6 Benefits of Group Exercise Classes

Are group exercise classes effective?

When beginning the healthier lifestyle journey, it can be daunting to enter the gym alone. Gym intimidation is real and can stunt health goals. That is where group exercise classes come in to rescue the day and your health goals.

While joining an group exercise class can have its own level of intimidation, the atmosphere is motivating, fun, and a reminder that the journey to healthier lifestyle is not a lonely road. Group exercise classes can provide a different kind of social group and create a sense of accountability to attending the classes.

Sue Parke, from Active.com shares her thoughts on group exercise classes, "Joining a class can help build a foundation and structure that you can use to fuel your personal healthy journey for years to come." +ACTIVE

I have participated in group exercise classes for all three years of my college experience. Through these classes, I have learned a lot about myself and why these classes are beneficial for me. With the help of Sue Parke's article, I have listed 6 benefits of taking group exercise classes.

6 benefits of taking group exercise classes:

Motivation

There is a strange sense of motivation from being surrounded by dedicated people with the similar goals. Nothing is more encouraging than having an inspiring instructor and encouraging members all pushing each other to a healthier lifestyle and achieving their goals.

Structure

Sue Parke mentions the easiness of attending a class that already has the warm-up, a quality workout, and the cool down already planned. For me, I enjoy that I don't have to calculate how long my breaks needs to be and to focus on pushing myself and not what I'll be doing next.

Proper Form 

It is a common problem for people with in-proper form to get injured while working out and with previous injuries, the chance of injury can increase. Having a well-trained instructor can help prevent injury and teach proper form for future years. Personally, I have had muscle injuries in the past so it is beneficial and safer for me to be taught proper form so I don't hurt myself in future.

Variety

Sue Parke mentions the effectiveness of participating in multiple, different type of exercise classes to keep muscles guessing and speed up your metabolism in anticipation. Different classes will be offered depending on the gym and athletic clubs. For me, I tend to stick to
the same things when I'm on my own so taking a class

Accountability

When participating in the same classes every week, getting to know the instructor, and fellow classmates, the expectation to attend with increase. Scheduling the classes into daily routine is another way of keeping on top of your gym/athletic clubs attendance and your progress to a healthier lifestyle. For me, it is harder to skip an exercise class when I know the instructor is knows my name and looking for my participation.

Fun 

Group classes are just plain fun, both Sue Parke and I agree. The upbeat music, motivating people, and quality workout is a great way to have get rid of gym intimidation and enjoy exercising. I recommend to stay focused on yourself and your progress and ignore the looks coming from the exterior of the exercise class.

Do YOU do a group exercise class? Comment Below! 

Monday Motivation

Create the life and body you desire now, no need to wait to begin. 

Away at College VS College at Home

The 'college experience' will vary for each individual based on their college, location, age, roommates, and living arrangements. Together all these components impact a student's experience but individually these components can play a bigger part. Let's focus on one of them: living arrangements. 

According to Sallie Mae's college report, the percentage of college students living at home has increased to 54% compared to the previous four years, which leaves 46% of students living away from home during college. Those numbers are roughly the same and great to look at it but how is a student to know which is best for them? Forbes writer, Kate Ashford shares some of advantages and disadvantages of both in "More Millennials Living at Home to Save on College Costs."  

Reading these comparisons and statistics, I decided to survey a few college students myself on how the experiences vary between living at home and living away from home.  Below you will find the same 5 questions asked to both groups and the students' responses. 

Living Away: 

Why did you choose to live away from home during college? 

 1) I couldn't stand living with my trouble-making, younger brother and I was getting frustrated with the lack of freedom I had for being 20 years old. 

 2) I felt that living away from home as soon as I started college was a natural transition between relying on family and relying on solely myself. At my age, this was an opportunity to start learning how to survive with several of those around me, who were also freshmen straight out of high school.

What are 2 benefits of living away from home? 

 

1) I have greatly increased my freedom compared to when I was living at home and I'm significantly closer to my school. 

 2) I won't be transitioning into a different lifestyle by myself. I'm surrounded by people who are also going through what I am going through. And I'll most likely be living away from home at some point. It's a good time to go when you're young and straight out of high school, where you're still in the "school" mode.

What are 2 downsides of living away from home? 

 1) The obvious downsides of living away from home are that I'm away from my family and that I can't have pets in my apartment complex. 

 2) I'm a huge fan of living separately from my family. I love having those I care about close so that I can spend time with them, and being apart from them has been a huge challenge in my life. And you rely solely on you. You have to go to class and do the homework and student, and you have to take care of yourself. It's all on you, and that is a weird transition. 

How would you describe your social life while living away from home? 

 1) I guess it would be describes as non-existent until I moved out and closer to my school. 

 2) I moved up to school with one of my good friends and we roomed together. From there, the two of us both made a few really good friends that we spend a lot of our time with.

 

What are 2 things you've learned from living away from home during college? 

 1) I've learned how much food actually costs and how bored I get without my little sisters. 

 2) I've learned that I can get by on my own. I have a job, and now I know that I can do all the basics -- laundry, cooking, grocery shopping. College is this big, scary, mysterious thing that just keeps coming at you until it is finally here and you're pulling through it. 

 

Living at Home: 

Why did you choose to live at home during college?

 A) I knew that moving home would not only help me but it would allow me to help my mom take care of my nephew. 
 B) I chose to live at home mainly because my mother is home alone. Even though that is the main reason, I'm also relatively close enough to where I save more money driving down to school 3x a week than paying rent.  

What are 2 benefits of living at home?

 A) I don't have to pay rent and buying food isn't as expensive. 
 B) I don't have to pay rent, utilities, or for food. My mother actually prepares my meals and lunches daily. 

What are 2 downsides of living at home?

 A) I still have a curfew and have to still follow the house rules like I did in high school. 
 B) Because I am not living on my own, I don't get the support of roommates or YSA wards that have students going through the same experiences. 

How would you describe your social life while living at home? 

 A) It is harder to have a social life because it is hard to make sure someone is home with my nephew.
 B) I think that there are different levels of being social. Thankfully, I have a boyfriend who takes me our every time he has a chance and plans social things to do or else I would be staying home with my mother a lot more often. But I do feel like I see the same couple of people every week, so I don't get out and see other friends very often.

What are 2 things you've learned from living at home during college?

 A) I've learned how I have to adjust to being able to do things around other people's schedules and learned that sometimes things aren't as easy as they were before. 
 B) I've learned that I stink at communication with people I used to be close to. I am so busy and isolated that I have learned that I need to keep myself in the loop while juggling work and school. And that I love when my mother takes care of me. 

For more college advice and tips, check out my Pinterest. 

What are YOUR thoughts? Comment Below!

Monday Motivation

Don't let your mind stop your progress. 

8 Meals to Pack & Go

Life in college is crazy. The days are often spent trying to balance classes, studying, working, and catching up with friends. Finding time to be healthy in college also takes some balance and patience.

One great way to balance healthy eating with college is packing healthy meals for on the go. Packing healthy meals for school and work helps limit the amount of cafeteria and vending machine food eaten while studying or working. Finding healthy meals that are easy to transport can be challenging but not impossible. So what are some healthy meals when on the go?

Here are some my recommendation:


What Lisa Cooks shares some great lunches to go that are not just sandwiches, here are some of my favorites. Don't be afraid to modify these recipes to fit your tastes.

French Toast Sticks w/ Yogurt: 

- French toast, cut in strips
- Maple or flavored yogurt for dipping
- Strawberries and grapes
- Mozzarella cheese

Mac 'N Cheese w/ Salad:

- Macaroni and Cheese in thermal
- Deconstructed salad w/ lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and another other vegetable.
- Small side of dressing.

Customized Burritos:

- Homemade burritos
- Carrots
- Grapes
- Cheese

Tortilla Rolls: 

- Tortilla rolls full of turkey, cream cheese, or whatever ingredients you prefer.
- Grapes
- Strawberries
- Cheese
- Muffin

Pesto Chicken Salad: 

- Grilled chicken w/ tablespoon of mayonnaise and tablespoon of pesto mixed together.
- Shredded lettuce
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cheese






Above pictures belong to +What Lisa Cooks 



Jenny Flake, author of the Picky Palate cookbook shares a great meal to go recipe that I'll definitely be trying:

Grilled Chicken Veggie Bowls: 

- Seasoned Chicken Breast
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa

You can find the full directions here.



Above picture belongs to +Jenny Flake 



Cassie, author of Back to Her Roots shares some of her healthy lunches to go, here are some of my favorites:

 Turkey Sprout Sandwich

- Turkey and sprout sandwich on whole wheat
- Cucumbers
- Pretzels and hummus
- Cherry tomatoes
- Hard-boiled egg
- Blueberries and strawberries
- Chocolate covered cherries.

Chicken Salad

- Chicken salad
- Green  beans
- Roasted potatoes
- Crackers
- Mini pear
- Strawberries
- Chocolate covered cherries.






Above pictures belong to +Back to Her Roots 

What are some of YOUR favorite meals on to go? Comment Below! 

Who am I

Hi, I'm Lauren. 

College is time of discovery. It is a period of time dedicated to improving oneself through education, health, and lifestyle. This school year I've taken improving my health more seriously and have discovered that many others are on this journey. So...Embracing Change in College was born. 

College is a time of change. Classes change every semester, roommates changed by the semester or year, relationships with friends and family change, and each individual can change. Not all changes are good but they give each of us an opportunity to change our outlook on the situation or life. This school I've been improving my positive outlook when facing changes or challenges. 

The journey to be a healthier college student has not been a easy or quick change but I know that improving my health and setting healthy habits now will positively impact my future. I also know that I am not on this journey alone; I have a good support system and continue to find more. 

For each person who has helped, advice, and motivated me on my journey, I thank you and I hope that through this blog I can help others who are on their own fitness journey.

Thank you to all current readers and welcome to all new readers. 

Monday Motivation

Clear your mind of can't because you can. 

No Gym? No Problem!

What exercises to do at home to stay fit? 

The struggle of finding enough time in day is common for all, especially among college students. We are constantly choosing what to sacrifice in order to fulfill our priorities. A healthy lifestyle should not be sacrificed.

A healthy lifestyle is worth the challenge. Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't require an expensive athletic wardrobe, a personal trainer, or even a gym membership.  But how? Exercises at home!

Finding those quality exercises for home can be daunting and overwhelming. Below you will find some great videos and guides for working out at home with most no required equipment or weights.

• Julie Fagan, blogger on Peanut Butter Fingers, shares some of her favorite home workouts with no necessary equipment or weights.

• Indulgy provides printable and customization workouts for home and the gym.

• Deven Hopp, blogger on BYRDIE, shares 5 workout videos designed for home and to help motivate you.

• Workout Labs for women and men allow customization workouts that can easily by done at home.

• Natalie Borton, blogger for Glitter Guide, shares the top You Tube exercise channels for home workouts.

• Fitness Blender, my personal favorite and go-to videos, has over 100 free full length videos that are great for working out at home. 

For more ideas, guides, and videos check out my Pinterest. 

What exercises do YOU do at home? Comment Below!