, Charles and I know because we hired you and we work with you, but, like, tell our listeners a little bit about you. And I'm curious, you know, if you'll tell us about your academic background, like, what kind of brought you to Alabama and, you know, why do you. Why are you here?
[00:06:45] Speaker C: Well, I came all the way from Michigan, so I grew up in Michigan. I went to high school in Michigan. And I knew that I wanted to live somewhere that Was much warmer than Michigan. So for college, I was looking south.
Alabama caught my eye because of not only the emphasis that the school puts on, obviously, the athletic programs, but also just fitness in general. So when I visited the campus and I saw that the gym was. The rec center was two stories, and there was all these opportunities for students to either teach or take group X classes and personal training, I really felt like a calling, Almost like I would find a good community here. And when I visited other colleges, I didn't get that same experience.
So that was one of the big things that turned me this way.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: That's awesome. And, you know, when you talk about that, remind me, did you come in as a freshman or were you a transfer student?
[00:07:40] Speaker C: I came in as a freshman. So I started. Yep, I started in the fall of 2017 as a freshman and not knowing anyone and not sure what I wanted to do in the future, All I knew is I wanted to focus on fitness. I actually thought that I wanted to open a gym. And when I talked to the academic advisor and said I would like to open a gym, should I also get minor in business as well as my major in kinesiology, she said, well, if you're here to open a gym, you don't need a college degree. You could do that right now. You're getting a college degree in case your gym fails and you need a backup plan. And I was like, well, I don't want to plan for that to happen. So I switched my goals a little bit, and I thought, all right, I've never really been very studious. I mean, I did try in high school, but. But I was not the scholar that you would expect to want to pursue something bigger. So I. When I was studying for my personal training certification, I kind of realized, well, if I apply myself and I actually take that time to study for something I enjoy studying, I actually do well in it. And I understood the whole book, and I only needed to go through it once or twice while taking notes, and it made sense to me. So I thought, all right, if I start applying myself, what can I really do here? And that's when I noticed a really big change in my academics. So it's not that I'm not smart. It's that if I put the time into something that I really enjoy, I do well. And that's when I decided I wanted to shoot for med school, try and be a sports medicine physician. And it was a big 180 flip in my academics.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: When I realized that, I love that. And I think for any student out there listening, you really do have to find what you're interested in. And I think that is what is so different from high school, in college, and even grad school or going forward and getting your PhD. It's like you go through these steps in life and, you know, in high school, okay, you have your basic subjects, your math, science, English and history. And like, everybody has to do those things. And I think you kind of figure out what you like a little bit in school or maybe what you're good at, because I was always better in English and like, that type of stuff, rather than the math side of things and the science side of things. And I think for you, what it sounds like to me is you just kind of. I mean, you just found your path is what it is. And that's what college is about. It's trying different things, learning more about yourself and learning more about, you know, what you want to do in life. And, you know, your advisor was right. You don't. I mean, look at all the business owners, you know, that are out there and people that do really well. A lot of them, like, didn't have a ton of schooling. They just have a knack and a drive for that type of thing. And so that's really cool that you figured that out really early. And I'm really glad you came to Alabama all the way from Michigan.
[00:10:35] Speaker C: I'm glad I came to these. These winters aren't nearly as bad as the winters in Michigan.
[00:10:40] Speaker A: We don't really have winters. We kind of have, like, winter will be like, maybe like two weeks out of the whole year where it's like, super cold. And then like, the next week, you know, it gets warm. It's just so, like, sporadic. But, you know, I'm really curious, too, you know, for our listeners.
You know, you talked a little bit about your academics, but let's talk a little bit about your positions at the rec center and what you do with university recreation.
[00:11:07] Speaker C: So when I did come right in as a freshman, I knew I wanted to start out personal training at the rec, because it's not that it's easy to get the position. It's that they make it so that when you're a student and you don't have any experience yet, they give you the opportunity to build. So they'll let you shadow and they'll work with you one on one to figure out, okay, what do I need in order to pass the certification exam? How can I start making this part of my daily life? So I started right as a freshman, as a certified Personal trainer. It took a while to get my certification, but once I had that, they helped me get clients, which was really nice. When you're coming in, you don't have any experience. It's really hard to build a client base. So when they give you that opportunity, it helps a lot. So I grew there and I shadowed a lot of trainers. I kept watching them. Even through that first second year, those first two years of being a personal trainer, you still, you know, you know what the book says, but you still don't have that experience. And you learn most by watching the other trainers, how they interact, what language they use, how they communicate with their clients, and it definitely helps you. And so when, when you have such a welcoming and friendly staff of other trainers, not only students, but also a lot that are adults and they've been doing this for a while, you. You learn a lot. And so one of the trainers told me, you know what, you might like te Group X classes. And I was like, no, no, I am not. I'm not outgoing. I like with myself with my client. It made me so nervous, even thinking being on a microphone. And so I finally gave it a shot and I took the instructor training course, which, Whitney, you were the teacher of.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: That's right. I was just thinking about that and I was like, all right.
I taught.
[00:12:58] Speaker C: That was my junior year, so that was last year.
And I just, I fell in love with it. It didn't start out smooth. I was pretty choppy as an instructor. But you grow fast, especially when you go to other classes and you ask for feedback and we get evaluations and you really learn from that. And I think not only did that improve my skills as a Group X instructor, but I was able to take a lot of that stuff and apply it to my personal training life and even my own personal life. When I think about my own health and think about how I'm going to spend the day, do I just stay inside day, or do I take breaks and go for a walk, go for a hike, maybe just take a class.
When you're in the field and you get to work with a lot of people, it's a huge blessing that you get to talk to so many people who love the same things as you and really build a community through that.
[00:13:50] Speaker A: That's awesome. And, you know, I was sitting here reminiscing and thinking back to, like, my experience when I was a student, and it was very similar to yours. I knew that. But when I came to the, I actually came as a transfer student and when I came to The University of Alabama. I came in as a dance major and thought, yeah, I'm gonna dance. That's what I want to do. But then it was the same thing where it was like, wait a minute. I don't have to go to school for dance. If I want to teach dance and I want to choreograph, I have that skill set.
Let's look at something else maybe that would be beneficial for me moving forward. And that's when I found the rec center as a student. And I still work at the rec center, and I'm about to be 30 years old. And so it's kind of like you find your group you want to be with. And I was never the type to be, you know, in a sorority or other campus groups. I loved the rec center. And so for those of you that are listening, we're just talking a little bit about some student jobs on campus, specifically the rec center. So we're going to talk more about that after the break. You're listening to pits be tied on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:15:03] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
You're listening to fit to be tied with Charles and Whitney. And today we have a student guest with us from the university Recreation Center, Ashley DiGiovanni, who's talking a little bit about all the different things she's involved with with the rec center. So, Ashley, kind of continuing this discussion, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about your PA position.
So you're the group exercise PA Corre.
[00:15:35] Speaker C: Correct? Yeah. So pa, for those that don't know, is program assistant, which I like to think of as I am.
I'm like the assistant to our group X coordinator. And I'm able to work in close with not only the instructors, but the professional staff and figure out what schedule work best for our group X semesters and how we can really bring the coworkers together and keep a close niche. And it was a very good opportunity that I didn't expect to ever be a part of, and I'm very glad I did it. It took me out of my individual roles as a personal trainer in group X. And now I'm a lot more of this community feel as I talk with more people in my position.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, I feel like with personal training, you get a lot of experience kind of working one on one with someone, kind of like teaching forms, stuff like that. And then as you transition to group exercise, you kind of learn to be able to talk to a group and work with energy. What do you feel like you've gotten out of this PA position that's unique to that.
[00:16:45] Speaker C: Well, call me stubborn, but I like to stick with what's comfortable to me, and it makes me nervous branching out. It's not that I don't like change, because I did come all the way from Michigan. I was okay with that change, but it was my decision.
So when someone had approached me saying, this PA position is available, I think you'd be a great fit. And I had not been in Group X very long. I wasn't comfortable talking to a bunch of people, especially when it's groups that have been in more experience in this specific field. And I was still new. I was young. I didn't think they'd take me seriously, and I was very hesitant to take the job. But in the year now that I've been serving this position, I noticed an incredible amount of change. I always thought of myself as an introvert. And while I still think I am an introvert and I like to stay inside instead of go out and hang out in big crowds. But I've noticed when I'm in the gym, I'm a huge extrovert, and I love to just talk to all these new people. And I try my best to bring in more people if they love fitness and they're doing a great job in the course. In the Group X class, it's, hey, what would you think about being a Group X instructor? How would you feel if we taught you what you needed to know in order to excel at this? Would you be open to it? I never thought that I would be willing to do that, and now I find myself doing it constantly. And I've grown a lot individually, like, with my interests, and I've grown a lot when it comes to, like, my professional work and how I hold myself in career settings.
But besides that, I've also made some great connections with people, and I've gotten to know a lot more people in the fitness field. I mean, I went hiking with a friend the other day that I met through Group X. And I don't know if I would have reached out before if I hadn't been put in a position that allowed me to open up.
[00:18:38] Speaker A: You know, it's for campus jobs and, you know, for students, and just having those opportunities, it's really huge. And I don't think, Ashley, I'm a lot like you. I am very extroverted when I'm at the rec center because that is my. That's my space. You know what I mean? Like, you know, it's like, you can Go in and teach a class, you command that room, you go into personal training. You know, it's just your space. And I completely get that because when I'm not in that position where I'm confident in my skill sets and I know my surroundings, when I go to other places, it's kind of like I'm back in my shell. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I think it's good to know that, you know, you've got these places that you feel super confident. And I think what's really cool about these positions, like especially a PA position, because you're doing more leadership work, you're doing more managing on that side. It's a great and I'm quote, unquote, resume booster. And I don' mean like, okay, just put on your resume. I mean, it's preparing you for your career. And those questions, those interview questions that you're going to get and, you know, not even just a PA position, which is a higher level position than a group X instructor or personal trainer in the terms of what the responsibilities that you're given. But, you know, with group exercise, you're learning communication skills. If you're somebody that is scared to death of public speaking, then becoming a group X instructor is one of the best possible things you can do to increase your confidence and to learn how to communicate information to a group of people, to get them to do exercises when they're all different levels and backgrounds and some people have worked out, some people haven't. And so what kind of skills do you think you've learned, you know, from personal training and group exercise that you could, you know, transfer over to other parts of your life or career? Is there anything that just like completely jumps out at you?
[00:20:36] Speaker C: Well, personal training as a whole, I want, I would love to continue for the rest of my life. You build these connections with people and it just flows. But what you don't see with that is you're working with the same person. They understand your language. When you talk about a squat, you can say one thing, you watch what they do, and you're able to tweak how you, you say and how you explain cueing and form and you understand that they know what you're talking about because you can see it. Well, when you're in a group X class, one phrase doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. If we're doing a squat and I say push your hips back, that might be a confusing cue to someone who's never done a squat before. So they might be on their toes with their heels up, pushing their hips back, and it looks more like an RDL because they've never done that. So when you're watching many people that do have different experiences, different levels, maybe this was their first ever group X class, you can see those things. And now I can change my cue a little bit, and I can say, all right, hips back. Push the weight into your heels. And now you can see that transition. So you miss out on a lot of that when you're only working with one or two people in personal training. But when you've got a whole classroom, you change the way you speak, and you can watch more people. And it does help you come up with more cues,
[00:21:59] Speaker A: you know, and I'm curious, Charles, you're kind of the same way. You.
You have a personal training background, but then you also have the group exercise background. And, I mean, what are some of the things for you, Charles? I mean, are they kind of the same as what Ashley has mentioned, or do you see some differences or things that you've learned between the difference between personal training and cueing and communication to people?
What does that look like for you?
[00:22:25] Speaker B: Yeah, no, there's definitely a lot of differences between the two. Right. And that's something that took me a long time to really appreciate. I think one of the hardest things for me, like transitioning into more of a group exercise setting, was choosing the right exercises and giving the right cues that are appropriate for the people in front of you. I feel like that that's tough because in personal training, you can. You can sit in front of someone and spend time and make adjustments and like Ashley said, kind of find that language that works for them.
[00:22:55] Speaker C: Them.
[00:22:56] Speaker B: But trying to learn the language that can apply to everyone is definitely a challenge. And I think that's something that took me a long time to really figure out. Right. And it's something I'm still working on. So that is definitely something I would agree with, is that there is a big difference. And a lot of it takes time and practice and learning that. And I feel like Ashley's done a great job of learning how to do that. So definitely a big kudos to you for doing that.
[00:23:20] Speaker A: You know, communication in general, if it's not fitness, because that's what we do. So we're used to explaining exercises to people, muscle groups, how to do them correctly. But communication in general is a strange thing, right? Because you think about, okay, if you are in the United States, you speak English, okay, you have different terminology and things. Like, Ashley may say something different than I do being a southerner. And so that's one thing I've noticed is in a group exercise class, especially since we have such a wide variety of people from different countries that come and work out in our classes, it's interesting when I'll say like a certain term in like my Southern twang or whatever and I just see someone kind of look at me like what? And I'm like, okay, I have to rethink about my communication there. And I think fitness because it's always, you know, being updated and there's new trends, there's new ways to say things. I know for myself. The way I cue now and I explain exercises is very different than when I did it. You know, starting out as a student, you know, just kind of changes the game.
[00:24:29] Speaker C: I agree what you said, it's almost you have to evolve, you have to be open to change. It's people that think that it's one way and no other way that that don't improve. I mean, yeah, correct now, but you have to be open to the idea that there, there can be new science that comes out and really we find out something is much or maybe the way you say it makes sense to you, but it does not make sense to the person next to you. You definitely have to be willing to accept that everyone's different and they hear things that are different and it makes sense to them.
[00:25:01] Speaker A: And I think that is what makes a good fitness professional. So we're going to take a quick little break so you guys stick around with us. You're listening to Fit to be tied on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:25:17] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
You're listening to Fit to be tied with Charles and Whitney. And today we are talking about students, students working at the rec center. And with us today we have Ashley DiGiovanni. So Ashley, let's talk a little bit more about students. I'd love to hear what kind of advice that you have for students.
And we can start with just what would you say to a student who's looking to come to the gym for the first time or wants to start working out?
[00:25:50] Speaker C: Well, the rec is a great place when you're starting out. It's very welcoming. It's a very non judgmental zone.
If you're just starting out, it probably is great to maybe talk to a personal trainer, even if it's just a consultation and learn.
Let's figure out what your goals are and what, what road to take and what would be the best to hit Those goals. Now, if you've been doing it for a while and you're like, I don't need help. I know exactly what I'm doing, which is great.
You can go to group X classes for a fun community feel where you get that encouragement of other people. But there also is that time where you can just be alone. It's a great space where you've got plenty of space to yourself. There's no bunching. There's obviously better times to go. So I'd recommend more morning time or lunchtime. But once it hits that afternoon, evening, you get that rush of students where if you're newer and you don't want that, I wouldn't go at that time.
[00:26:52] Speaker A: I think that's good advice because I think people are always. That's one of the questions I've gotten before is like, when's the best time to come to the rec center and the morning time? It will at least now because I feel like with, you know, Covid and people still kind of of not fully coming back. If you're looking to not be around like the mass crowds and like mostly like students, which it is the student recreation center, you're probably going to be better off coming earlier in the day for sure.
And I'm not sure about the weekends because I don't come up there on the weekends. Do y' all work out on the weekends at the rec?
[00:27:27] Speaker C: It's not very busy for most of the day, especially during football season. You won't get very busy on Saturdays and Sundays. It's pretty slow too. Yeah.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: One thing I think is a great time to do it is like if you have a break between classes because I noticed like in the morning, like early ish morning, so like 6 to 8, there might be a bit of an influx. But then that mid morning time, I mean it can just be completely dead in there. It's a great time to come work out if you have a break in between classes. Or maybe your first class today is like 11 or 12 or something like that coming in an hour or so before. That would be perfect time.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: Yeah. And you know, we, Charles and I have talked about this multiple times because we always want people to use our services because we believe we have great services with the best in town, to be honest with you. And you know, with group exercise, it's free. Just a reminder to everybody, you can just sign up for free.
Getting a trainer is super cheap. But like, you know, what advice would you give a student if you, you know, if they're kind of like, they've seen group exercise, they're not really sure.
I mean, how would you get someone in a class,
[00:28:38] Speaker C: Well, I do get a question a lot where they don't know, when do you know if you need a trainer? And when do you know when you need that help? And it's, well, if you're not seeing the results you want, that's when you're going to want to talk to a trainer. And even that accountability factor is very nice to be able to say, like, like, hey, my goal is to work out three times this week. I'd like to meet once with you. And then knowing that when you come back, if you have to tell them, ooh, I only worked out once with you, you feel a little more pressure to have to work out on those days. And you do want to stay healthy. This isn't always about, I want to look like this and I want to have this type of body. A lot of time it's, how do you feel? I mean, is it harder to get up in the mornings? Do you feel kind of sluggish going throughout the day? There's a chance that's diet and exercise. And if you're not feeling great and you're low on energy, there is a chance that you should be maybe talking to a personal trainer and changing a couple lifestyle habits. And you want to feel good in your body and about your body. And that typically is when you should probably talk to someone who's had that experience. And as for Group X, that's just a fun. It's a fun way. It's free. It's not anything for students are able to just come and work out with other people. You don't have to think. You can just turn your brain off and you can do what the instructor's doing up front. You can listen to those cues and just rock and roll with everyone else. That's what I hear a lot from participants, is they like to be able to just without thinking, just do what they're supposed to be doing. And then they end up with a great workout afterwards.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: I like the idea of not having to think, you know, I mean, not having to create your own workout or you just figure out what class you want to do. You sign up, you show up, you do it, and you're done. And our classes are fair, short in length.
If you take a TBT class, that's going to be, I guess our longest class is an hour, but everything else is usually pretty short, between 30 and 45 minutes. And, you know, 30 to 45 minutes out of your day, that's nothing, you know, that's just a little. That's a lunch time. That's like. And then you have time to actually eat lunch right after, you know, so it's really not that much time to take out from your day. And I will let everybody know that our group X schedule for the fall is going to be coming to an end, but we will have an interim schedule in December. So if you are looking to try a class, I'll tell you something, December is the best time because there's nobody really around. So if you're, if you're here and you want to try a class, you know, sign up.
It's funny, I was looking at our notes sheet and just kind of like following along and one of my questions is, what advice do you have for getting a campus jog instead of a job? And it prompted me just to remind our listeners that, that we do have a beautiful campus. We do have a well lit campus. We do have a campus that has those little blue phones everywhere. In case you've wondered what they are. I see UAPD out, you know, kind of driving around and stuff and security. So, you know, if we do have these warm days, take advantage of actually getting outside, you know, and being out and active and not just always thinking. When I exercise, I have to go
[00:31:50] Speaker C: to the rec center.
[00:31:51] Speaker A: I mean, the rec center is great, we love it.
[00:31:52] Speaker C: But.
[00:31:52] Speaker A: But there's other things that you can do outside.
[00:31:57] Speaker C: Yeah, a lot of, I don't think a lot of people know, but that practice field that is over on University by the Arby's, if no one's on it, that is a great place to bring one kettlebell or don't even bring equipment. And you can do like walking lunges and some push ups. It's turf. It feels a lot better than if you're at home on the tile and you got neighbors below you in your apartment that are knocking on your ceiling because you're jumping. I mean, that's place to work out. Especially if it's like around sunset or in the morning, like when it's not super hot out during the day. And now that's turning into fall. You really could do it almost any time of day. But I do like working out outside. It's underrated. You feel a lot different when you get to work outside with that fresh air.
[00:32:42] Speaker A: Oh, for sure.
So kind of segueing a little bit. We got a few minutes in this segment.
You know, when it comes to a campus job and we always encourage students to get campus jobs because we know that we're going to work with a student schedule. Like, that's just number one. It's different working on campus than working at Arby's. You know what I mean? Like, it's different because that is a job first and foremost. When you work with us, we know that school is first and foremost. But what advice could you give student listeners about getting a campus job and balancing work and school and just having a healthy balance of everything?
[00:33:24] Speaker C: So I think a lot of people think they're going to be too busy to have a job as well as school, as well as their clubs and sorority life. Well, I noticed that I started out with a job right away. I told you guys, I started as a personal trainer right away, freshman year. But it wasn't until Covid hit and I couldn't be in the gym, so I couldn't be working. But I still had classes. I had summer classes, and I had classes at the end of that semester. And that's when I noticed I.
Not that I was too busy and couldn't do schoolwork. I prioritized my time very well because I knew, oh, I have to be at the gym at this time for work. I know what my whole week looks like. Let me plan what times I'm going to study for this test on Friday, or how am I going to prioritize my time? Well, when I didn't have that accountability because of my job, and I was like, well, I've got all the time in the world, that's when I was putting things off. And I missed having a job so badly because it kept me on a routine that I do think there is that. That kind of fear, oh, I'm not gonna have enough time. Well, I'm working a lot less even this semester. And I've noticed it's. I'm not as up and go, I'm not getting as much done, I kind of lay around and I'm a little more lazy sometimes. If you take a look at how you're spending your time, you'd be shocked that, oh, wow, I've spent this much time on my phone in that time. I could have gotten a workout in. I mean, I preferred having the job, especially being busier. It's not that I was too busy and I couldn't get my feet under me. It's that it held me account. It kept me on a routine that I really enjoyed, I really liked, and I was using my time wisely. So it actually might benefit having a job and using those resources. To the best of your ability. I mean, the greatest thing I got from the PA position was having a boss. So I had Dee working directly with me, who would look at me, oh, look, you're working way too much this week. Let's take a step back. And she really held me accountable. That was a big eye opener was having someone who's that close working with you, seeing you almost every day and being able to say like, hey, I've noticed great improvements here.
You've really grown in this. And having someone who is almost like a mentor was the biggest part of having a job for me in college.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: I think that's great and great advice. And actually, Ashley, we got one more little five minute segment coming up. I'd like for you to stay on and be thinking about what you like to do to exercise. So we are going to take a quick break. You're listening to fit to be tied with Charles and Whitney on 90.7 the calculator stone.
[00:35:54] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
Welcome back to Fit to Be Tied with Whitney and Charles. And our special guests are student worker Ashley DiGiovanni. So for this last little segment, Ashley, let's talk a little bit about what you like to do for your own fitness.
[00:36:14] Speaker C: Well, I do teach bootcamp twice a week, 6am Tuesday and Thursday. And that that is a workout not only for the participants, for the instructors as well. I'll let you know. I am always so tired after that, but you just, you feel so good when you get that morning workout in. So those are my weekly workouts for sure. And then I like to throw in different things. So maybe I have two strength workouts that week or maybe I'm real sore, so I take a yoga class of someone else's or I stay home and I pull up the URUC YouTube page and I do one of those like 45 Minute Yoga Real fast, just in the comfort of my own room.
I like to change it up. I was very strict with myself in the beginning of college.
I didn't know that much about what it really takes to be healthy. And I was trying so hard to get 5, 6, 7 strength training workouts in every week. And I was not even feeling that good. And I wasn't noticing a positive change in my body.
It wasn't until this year that I really noticed most of it was because of COVID So I took a step back and thought, all right, how can I stay active without using a gym?
And I was like, you know, I want to try hiking. So I liked to Be by myself, even though it is dangerous and I would always recommend to go with someone.
But something about hiking alone and being with your own thoughts. No music or anything, just kind of listening to nature and like walking. It started out as something that was more of a mental break and it turned into, ooh, let's do this harder hike. Let's get a group of people to do this four mile hike that's going to take us a couple hours. I mean, it turned into something that I found challenging and exciting and it really showed that you don't need to stick with one thing. I can't stick with fitness and expect to be great at a lot of things. You're just going to be good at the strength training. If that's what I chose. And if I only did hiking, I might be really, really good at hiking, but my flexibility and mobility might not be there. So you learn to throw things in there. I've been doing yoga more and noticed that I feel in tune with my body. And when I hike I'm really pushing that steady state cardio and how long can I last? And I still have fun doing strength training, but I really do look forward to different workouts and I'm looking forward to picking up rock climbing again. I tried that as a freshman and I think I dropped it too quickly.
It's fun to challenge yourself and see what else you can do and change up what you're doing.
[00:38:46] Speaker B: I really like that you said that because on this show we talk a lot about the wellness wheel and trying to think about health as a very big holistic approach. But I think even within fitness that's still true, right? Not just continually doing one thing, strength training or just this or just that. I think it's really important that as we get into fitness that we try to create a very well rounded approach to what we do and not just do the same thing over and over again, but by mixing it up, I think it's just a lot better for our bodies, really.
[00:39:16] Speaker A: And I like that you found different things to do. Ashley, you talked about doing like you were doing strength training every single day.
You weren't feeling as great as you could have and you learned more about yourself, you learned more about fitness and the benefits of strength and then it shows maturity. And I think that whether people listening to the show are freshmen and they're new to working out and they're following different things on social media or platforms that give you the information that you need.
Be smart about the type of information you're finding and that's why we always recommend, if you need help with it, talk to one of us. Talk to a personal trainer to help you get on track. But, you know, cross training and getting used to, you know, doing different things and not being stuck in one thing, it gives you a sense of freedom mentally as well, because it shows you that, oh my gosh, I can still remain active and healthy and not do the same thing I've always been doing.
[00:40:16] Speaker C: You know, if I, if I had to, like, sum up the best advice in one, just one blur of words, it would be to not, not hold yourself to one thing. Don't keep yourself in the box that you think it to be this way. And I've been doing it this way. I got to keep doing it this way. Open yourself up to more things. And that comes along with, like, humbling yourself a little bit. And I don't know everything. And I could learn from other people and make sure the resources are good resources. It would be good to talk to certified personal trainers with experience, but it's also good to check out YouTube channels of people who are doing this more often and they are certified. You don't want to be following advice from people who are just guessing and telling you what they did to stay skinny because maybe it's genetics, maybe it's food. You definitely want to talk to the people that have the knowledge, maybe have a PhD or their physical therapist, and they can tell you how biomechanics work and what's going to be best for your body.
[00:41:13] Speaker A: Well, and Ashley, I just thank you for being on our show today and for sharing your wisdom as a student and all the things that you have learned in your four years at ua. Yeah, it's good stuff. And you're going to keep learning, keep growing. And for those of you listening, Ashley is graduating in December.
You know, we are going to miss her a ton, but we may have to do a call maybe when she is in her next phase in life.
[00:41:42] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:41:43] Speaker A: I think that would be great. So we again are grateful for our listeners and for you guys sticking around with us on this show. We got one more show for the semester. Charles and I next week will talk about some tips and tricks for those holiday, you know, seasons and things like that to help us stay on track. So once again, thanks again for listening to Fit to be tied on 90.7 the Cat season and we'll catch you next weekend.
