Feel the burn!

There’s no doubt life is going to change when you come to Penn State and begin your journey to become an engineer.  One of the myriad of things that could change is how you exercise.  Maybe you played sports in high school, were a dancer, or stayed in shape on your own by lifting weights and going to the gym.  Maybe you never really exercised at all, but want to get started on improving your fitness (which is highly recommended!).  I have good news—whatever your fitness fancy, you can continue doing it at Penn State and find some awesome new ways to exercise.

·         Club Sports:  From equestrian team to soccer to club croquet, we have every club sport available under the sun.  Here’s the cool part:  Club sports at Penn State are not allowed to cut anyone.  Even if you’re going out for a sport like soccer or volleyball, the clubs usually have some kind of league that incorporates all of the people that can’t travel with the team.  Depending on the club, I like to compare the level of commitment of club sports to that of high school sports.  The season lasts a few months, and practice is every day (but not necessarily mandatory).  Check out this website for a full listing of club sports: http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recreation/clubs.asp

 

·         Intramural Sports:  IM sports are FUN FUN FUN, and usually include your standards like soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football, etc.  They give you the opportunity to try out new sports and be goofy with your friends.  So grab all your dorm buddies and start a team! For more info., click here:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recsports/

 

·         Fitness membership:  If you’re more of an iron pumping, elliptical trekking kind of gal, we’ve got a pretty sweet deal for a fitness membership.  It costs $103 for both fall and spring semesters, and $54 for one semester.  With that, you get access to all 4 of the school’s fitness centers, 2 indoor pools, and tons of fitness classes (aerobics, washboard abs, yoga, hip hop, zumba).  Click here to read more about the membership and how to pay for one:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/psustrength/index_rec.asp

 

·         Fitness instructors:  If you like the aerobics, hip hop, and zumba classes so much that you think you’d like to teach them, you can do that too!  All of the fitness instructors at Penn State are students.  You complete several semesters of training before you start teaching classes, so you obtain your Kines credits from that.  For more info.:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/fitness/employment.asp

 

·         Dance clubs:  Penn State offers several dance organizations in all different styles such as Volé (ballet), Ram Squad and Whiplash (hip hop), and Orchesis (jazz/ballet/modern).  Some of them even perform at university events like Homecoming and THON.   Click the club names for more information.

·         Outdoorsy Activities:  Taking advantage of the beautiful scenery in Pennsylvania is easy to do (hiking up Mt. Nittany anyone?) with the Adventure Recreation Program.  Click for more info:  http://www.athletics.psu.edu/advrec/index.html ).   Adventure Rec. provides trips throughout the year for students, and they also provide gear rental if you’d like to plan your own trip.

Exercise is so important to maintaining your wellness, and it even reduces your stress levels.  I urge you girls to take advantage of all things fitness Penn State has to offer.  So, get out there and start movin’, WEPO!

Katie Mulvaney is a senior majoring in Engineering Science. She is a Mentor for WEPO 2011 and competes for the Club XC team.  Contact Katie at kmm5644@psu.edu.