Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Whitney on 9.7. To Capstone and Whitney. Happy Labor Day weekend.
[00:00:17] Speaker B: Happy Labor Day weekend. So what have you been up to this weekend?
[00:00:20] Speaker A: You know, not too much. It's one of those things where, like, you know, it's been great weather this weekend and I've been thinking about, like, all these activities, like, oh, we can take our kids here or there. But then I'm also weirded out right now about being around like, really large groups of people, which, honestly, pre Covid. I mean, as friendly as I can be, I'm not that much of a people person. If I had to be honest, I
[00:00:42] Speaker B: don't like it either.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Yeah, so we've been kind of chill and so, you know, it's been like doing stuff around the house, kind of piddling. I took my toddler on the quad so he could ride his tricycle down all the long sidewalks, that kind of stuff. How about you?
[00:00:57] Speaker B: You know, it's funny. I took off Friday because I was like, why not take off on Friday so I can have a four day weekend? Because, you know, and I actually, this is so funny because Dee was laughing at me about it. Cause she was like, I can't believe you took off to do this. I took off because I wanted to go to Buc Ees, because I've never been to Buc Ees. And so I was like, we're gonna go to BUC EE's. And so took off Friday, of course, made a Trader Joe's run because you have to go to Trader Joe's in Birmingham. So that was like, why I took off work on Friday was to go to BUC EE's, which it was pretty cool. Like, I could go back, I think.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: No, I could see you totally going back. And it's one of those things where you get surprised by most random things that you can buy there. Like I was trying to explain to my parents, I'm like, mom, like, you could buy a bathing suit there. Like, you could buy a yeti cooler. Like you could buy like your fishing gear. Like they have you hooked up.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: See, it's interesting to me because I don't really like watching regular TV. I just watch YouTube all the time. Like, I literally have so many people that I follow and I. I feel like I'm like a part of YouTube because I just have these people all over the world that I literally have to watch. And this one guy that I love is Mikey Chin. And he is an Asian American, American, first generation here. And he loves food. And the amount of food that this guy can put down is unbelievable. And so he'll do food tours. And, like, he went to Bucky's and ordered all this food. And so I was like, you know what? I'm gonna go there. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do on Friday. So anyway, so that's what's fun for me. So that's what I did this weekend.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: No, I love it. And, you know, speaking of people who do, like, food videos, like, foodies that, you know, are exploring these cities, I love anytime that they showcase, like, home, Hole in the Wall places.
[00:02:37] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: But then you kind of like, have this mixed feeling of like, oh, no, now this place is getting exposure, and then it's gonna become touristy. And I don't want anybody else to know about this.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: It is a little like, do you want people like, yeah, you want the business to, like, thrive and people to go, but at the same time, you're like, but wait a minute, that's like my spot, you know? Like, I don't know. But anyway, that's being selfish. We gotta share it with the world.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: Exactly. Now, speaking of, do you have Hole in the Wall spots in Tuscaloosa?
[00:03:02] Speaker B: Like, I feel like I don't know
[00:03:04] Speaker A: if we have places like that in town.
[00:03:06] Speaker B: I'm about food. You know, just being a vegetarian, it's hard to, like, get to places. I would say my favorite restaurants in Tuscaloosa is I love Sitar because I love Indian food and they just move locations. I haven't been to their new location. But then I also love out in Northport, like, way out in North Port. I love Frida's. Yeah, it's so good. Because when you see it, you kind of don't think that it's going to be a good food place. Like, it just kind of looks like on the outside. Not really sure, but I think it's the best Mexican food in town.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Have you ever been to Antijitos Escali?
[00:03:36] Speaker B: I have not, but I have heard that that is where.
[00:03:40] Speaker A: Yeah, it's really legit, too. So I haven't been to Frida, so now I need to go to Frida's.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: And then Charles and. And our listeners will know Charles because he's on our show a lot. He's our fitness guru, but he loves Antiquitas. Is that what it is?
[00:03:53] Speaker A: Antijitos?
[00:03:53] Speaker B: And he does. He loves it. And he even ate at Frida's and said, oh, yeah, Frida's is pretty good too. I think they're different. Yeah, but he gave it the approval, being, you know, a Texan and having to approve, I guess, Mexican or Tex Mex kind of food. So, yeah, man, that's making me hungry.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: I know. Now I'm just like, okay, like, Sunday afternoon, I should probably end this day with like a margarita and some chips and salsa and something like that.
[00:04:16] Speaker B: Let's go. I'm just kidding.
[00:04:17] Speaker A: But, you know, we've got a show to do this afternoon. And of course, as always, you know, we love having amazing guests. And I'm actually really excited about today because we're going to have a student guest. And for me, I feel like they bring, like, a level of energy that. Not that, you know, our professional staff don't do that, but with students, they're just fun.
So, you know, after the break, we're going to be introducing our wonderful student guests. But, you guys, we gotta take that break. Grab something to drink, use the restroom. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:04:54] Speaker B: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: Welcome back. You are listening to fit to the Tide with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 capstone. And if you are just now joining us, you haven't missed too much yet.
And I, we went to talk about food, all the things. We actually started talking about BUC EE's.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, it was interesting because that's what I did over Labor Day. And our guests on the show, who I'm about to introduce very shortly chimed in on the break and was like, oh, my gosh. I did the same thing. I had to go to Bucky. So. So we'll. We'll. We'll bring that in. So with no further ado, Mackenzie west is one of our students workers at the student recreation center. She is our group exercise program assistant as well as an instructor for us who teaches cycle and possibly some other classes. Then personal trainer as well. So, Mackenzie, welcome.
[00:05:44] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited. It's a good day.
[00:05:47] Speaker B: It is a good day. So what else do you teach at the rec center? Are you just cycle or do you teach?
[00:05:52] Speaker C: I teach cycle. Cycle boot camps. It's half on the bike, half on the floor. I can sub pretty much any of the strength or cardio classes. Days might be the one I can't touch. I'm not a dancer. I'm not a dancer. I wish I was.
[00:06:05] Speaker B: But you do have really good Playlists because I don't really.
I don't like doing things that are too stationary because I am a dancer, so I like to be able to move. But I will say, like, when we were doing the cycle strength audition, I was like, oh my gosh. Because you played some K pop. And I was like, what do you know about blackpink?
[00:06:19] Speaker C: Yeah, that was for you. That was just really neat.
[00:06:21] Speaker A: No, I was gonna say, were you strategic with that? Like, did you do your research? Yeah, yeah.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: So it's kind of cool because you're a senior, right? Yes, yes. And just give our listeners a little bit background on like, who you are, where you're from, what you do. I mean, this is kind of your time just to, you know, tell us who MacKenzie is exactly.
[00:06:40] Speaker C: Well, I'm from Stafford, Virginia. That's a solid 12 hours away. So it's a nice long car drive with my brothers every couple months.
We came down for scholarship reasons. I had no intention of going to Alabama. Didn't even look at the campus pictures online. I wanted to be surprised. So day one, Bama bound, I go, oh man, this is the campus. I'll be here for four years.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: Wow, that's awesome.
[00:07:02] Speaker C: Yeah, I started as a nursing major and then gradually shifted to psychology with a minor in neuroscience. And that's been my passion ever since and somehow managed to work my way into the fitness world along the way.
[00:07:12] Speaker A: Yeah. So I have to ask, you know, based on the program that you're in right now, profession wise, what does that route look like for you? Like what is the end game here?
[00:07:22] Speaker C: I got a couple different plans. I don't really know which direction I want to go.
I can talk about this more later. But I am an ROTC on campus and so I have to go into the air Force when I graduate. So with my psychology degree, I can go into intelligence and that's a one way track to FBI, which is my dream job. Dream job is the FBI and we work pretty closely with them within intel in the air Force. And so it's nice to kind of get a good, get a good introduction with that once I get out of the air Force either. FBI. But I'm kind of playing with the idea of maybe opening my own gym, doing something with finish related, getting more certified in the personal training world. I haven't quite decided yet. I just love it too much.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: It's a lot to lot to think about, you know, But I do admire you, especially just seeing you and your role at the rec center and just being a program assistant. You know, for you guys that don't know, that's somebody that assists the coordinator. Group exercise. And so what does that look like, your job duties? Like, like daily, weekly. Like, what do you do?
[00:08:18] Speaker C: I do a little bit of everything. It's kind of just whatever the week looks like. So I'm a pretty good liaison between the instructors and the coordinators. And so most of the student instructors will come to me and my co worker first. Before going to D, my boss, we do different projects. Like, last week, we had a scavenger hunt with some of the personal trainers and the other instructors. It was very fun.
[00:08:39] Speaker B: Yeah, it was very fun.
[00:08:40] Speaker C: Projects like that, we help program new classes. So the cycle bootcamp class that I teach, that was my project last semester. I programmed that, got everyone trained and then introduced it to the rec center.
Little things like that.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's awesome. And when you guys were talking about the cycle boot camp, that was so interesting to me. Just the fact that part of it is on the bike and then the other part is on the floor, because I like variety. And I'm like, that sounds so interesting.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: You would probably like it because you do. Because just knowing you and what you do with, like, in your different fitness classes and like, you've done, I think, orange theory or are doing orange theory, and you kind of like jumping back and forth. It's very similar to that. So when Mackenzie had the idea to do it, Dee, being an awesome coordinator that she is, is like, okay, build it and then show us. And then we had a day where we went in with the other PAs, Charles and D and myself, and we kind of went there. She taught us a class, and then we were able to kind of give her our feedback. So then she could go thinking, you know, because we have a little bit more experience in those areas, thinking through certain things that would be a little bit smoother. Transitions. But, yeah, you built that class.
[00:09:40] Speaker C: It's been amazing so far. So far, the participants have given me a lot of positive feedback, which just warms my heart. Yeah, it's awesome to see the hard work kind of pay off a little bit.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Absolutely. And, you know, I think with everything that you're involved in, I automatically go into this thought process of really, you know, padding that resume in terms of really, you know, stockpiling that experience. And especially too, I think, with the responsibilities know that you have as a programming assistant, you know, there are transferable skills that are really going to help you across the board. So I just. I love that you are a busy girl.
[00:10:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, you are. And, you know, speaking of that, I mean, do you see any transferable skills since you've been in this new position? Because being an instructor and a personal trainer, we kind of have an idea of what that is. But you are really managing and helping out with the program in a huge way. I mean, do you see yourself using those skills in the future?
[00:10:31] Speaker C: I think it's pretty useful. I think any kind of administrative job is. I think anyone my age should start in an admin job and work their way up, because you learn people skills, how to work with a different variety of people. I mean, in group exercise, you have students who are as young as 18 and adults who are up in their 60s and 70s teaching classes. And so you kind of. You get a good practice of working with a different population as well as managing time. It's a lot of mini projects, and not every week is the same. You can't stick to a 9 to 5 schedule. You kind of just come in when you can, so you gotta be flexible. A lot of those skills, I think, will carry out into my adult world.
[00:11:06] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: Because how many group exercise instructors do you guys have on staff at this point?
[00:11:12] Speaker C: There's around 40, last I counted.
[00:11:14] Speaker B: I think around 40.
We kind of hover around there. It's fluctuated a lot, just. And even our personal training staff, you know, Covid, obviously, everything fluctuated with that. But now we're kind of on the mend. I feel like with people wanting to come back and teach and patrons coming back, they're feeling more comfortable. And so our staff numbers have gone up, which is good. But I was also curious, Sheena, for you. I know y' all have a. I mean, you have interns that work with you and students. I mean, what does that kind of look like for students that maybe wanted to work, you know, in your area with student health center or.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:11:46] Speaker B: You know, just being involved that way. Yes.
[00:11:47] Speaker A: And, you know, and one of the things that we've started doing in health promotion and wellness, when I have the student interns come with me, one of the pilot programs that we're doing is actually doing grocery store tours.
[00:11:58] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:11:58] Speaker A: Which is really nice. And, you know, I think it would be so fun if, you know, if the group exercise instructors or personal trainers were interested, we could. We could schedule a small group of them and we could do a grocery store tour just so that you guys, like, have that information beefed up so that whenever patrons are coming after class. Because I'm sure probably Mackenzie, in your experience, you know, Sometimes there are folks that will ask the, you know, the fitness trainers nutrition questions, because all of those behaviors go hand in hand.
[00:12:28] Speaker B: They do. Yeah. And that's always kind of a little stressful, I guess, on our end, especially with, like, new instructors. At least when I was a student, you kind of want to come out thinking that you know everything because you're in this role as an instructor or a trainer. And, like, really, we don't know everything, but we know the resources to go to and the people to talk to. And so that's what makes it, you know, a great environment, because we're always learning. But that's a really good idea. I was literally, like, writing it down because I remember you mentioning that. I think earlier this summer, we didn't have a lot of our staff, so I think, like, now that'd be a good time to reach out to everybody.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: Yeah. So it's like, let's pencil that in so we can collaborate together for sure.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: So I think. I mean, we're coming up on. On a break here pretty soon, but, like, I'm just kind of curious. I. I know you, Mackenzie. I know you love to, like, run and be acting, all this kind of stuff. What other hobbies do you have? Like, what else do you like to do?
[00:13:14] Speaker C: I am obsessed with fitness, so most of the time, you could find me running around campus.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: Literally. I've seen her running 15th street, and I was like, is that Mackenzie?
[00:13:25] Speaker C: I love it. I like to. I've got really into lifting this summer. Cause I want to get big, you know, gains.
[00:13:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: And it's like, listeners, if you could see she was totally, like, posing.
[00:13:36] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Like, musc.
[00:13:38] Speaker C: Expose me like that. They can't see me.
I was telling Whitney before we hopped on, I recently joined the boxing club. I'm on day three would be today, so not much of an experience, but I've gotten into boxing. That'd be kind of fun.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Well, just out of curiosity, because, again, I know we're about to go on a break. You mentioned loving running. What's your favorite route to take when you run and how long are your runs?
[00:14:00] Speaker C: Most of the time, I like to shoot for five miles a day. And my favorite route, I like to run across the bridge into Northport. So any way I can get to the bridge? Because I think running over the river is so pretty.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:11] Speaker C: Especially when there's no cars. It's nice and breezy if you get in the sunset. Oh, it's beautiful up there. That's my favorite spot. So I'll usually run from the rec center across the bridge into North Port and then back to the rec center.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: Like Laura Lane. Like that bridge.
[00:14:23] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:14:23] Speaker B: So like, isn't there a sidewalk? I'm just thinking about sidewalk.
[00:14:25] Speaker C: There is a sidewalk.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:27] Speaker A: We're like, okay.
[00:14:28] Speaker C: If there wasn't a sidewalk, I would not be able to.
[00:14:29] Speaker B: Okay, good. Okay, that makes me feel better.
[00:14:31] Speaker C: They're way too dangerous divers.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:34] Speaker B: Well, cool. Well, yeah, that sounds. I mean, I'm excited to continue this conversation. I don't know about you.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: I am too. But you know, we gotta take a break. You know, Mackenzie, I'm glad we've got you for the rest of the show, but you guys take a break, grab something to drink, do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheen and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:15:07] Speaker A: Welcome back.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: You're listening to Fit to Be tied with Shina and Whitney on this lovely Sunday afternoon, Labor Day weekend.
[00:15:12] Speaker A: Of course.
[00:15:12] Speaker B: I mean, I love a long weekend. Like I said in the very beginning of our show, I took off Friday just because I was like, I want
[00:15:18] Speaker A: a four day weekend.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: I feel like after the first starting of the semester, kind of need that break. So I need to take it and have a little self care, a little self time. So. But anyway, we are talking about some involvement kind of with the rec center, but also just campus in general. We've got Mackenzie west, one of our instructors, personal trainers, program assistants that works over at the rec center. But I want to kind of go back a little and talk about rotc because you mentioned that in the beginning, you know, when we were doing your intro and everything. And I think that's so fascinating. Like I have always been kind of in like one track minded, like always fitness. And that's kind of what we've talked about. But like the fact that you do these other extracurricular activities is really cool. Like you stay very involved. So what got you into rotc? Did you tell us that already? Did I zone out or did you? Is it scholarship related or sort of?
[00:16:09] Speaker C: I joined ROTC on a whim. My mom, moms, we love them.
The week before the deadline, she goes, mackenzie, just. Just apply for it. I'm like, no, mom, I don't want to do the military. I don't want to do it. That's no fun. I did it anyways. I applied and kind of just went through with the application, ended up getting some money and I was like, man, my mom got me. She tricked me. It's hard to say no to free money. And so I was like, alright, I'll try it for a year. Cause the way the scholarship works for rotc, I can go for a year and if I don't like it, I don't have to pay anything back.
[00:16:39] Speaker A: Oh nice.
[00:16:40] Speaker C: So it's like a little trial period. Ended up loving it, made some really good friends and just kind of kept going. So here we are four years later.
[00:16:47] Speaker B: I will say like anything military related always like really fascinates me. And so I remember when I met you, I was like oh my gosh, rotc, that's cool. Like you're going to be going to the Air Force. That's so amazing. I always find this fascination with our military because the people that do serve and even our veteran military affairs on campus, like those folks are awesome, you know.
[00:17:04] Speaker A: Oh yeah. And then you know when I, because I've seen you guys like work out in the early mornings whenever I used to do early morning workouts at the rec center and you know, part of me like mentally was thinking I was like man, if I was a student I would almost join solely for the fact that there's like built in workouts. That's like that was where my mind was going. It's like not the whole like oh I'm committing to this for like long term. But it's like oh, there's a built in workout because I needed that much motivation to like stay structured. So speaking of that, what does that workout schedule look like with the ROTC
[00:17:38] Speaker C: program for at least this semester it's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We meet at 5:45 every morning.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: That I could not do. At least not now. Used to back in the day, but not now.
[00:17:51] Speaker C: You'd be surprised. This morning I kept hitting one minute alarms trying to sleep in bit longer.
But we do three days a week and it kind of just depends. So every semester the person who runs pt, it changes. And so this semester the guy who's running it also likes to run a lot. And so this morning we had a PACER test throw back to high school and middle school that pace with us back and forth on the rec courts.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: That was it. Like basically you run back and forth.
[00:18:18] Speaker C: Yes. We had 10 minutes of running before and then we did a PACER test and then we had flight relay. So it's all running for a good 45 minutes. Minutes. And then yesterday it was push ups, sit ups, more running.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: I guess for you though, you love running. Oh I love running for you. It's great for me I'D be. Y' all didn't want to see me run. It's funny. Like, I think I run funny. I don't think I have a very good gait. I guess now I can race walk. I can really walk fast.
[00:18:41] Speaker C: I've done it before. That's tough.
[00:18:42] Speaker B: Oh, I can underestimate how hard that is. Oh, yeah.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: Yeah. You're a beast with that.
[00:18:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I can racewalk. But you led the. Did you leave the workouts last semester for people? I did.
[00:18:51] Speaker C: I've never let the workouts.
[00:18:52] Speaker B: I thought you did somebody or you had some type of role. Because I thought one of our personal trainers who's in military was like talking about how like. Or was that in cycle, how you like screamed at him or something?
[00:19:02] Speaker C: No, actually know who you're talking about. That'd be Tim Brown. Yeah, he's one year below me and I was his flight commander. So as a different role, I just. I wasn't responsible for yelling at him. Yelling. I didn't yell. I spoke loudly. For the record.
But during Thursday, if you'll see us on the quad, that's us speaking loudly, not yelling.
[00:19:23] Speaker B: Okay. Okay. That's what it was. I always thought that was hilarious because he's like, she.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: It made.
[00:19:25] Speaker B: She almost made me cry. Like, he told Charles, that was hilarious.
[00:19:28] Speaker C: Not scared of me. He's prior enlisted.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: And MacKenzie, how long have you been an instructor and a personal trainer? And what made you decide to do that?
[00:19:40] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, I've been an instructor for a year and a half, a personal trainer for maybe six months, and then group exercise for a group exercise assistant for a year. And I decided to do instructing kind of again on a whim. I kind of go day by day whenever I decide to do things. I took my first ever cycling class. Her name was Maddie. I remember walking out of there like a cowboy. I could not feel my legs. It was horrible. I was like, I'm never coming back. Never again. And then I was like, alright, okay, I'll go back. It was a good workout. And I kind of got obsessed with cycle. And I was like, if I go to cycle all the time, might as well get paid for it. And so I saw the group exercise instructor class took that got instructor, got certified to teach the classes, and here I am and I teach here. I teach at Crunch as well.
[00:20:24] Speaker B: What do you teach at Crunch?
[00:20:25] Speaker C: Cycle.
[00:20:25] Speaker B: Cycle. Yeah. I haven't been over there in forever. Yeah, a lot of our stuff will kind of go back and forth, which is nice working for us because we don't have a non compete clause because we, you know, we want y' all to feel balanced and, you know, not overwhelmed and be able to make sure that all these things you're involved in because, you know, like, school's number one. And so we want to make sure that that's not, you know, overtaking. But. Yeah, she's a busy lady.
[00:20:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you know, and I'm thinking about that, and you guys, you know, back at the end of August, we had get on board day.
Don't know if either of y' all perused out there, but, you know, Mackenzie, when you are as involved as you are, do you still get tempted sometimes to be like, oh, is there another student org that I might be interested in? Like, this is my senior year. I want to, like, live it up yolo, you know, or like, having this fear of missing out on anything. Like, did you peruse, like, get on board day and think about joining anything else?
[00:21:16] Speaker C: I am so tempted. I make jokes because I have. I really can't do much else. I'm already doing, but I love the outdoors. I like hiking and kayaking and things like that. And I want to do one of those clubs that kind of goes on the weekends.
[00:21:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:28] Speaker C: But my one day is Saturday, so I gotta. Gotta block that off.
I'm always tempted. I like. I like to work. I like to have new jobs. I don't know if y' all have heard of Fruitables at Midtown.
I go there all the time. The manager knows me by name. They all know me by name. They know my order. I'm obsessed with that place. And one time, as a joke, I asked him, I was like, can I volunteer? I'm doing air quotes. Volunteer with air quotes for an hour. So I get a free Fruitable. I don't want another. Another. Another job. Yeah, I'm. I like to be busy.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: I bet doing your taxes is crazy if you have all these different jobs.
[00:21:58] Speaker C: Yeah, that's why I didn't want to. I wanted to volunteer. I don't want to be four. Yeah.
Too much.
[00:22:02] Speaker A: Pass on that.
No, that totally makes sense. Well, our. Our department actually had a table at get on board day, and. And so my co workers and I, we were taking turns, like, walking all the tables because I was think. I think it ended around, like, 500 tables that they had out there. And it just blows my mind the types of things that are out there. The one that I always like to stop at is the. I don't know if you guys have seen the group no Strings Attached. It's the co ed, a cappella group on campus.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: Wait, we have that?
[00:22:33] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:34] Speaker C: They.
[00:22:34] Speaker A: They do performances, like, throughout the year also.
[00:22:38] Speaker B: Like Pitch Perfect.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Yes. So I've, like, been to their concerts. They're amazing. They're looking for a beatboxer Whitney.
[00:22:43] Speaker C: So they're really good.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: Yeah. So, I mean, I would think, like, faculty staff could be involved. I took a picture of this sign when it was like, beatboxer wanted. So, yeah, I just, like, I felt like I was like, man, you know,
[00:22:56] Speaker B: speaking of that, because I advise two groups on campus and I'm always amazed when I just happen to go into the source and, like, look at the long list of groups. It kind of is amazing how many groups are out there. And I know in the coming weeks we've got university programs coming on and talking about how to get involved and things like that, but, I mean, if you're listening, just kind of a segue. I mean, go on to the source and look at all the things you can do, because there's something literally for everybody. Like, I kind of, like, maybe I should, like, join a group and do something fun, you know, I don't know if faculty staff can do that. I know it's student based, but it's kind of cool because I don't think when we were in school we had that many opportunities. It's definitely grown.
[00:23:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:34] Speaker B: So what would you say, since you've been at the University of Alabama, like, have you done any kind of weird or like, off group that you would have never have joined before you just, like, went on a whim kind of thing, or have you kept pretty much the fitness route?
[00:23:47] Speaker C: I've kept pretty much the fitness route I did for a while. Try the bridge club.
[00:23:51] Speaker B: Bridge. Like, like playing bridge.
[00:23:53] Speaker C: Like, losing a ball.
[00:23:54] Speaker B: Like, let's go play bridge.
[00:23:55] Speaker C: I still do not know how to play bridge. I have no idea.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: I don't know how you. How you play that either.
[00:23:59] Speaker C: I don't either. My grandma's so good at it, though. She's like, mackenzie, you need to do bridge club. I'm like, all right, I'll do it for you, grandma. Bridge club. It's good for the bridge.
[00:24:06] Speaker A: Hey, that was a good shout out to them.
[00:24:10] Speaker C: Join bridge club. They want people. Oh, man.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: Well, so, I mean, we've gotten to talk to you so much, and I'm just excited we have another segment with you. But, y', all, we gotta take a quick break. Grab a beverage. Do what you gotta do. You're listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:24:30] Speaker B: WVUAFM, Tuscaloosa Real Estate are fit to be tide on 9.7 the Capstone with Sheena and Whitney and Mackenzie today, which I always my nickname. I love to come up with nicknames for people. Sheena, I don't think I have a nickname for you.
[00:24:48] Speaker A: We'll think of one. We'll think of one.
[00:24:50] Speaker B: Mackenzie's nickname. When I'm always like writing in the group me and like, you know, emails and stuff is always Mac.
It's just, I don't know, it's just easy that way. But I do love nicknames. So, Sheena, I'm gonna come up with one for you.
[00:25:02] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. No, there have been a variety for me over the years, like depending on if it's like elementary school friends or high school friends or college. So I'll just list them all one day and then you pick. Or you can come up with a fresh one for sure.
[00:25:16] Speaker B: That's fun. Keep it spicy, you know.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Exactly. Well, Mackenzie I know. And I almost said Mac. So you might see me switch up between Mac and Mackenzie.
I know that. You know, during the break we were talking about this next segment and you know, I know we've talked a lot about how you like to stay active. You're a love for running. And, you know, prior to the break, you had mentioned, you know, Saturday kind of being your day, like that off day. And when we started, start thinking about self care, especially for someone that is so busy. What do you like to do on your Saturdays to kind of decompress or are Saturdays also busy for you but just in a different way? That's actually a way for you to recharge.
[00:25:56] Speaker C: Yeah. So I had to start giving myself Saturdays. I did this in high school because I was just as busy in high school and I had to give myself at least one day to either sleep in, have a big breakfast, do whatever I wanted to do, and kind of just have the day to myself. And so I don't take on any clients. I don't teach any classes.
I just kind of. I don't do any homework. That is my day to kind of decompress, get ready for the next week and then move forward. So I like to have scheduled breaks. I do it during the week too.
[00:26:21] Speaker B: So you mentioned a big breakfast. I'm curious, what do you like to eat for your big breakfast?
[00:26:25] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, I can make anything. I love pancakes. I'm obsessed with like protein pancakes. So protein pancakes. I'll put pecans in them. Top it with a Savannah.
[00:26:33] Speaker B: Pecans. How do you say pecans?
[00:26:35] Speaker A: I say pecans.
[00:26:36] Speaker B: I say pecans. That's a southern thing or like a Alabama thing. But you're still southern. Cause you're Virginia.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: All my family's from the south. Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: Pecans. Pecans. Anyway, go back to your story.
[00:26:47] Speaker C: I put pecans, pecans, pancakes, bananas, and then I like some syrup. Oh, nice. It's my favorite breakfast.
[00:26:54] Speaker B: That's a pretty hearty. Like, I mean, from our registered dietitian over here. What do you think about that breakfast?
[00:26:58] Speaker A: Hey, dude, as busy as this girl is, she needs those carbs. I was about to say, but you know, but also thinking about that too. You know, when I think about this from the nutrition perspective and like performance nutrition and the fact that you are so physically, physically active, like what's kind of your go to like, pre and post workout snack. And are you the type of person that likes to have a pre workout snack before you do stuff, or are you more of a recovery nutrition after the workout or instruction kind of individual?
[00:27:27] Speaker C: I think it kind of depends on the day. I always joke that I have a stomach of steel, that I can eat whatever I want before I work out.
My favorite thing when I do go out. My favorite snack before working out is an apple with some peanut butter. That's my favorite. Apple with peanut butter.
I really like protein shakes. Eggs in the morning a couple hours before I go work out afterwards. I like to load up on the carbs. So I do pasta. I like peppers. Put some chicken in there for some protein. That's one of my favorite dinners.
[00:27:55] Speaker B: You could be the spokesperson for Sheena. I feel like all these healthy little meals.
[00:28:01] Speaker A: And we had talked about this in our opening segment when we started thinking about hole in the wall restaurants or just restaurants in general. Where is your favorite place to eat?
[00:28:10] Speaker C: Eat my favorite places. Fruitables. 100%. Anyone who knows me, they're like, oh, Mackenzie loves fruitables. I even made friends with the like, on campus version of fruit. Like the fruited.
[00:28:20] Speaker B: And so they like, know you.
[00:28:21] Speaker C: Oh, I introduced myself. I said, hi, my name is Mackenzie. I'm gonna be here a lot. And it paid off. I have a fun story.
[00:28:27] Speaker B: Okay, tell us.
[00:28:28] Speaker C: Running late to class yesterday, 10 minutes. Like, I need food. I just worked out I need something in my stomach.
[00:28:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:33] Speaker C: I go over to fruited. It's 7:50. Didn't know they open at.
I walk up and I go, what are the odds you can make me affordable, like really fast? It's not A fruitable an sie bowl really fast.
And she's like, oh, we don't open until 8. I'm like, okay, don't worry about it. It's all right. And then she called me back over. She's like, what do you want?
She's so sweet. The lady over there. If anyone goes over to Fruited Lloyd, you better give her a high five. She's. She's wonderful.
[00:28:57] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:28:58] Speaker B: That's really cool. Do you ever crave? You sound like you eat very healthy. I mean, you seem like you eat very well balanced and well rounded, like diets. But. But, like, do you, like, what would be like, your cheat?
[00:29:08] Speaker C: Ice cream girl, hands down, ice cream. I have a little bit of an obsession. I can barely go a couple days without eating ice cream.
[00:29:17] Speaker B: Why have we never talked about this?
[00:29:18] Speaker C: I have no idea.
[00:29:19] Speaker B: This is. And I will say I have cut back on my ice cream a lot. I don't know, I guess your taste changed after a while. But, like, there was a time that, like, I ate ice cream every day and, like, two bowls of it every day. Like, me too. I was craving it. And I think, Sheena, you told me one time maybe I was craving kind of that milky and that fatty. Because being a vegetarian, it might be similar to you as well and just how active you are. But yeah, girl, love that ice cream.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: So, okay, so what's favorite flavors, favorite brands?
We gotta go on a ice cream segue for a second before we loop backwards and get back on task.
[00:29:51] Speaker C: Yeah, you've really gotten me on my favorite topic. Okay, it depends on the day. First Yogurt Mountain. I'll get Strawberry Yogurt Mountain. And I'll put a bunch of, like, sweets on there. So Reese's. Reese's Pieces. I like peanut butter. Or if I'm really going for the heavy ice cream, baked bears. A really good one. Yeah, but there's this place in Northport. I forget what it's called. It's like a. It's got an ethnic name. I did not remember that.
[00:30:12] Speaker A: La Mochiano.
[00:30:14] Speaker C: I think it might be. It's like a strip mall.
[00:30:16] Speaker B: Is it mochi? Like actual, like, Asian mochi? Or is it. Oh, okay, okay, okay.
[00:30:20] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's, like, after the name of, like, a city in Mexico.
[00:30:23] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:30:23] Speaker C: Maybe they have really good ice cream over there.
[00:30:26] Speaker B: Where is the at?
[00:30:27] Speaker C: It's in Northport. It's in one of the strip malls. If you go past the blue plate.
[00:30:32] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Oh, girl, I love the blue place.
[00:30:34] Speaker A: It's where CC's Pizza is that area.
[00:30:37] Speaker B: I'm gonna try that out.
[00:30:38] Speaker C: Very good, that place. And then La Pinos, like the pineapple. The ice cream place by the mall. That one's really good as well.
[00:30:46] Speaker B: Okay, I saw that, but I didn't realize, like, what is this little place? Okay, do you have any, like, ice cream that you buy in the store or you like to actually go to the place and, like, get your ice cream cream?
[00:30:55] Speaker C: If I buy it in the store, I eat the whole carton in one sitting.
[00:30:58] Speaker A: I have a problem. Yeah, exactly.
[00:31:01] Speaker C: If I. If I buy it, I like Mediterranean mint gelato from Talenti.
[00:31:05] Speaker B: That's pretty good. That's a pretty good one.
[00:31:08] Speaker A: It's so smooth.
[00:31:09] Speaker C: It's so smooth.
[00:31:10] Speaker B: And it's a very light mint flavor. I really like that. Well, kindred spirits over here. I never knew that you were an ice cream. And Dr. Perez, on our show last week, we. He loves ice cream as well. So, Darsh Perez, if you're listening, you're gonna have to meet mackenzie. She can be in our club. Our ice cream club.
[00:31:24] Speaker A: I'm obsessed.
[00:31:25] Speaker B: Well, it sounds like you. You do. You take care of yourself. You're very healthy. You're very active. You have a really good balance being a student on campus, being a senior. And you also find time to have self care. And I think that that's really important just for our listeners that, you know, faculty, staff, and students. I think sometimes we only talk about students, but I know, Sheena, I need self care. That's why I took off. And, you know, you do as well. And so, Sheena, what do you do for self care care?
[00:31:49] Speaker A: You know, I think I used to say that it was, you know, binge watching shows, because sometimes I do need that just to zone out and not actively think about things. But doing more things outside has been self care. And I think now that I've started to become physically active again after, you know, popping out that baby last fall and, like, actually having the time I was like, this is like my me time of, like, getting to, like, zone in on something where I can kind of have that mind body connection. So. So exercise has kind of been a nice form of self care for me.
[00:32:22] Speaker B: And I think the outside factor is huge. I think there is something that we are blessed with of having sunshine and fresh air and being outside. And it changes your mood. I mean, almost instantly. So I'm thankful for the. The sun after all the rain we've had, because I know that a lot of people get kind of down when it's raining, but that's good.
[00:32:41] Speaker A: Yes. And, Mac, I know that we're about to, you know, have to end this segment, but I would love for you to share with our listeners, especially those listening. What advice would you give to a student who is looking to get involved or someone with a busy schedule and you're trying to really encourage them to, you know, stay organized and all of a sudden and not feel like they're getting drowned in all the activities they're doing.
[00:33:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I would say if you're trying to get involved, just be open to new experiences. I mean, give yourself a window of just saying yes to everything and see where that takes you. I've gotten to meet some pretty awesome people just by saying yes to things I don't think I would have said yes to in the past.
And then once you gradually build up that busy schedule to kind of manage your time, find those scheduled breaks, like for me, it's Saturday. And then whenever I eat. A lot of people my age have a tendency to do homework and eat at the same time.
I put all that stuff away and I will sit there for 20 minutes. That's my break time. I'll watch a TV show, I'll eat a little bit and then go back to whatever I'm doing. I think just being cognizant of. Of knowing when you're overdoing it is the key. Cause once you reach that point, you will crash. It's inevitable. So just kind of managing your time, getting that sleep, giving yourself breaks, you're only gonna be better for it.
[00:33:57] Speaker A: Those are words of wisdom, man.
[00:33:59] Speaker B: And look, she's just a senior in college, so, like, can you even imagine,
[00:34:03] Speaker A: you know, Dude, I can't even. Well, Mac, thank you so much for being with us today. Don't be surprised if we, like, you know, kind of pull you into our last five minute segment for whatever random conversation we do. But you guys, we're gonna take a break. We'll catch you on the flip side. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Shane and Whitney on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:34:29] Speaker B: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:34:35] Speaker C: Hello, friends.
[00:34:36] Speaker B: We are finishing up our fits and fits. Fit to bedtime. Fit to be tied, man. I'm like, really chill today radio show. And we've had an awesome show with Mackenzie west, one of our student employees over at the rec center. And she's not just an employee at the rec center. She has her handcuffed a lot of different things. So it's been an awesome break. Mackenzie, again, thanks for Being on our show.
[00:34:54] Speaker C: Thank you. Way to kick me off so fast. It's gone by in like a blink of an eye.
[00:34:59] Speaker B: I know.
[00:35:00] Speaker C: But I do have a quick question for y', all, if that's okay.
[00:35:03] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:35:03] Speaker C: Y' all have asked me about my experience as an undergrad grad. What were you all. What were y' all up to when you were in college?
[00:35:09] Speaker A: You know, and like, so let me first say, Whitney, especially since we are the same age and we were at UA at the same time, I wish we were like. Like we knew each other like back during, like, student days. Cuz I feel like we would have gotten along.
[00:35:19] Speaker B: We would have definitely hung out a lot. Yeah, for sure.
[00:35:23] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay. So Whitney, what was undergrad? Whitney? Like, what were you. What were you hanging? Where were you hanging out? What were you doing?
[00:35:28] Speaker B: You know, I'll be honest. I was like a really good kid. I really was. And I actually, like, like, really focused on, like, making my grades. I didn't make, like super straight A's all the time. I was like a AB person. I mean, I did make some Cs. I did make a D one time. I didn't like the class, so I wasn't going to give it a lot of my effort because I didn't like it. So I figured, why should it have my effort Anyway, Luckily I didn't need that credit, so it didn't really count. But anyway, I. I was pretty focused on my studies. And I will say the rec center was a saving grace for me because when I was in high school, all I did was dance and cheerlead, so I was constantly in a. In a group teen setting. And I really missed that when I came off to college. And so the dance part, cheerleading, not so much, but dance, I really miss. So I was able to go to the rec center and actually find classes like hip hop class, different types of cardio classes, and I became one of those rec center regulars. So that's how I got involved. And that's when I started teaching. And then I also did some things on campus, like the bcm, Baptist Campus ministries. I'm not Baptist, but all my friends went there and it was like a good place to just meet people. And I had a lot of friends from there, so. So I kind of played it a little bit more safe. I also valued my time as well, and I kind of like doing my thing. I'm very independent. And you think I'm extroverted, but I'm actually introverted because I like my time by myself.
But yeah, I mean, and it was a good experience for me. Sheena, what about you?
[00:36:50] Speaker A: So I was an RA on campus. I was also an avanti.
[00:36:54] Speaker C: Oh, okay.
[00:36:55] Speaker B: I can see that.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: An ra. I was president of the Student Dietetic association and then did, like, ambassador stuff, like, within my college. And he's, like, all those types of things. So, you know, as a. As an Asian family, like, my parents put the pressure of, like, be involved in all the things, you know, and it was so. That was, you know, and that was fun. And honestly, with my parents originally being from the Philippines, the only things they knew about Greek life was from movies like Porkies and animals.
They didn't understand, like, the philanthropic side of Greek life, which was totally fine because thankfully, you know, half my friends were Greek, half wasn't, half were not. So that, you know, that worked out on its own. So it, like, kind of allowed me to, like, be really creative with joining different student groups.
[00:37:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it sounds like you were way more involved than I was. I'm. When I say I love my time, it was like, I'm gonna go to class, and I want to, like, chill and do what I want to do and, like, have myself time. But, you know, I guess everybody's different. And that's what's so cool about campus is a lot of students I talk to, you have some, like, McKenzie that are super involved, kind of like, you were as well, and you that I talk to that only want to stay, like, with one thing. And, you know, I think that's what's cool about getting to choose what you want to do.
[00:38:04] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. I think just the fact that we have, like, such a variety of opportunities for getting plugged in and then people finding, like, their hashtag squad that they, you know, spend all their time with. I know I feel so old when I say things, and I'm like, is this still relevant? Even using the word hashtag? So I'm just gonna stop.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: Right. So speaking of, like, relevant, so you know how the quad, the. The fur has gone through so much renovation, like, since we were there or whatever.
I used to always eat at Blimpy. I don't know why. I just loved it at that time. I think I was eating meat, like, some chicken or turkey occasionally. So I get, like, a turkey and cheese. And, like, the moment blimpy, like, went away. I know nobody eats blimpy anymore, but I'm like, no, that's, like, my college experience. But anyway, I do miss the Blimpy.
[00:38:47] Speaker A: Dude, between there was Blimpy Burger King
[00:38:49] Speaker B: and the salad you can make. Like you can make your own little
[00:38:52] Speaker A: salad or something, dude. Yeah, if students. Y' all have it so good.
[00:38:57] Speaker B: You got panda chick fil a, man.
That's where we're gonna end the show.
[00:39:03] Speaker C: That's it.
[00:39:04] Speaker B: That's the end. I'm just kidding.
[00:39:07] Speaker A: Mackenzie, thank you for being on the show with us today, and you guys enjoy the rest of your labor day weekend. You are listening to fit to be tied with sheena and Whitney on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:39:23] Speaker B: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
