Tag: recreation

Categories
Fitness

Diary of a Fit Patriot: At the Barre

2_10barre2By: Alison M. Hall

Do you spend time at the JC, AFC, or RAC? You can participate in Mason Recreation’s Barre classes at any of these three locations. But what is Barre?

Rachel Gill, Barre instructor at the AFC, describes the class as “an exciting and new program that strengthens, tones, and improves balance and flexibility through ballet inspired moves.” She explains that Barre is unique to other strength classes because “instead of only targeting the large main muscle groups, it focuses on the smaller stabilizing muscles that are necessary for increased performance and injury prevention. Barre is perfect for anyone ready to mix up their workout, find balance and control, and have a lot of fun doing so.”

Some Barre classes actually use a ballet barre on the wall, while others are taught without the physical barre there. Patty Jarrett, Mason Recreation Group Fitness Coordinator, explains that classes without the barre “are the same leg and arm movements but done lying on the floor, with props, and/or have added Pilates and yoga movements. They are challenging to both men and women and NO dance experience is required.” Whether your class uses the barre or not, Patty says “the classes incorporate many muscle groups that are not used regularly in daily living or even in the gym period.  Barre is also very challenging to the core muscles and help to balance the body.”

This semester, Mason Recreation is offering Barre classes at the following times:

ClassDay & TimeLocation
Barre WorksMondays, 6:30-7:25pmAFC
Pilates/Barre Fusion (co-sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being)Tuesdays, 12:00 -1:00pm JC Dance Studio
Barre NoneWednesdays, 6:30-7:30pmRAC

All Barre classes are Green Access, which are free to full-time students and Mason Recreation members. The Pilates/Barre Fusion class at the JC is free and open to the entire Mason community. For more information about Barre and all of our fitness classes, visit recreation.gmu.edu/fitness.

Categories
Announcements Facilities Intramurals

Graduating Senior – Jonno Flukes

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Jonno Flukes grew up in Boston in an area of town one might call “at risk”. While he played basketball and baseball from the age of 6 up, he found a real affinity for boxing while in high school. He says boxing comes naturally to him, probably due to it being a family tradition: one of his uncles was a Golden Gloves winner.  Since boxing isn’t available at Mason, he fills his time with studying, working out, playing sports and working for Mason Recreation.

Upon arrival at Mason in Fall 2011, he began working out and playing basketball at Skyline. He says that’s where he made many of his close friends. Then once intramurals began, he joined and played everything from basketball, soccer and flag football, to softball and handball. He says intramural sports give kids the opportunity to play competitively as well as having a chance to play and learn sports they may never have played. Jonno says he’d never played handball until he tried it at Mason Rec.

In addition to participating in intramurals, he’s been a Customer Service Assistant (CSA), a practicum student, a program assistant and is currently an intern for Mason Recreation as well as a weekend and substitute Manager on Duty (MOD). As an intern, in addition to many other responsibilities, he’s involved with coordinating the group hiring session. Based on his positive experience with Mason Recreation, he wants the group hiring session to emphasize the various work opportunities available to student employees in addition to the monetary benefits most students are interested in.

Jonno says he began working for Mason Recreation just to make money. Soon after, he realized all the growth opportunities available. In addition to being on several committees, and working closely with full time staff, he did a presentation at NIRSA’s regional conference on transferable skills learned while working in recreation facilities. He says Mason Recreation opened his eyes to career opportunities he would never have considered before.

After graduation, Jonno plans on becoming more competitive in boxing and he says he wants to coach youth boxing. He plans to work with youth as a side job at first and will eventually turn it into a full time career. His ultimate goal is to run an inner-city non-profit recreation program for at risk teens. Jonno says, “Since I grew up in an area that was at risk, I saw many teens turn to drugs. I think I can provide alternatives to that lifestyle.”

He adds, “Boxing is available to everyone. Anyone can go to a boxing gym and start from wherever they are. If they practice for a month they see improvements. When they see results, it keeps them coming back.  Working one-on-one with teens provides an even more focused workout. It almost always guarantees success.  I want to show kids they can be successful.”

Jonno graduates in May with a degree in Sports Management.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Categories
Fitness

Does Exercise Really Boost your Metabolism?

By: Anya Sailey

There are many claims of “boosted metabolism” as a result of exercise in the fitness industry today. Both journal articles discussed herein address the human metabolism and energy expenditure in relation to post-exercise thermogenesis. Additionally, both articles seek to disprove the common theory that “the human metabolic rate remains elevated for up to 48 hours post-exercise” (Bingham et. al., 1989). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article discusses the efficacy of several weight-loss strategies pertaining to variation in macronutrient distribution. This article’s main research topic seeks to “investigate whether or not there is a sustained effect of either moderate or intense exercise on metabolic rate.” (Freedman-Akabas et al., 1985) The British Journal of Nutrition article authors seek to determine “whether or not there is a sustained enhancement in metabolic rate following physical exercise.” (Bingham et. al., 1989) The significance of this experiment relates to the author’s challenge of the efficacy of weight-control solely based upon the exercise component of a fitness program.

H&FThe objective of both articles is to investigate the effect of moderate or intense exercise on metabolism. The first study used VO2 (volume of Oxygen consumption) to evaluate the fitness level of participants before and af
ter exercise. Researchers found that VO2 levels returned to their baseline values 40 minutes after exercising and remained for at least 3 hours, regardless of gender or fitness level. In the second study, volunteers’ vital signs, physiological compositions, intakes/outputs, standardized diets, and exercise methods were observed over time. Researchers found that metabolic rates did not change over time when measured up to 24 hours post-exercise.

Both articles concluded that there are no significant sustained effects on resting metabolic rates post-exercise. (Freedman-Akabas et al., 1985, Bingham et al., 1989) Both studies show that the human metabolism is not significantly “boosted” as a result of exercise for a longer period of time than the duration of the exercise itself. This finding is discouraging for marketing schemes targeting those who want to believe that their metabolism will increase as a result of a certain product or repeated physical exercise. Both studies highlight the beneficial effects of exercise, and conclude that the component of sustainability in terms of physical exercise is crucial: it is not possible to expect significant results in the resting period between exercises. Additionally, both articles stress the importance of diet in terms of weight-control program implementation.

 

Bibliography

Bingham, S.A., Goldberg, G.R., Coward, W.A., A.M. Prentice, and J.H. Cummings. (1989). The effect of exercise and improved physical fitness on basal metabolic rate. In British Journal of Nutrition 61, 155-173.

 

Freedman-Akabas, S., Colt, E., H. Kisseleff, and F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer. (1985). Lack of sustained increase in VO2 following exercise in fit and unfit subjects. In American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 41, 545-549.