We believe physical activity and exercise are vital to the well-being of every person. Here in Campus Recreation, we are actively working on virtual opportunities which will allow our #ActiveILLINI to access the resources they need to thrive in the classroom and in life. We encourage you to reach out to us if you have thoughts on how to help the Campus Rec community stay connected or ideas for resources we can provide during this time.

This week, get to know one of Campus Rec’s wonderful water aerobics instructors, Andrea Krieter!

Q: What format(s) do you teach?
A: H20 Cardio and Deep water exercise (DWE).

Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: About a year!

Q: How long have you been teaching at Campus Recreation?
A: About a year!

Q: Do you have another role at the University?
A: I’m a third year PhD Student in the Department of Pathobiology.

Q: What motivated you to become a certified group fitness instructor?
A: The main instructor for DWE/H20 Cardio was leaving for a semester and there was no one else to fill the role. I’d been taking that class for about a year and a half at that point and I thought it would be a great way to get even more involved at Campus Rec.

Q: What is your fitness philosophy?
A: I love challenging myself and finding new ways to push my strength. That’s what keeps me going.

Q: When you’re not regularly teaching, what are the other ways you like to stay active?
A: I love running, but after a recent foot injury I’ve been going on long walks and having at-home dance parties.

Q: When you’re not teaching your own classes, what types of group fitness classes could we find you in?
A: POUND, BODYCOMBAT, BODYPUMP, occasionally BODYATTACK.

Q: What is your favorite post-workout meal/snack?
A: Protein shake and goldfish

Q: Do you have a favorite source of workouts, fitness blogger, or health-related podcast that you’d recommend?
A: I love the BODYCOMBAT Invincible videos!

Q: What is your favorite way to practice mindfulness?
A: I find peace by reading and spend most of my free time with my nose in a book!

We've all heard that, "Laughter is the best medicine" but what does science say?  It turns out laughter may have a host of mental and physical benefits! Take the time to look on the brighter side and foster your well-being through laughter.

Campus Recreation Well-Being Resource: 7 remarkable benefits of laughing more

In order to continue to serve the Campus Recreation community, our group fitness instructors are offering live virtual group fitness classes and meet-ups throughout the week. These virtual workouts will be streamed via Zoom (click here to learn more about using Zoom) and offer a great way to add some exercise, routine, and social interaction to your day!

View this week's virtual class schedule: May 25 - 29

The Mayo Clinic recommends incorporating the following five elements into your regular exercise routine: aerobic activity, strength training, core exercises, balance training, and flexibility/stretching. The workout plan included below incorporates a variety of formats that will allow you to meet these goals. Just pick the combination of workouts that work for you!

View this week’s workout plan

A growing body of evidence suggests that listening to music while exercising can improve the quality of your workout. This week’s playlist comes from Kelsey, a Campus Rec group fitness instructor and University research development specialist. Kelsey says, “I’ve been feeling really sad lately that I’m not able to teach my usual cycle classes right now, so I’ve put a bunch of my favorite endurance tracks into one playlist. If you have a bike to train on right now – lucky you! And if you don’t, this playlist is great fuel for any endurance workout!”

Kelsey’s “Go The Distance” Playlist

Quarantine Meal Prep Method

You’ve probably seen the meal prep trend online where dozens and dozens of meals are prepped in containers for the entire week? If you're someone who hasn't meal prepped before and finds the idea daunting, or if you're living on your own or with a roommate(s) where prepping for a whole week take up a lot of coveted fridge space I've got a plan for you. 

I’ve realized that my veggie intake falls pretty flat when I don’t do any prep at all. So here's a happy medium:

The recipe below (which is totally customizable!) takes less than 30 minutess of active prep time, but makes enough food for several portions, increasing the odds that you’ll be a veggie powerhouse for the week. *arm flex* I love how I can quickly reheat a couple things and build a hearty, nutritious bowl in a matter of minutes!

My meal prep method has been going like this:

1. Roast two sheet pans of veggies
2. Cook a grain (3-4 servings; rice, quinoa, pasta)
3. Have easy proteins on hand (3-4 servings; hard boiled eggs, chicken breast, cottage cheese, beans, etc)
4. Have toppings on hand, ready-to-roll - avocado, nuts/seeds, beans, dressing, oils/ sauces, etc.

This method has dramatically changed my meals in recent weeks (specifically, lunches) and increased my veggie consumption substantially. All of the ingredients can be changed up so it never has to be repetitive and you can be flexible by using what you have in your fridge/pantry. It helps cut down waste because you can easily use up those “on the verge of dying” veggies in your crisper. Just throw ‘em in the oven and roast the heck out of ‘em! And if you get tired of roasted veggie bowls, throw the prepped food into delicious wraps or even into soups/stews.

Cycling Illini 

Thought you were going to miss the Tour de France for 2020? We've got you covered! But this race, you're the racer!

We're not actually asking you to cycle the 2,200 miles of the Tour de France. Hop on your bike and see how far you can go in the month of June!

Submit your workouts and watch your mile total rise as you push to accomplish your goal. With four divisions of varying distances, we have a spot for you regardless of experience or how rusty your bike is.

Running Illini - Team Edition

If you thought our first Running Illini was good... things just got a whole lot more fun.

Introducing Running Illini TEAM EDITION!

Teams of three will work together to accumulate a set number of miles. With four divisions to choose from, there's one for everybody regardless of experience. Let's see how far you can get when you work with a team! We think you'll be amazed.