SRC beefs up class selection

After 40 minutes of cycling, sweating and stretching, Leslie Prochaska and 13 other members of the spinning class at the Student Recreation Center gathered their water bottles and towels and prepared to leave.

"My lungs are exhausted," said Prochaska, a physics graduate student who attends the class regularly. "The class is usually what I expect, but it's never boring or mundane."

The spinning class is one of several offered by the SRC this year.

Tara Higgerson, a junior journalism major who is in her second semester as an instructor, teaches a jump rope class, as well as six other classes. "I fell in love with the SRC my freshman year," she said.

"I loved the instructors, the atmosphere and the energy. I wanted to help others learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle and teach others about the positive benefits of fitness."

Higgerson derives ideas for classes from her own creativity, student feedback and an online forum called Turnstep.com, where fitness instructors post ideas for classes.

She aims to start slowly and move up throughout the semester while keeping her classes challenging and interesting.

"My favorite part of teaching is seeing people leave excited about my class," she said.

"The SRC is free for the four years you spend here, and it's great to see people getting something out of it. I'm a nutrition and fitness nerd, but there's so much more that I still want to learn."

Junior psychology major Candice Lowdermilk, an instructor at the SRC, uses the same Web site to come up with ideas for her five classes.

Lowdermilk said she was impressed with the SRC's facilities when she first arrived in Chapel Hill.

The programs at the SRC allow her to share her knowledge of and enthusiasm for fitness.

"The University is an educational organization, and I see the SRC as an extension of that," she said. "The SRC is a place that helps people get motivated to stay fit and helps them gain the confidence to lead a healthy lifestyle by themselves."

Fitness instructors are required to attend a training program that lasts one semester and consists of 60 to 90 minutes of classroom training and 150 minutes of practical training per week.

Senior psychology major Stephanie Bossard, who teaches a kickboxing class, said the training program is helpful because it gives her ideas for classes.

"I love the feeling of energy in the room. It's great when people come to my classes, and I like watching people achieve," she said.

SRC Program Director Casey McMorran worked at the SRC since she was an undergraduate.

She is now a graduate student studying occupational therapy and teaches classes in cycling, step and abdominals.

"Everything I do is geared towards health, and since exercise is meaningful to me, I want to show others how it can be meaningful to them," she said.

Sophomore Christie Shauer, a biology major, takes advantage of the group classes the SRC offers.

"I decided to come to Variety Pack because my roommate went and said it was a good workout," she said. "She also said it was more cardio-oriented, and that's what I was looking for."

Shauer said she enjoys the ABsolution class because it is short and focuses specifically on the abdominals.

"I was really sore afterwards, so I can tell I worked hard," she said.

Shauer said she wants to make fitness a more important part of her daily routine.

"I hope to get in better shape by taking SRC classes. I want to get a little more motivated to become more physically active."

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