By J’son Tillmon
Students already have the tools to increase energy, boost brainpower and feel better going through college. These tools are legs and feet. Walking more will improve your health and make you feel better.
“At the end of the semester they say, they took it mostly to lose weight. Almost all of them say ‘I feel mentally and emotionally better,’” Instructor Dawn Brooks said Feb. 11 about her students in KINE 1182, Walking 1, and KINE 2182, Walking 2.
Students, who decide to take a walking class, will do more than just walk.
“We do a lot of abdominal work in there as well,” Brooks said. “So we strengthen the abdominals, the core, and the back. Get them ready to jump into some of these other classes like kickboxing, physical conditioning or spinning (indoor cycling).
Even though this is a walking class, students quickly realize how serious it is.
“They’re a little surprised because we end up by the end of the semester doing so much. We start at about a mile, but by the time the semester ends, we’re doing five to six miles,” Brooks said.
There are plenty of other ways to walk more without taking a class, like seeing the limited number of parking spots as a plus. Brooks said students should use the distant parking spaces and benefit from a walk.
“With our parking situation, whenever I have trouble parking I just park on the other side of the park,” Brooks said.
She recommended students follow the “take the stairs” signs posted all over campus.
She said the walking trail on campus is blocked by construction, but students can walk at San Pedro Springs Park, which is 1.1 mile around the perimeter.
Brooks said the walking class is a safe way for those who want to improve their fitness.
“This is a good safe environment because nobody is way far ahead. Everybody is kind of in the same boat with the same fitness level. So they kind of push and help each other,” she said.
For more information on walking classes, call Brooks at 210-486-1023.
