VS.
Have you ever walked out of a good workout session and felt like every muscle in your body has become liquid fire Jell-O and you have to wonder why you do this to yourself? Well, I am in that exact position right now. Even just sitting crisscross applesauce on my dorm bed hurts because my booty has been introduced to muscles that I am pretty sure have never been used before. Despite the soreness, I am, without a doubt, going to keep going to Zumba and Pound. But what makes these programs worth the pain?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), there has been a 31 percent increase in college students seeking appointments at counseling centers from 2009 to 2015 and, out of that increase, 45 percent of students report that it is for stress.
Relieving stress as a college student is imperative to overall mental health. My roommate and I have found that by going to a fun workout program at least once a week we can alleviate some of the stress school and work can put on us. Two programs that our campus offers are Zumba and Pound.
Zumba, according to Mayo Clinic, is a fitness program that fuses Latin and other international music with dancing, and it incorporates interval and resistance training. As an aerobic exercise, it reduces health risks, helps to maintain weight, strengthens the heart and releases “feel good” endorphins.
Pound is a new fitness program which involves drumsticks, also called “ripstix”. It combines weight training, cardio and some rhythmic techniques into a high intensity workout that works to help improve balance. According to Summit Medical, a person who weighs a 150lbs can burn up to 500 calories during a session of Pound.
I can personally attest to the fact that even though I am incredibly sore after both Zumba and Pound, I feel so much better about myself and my mood usually improves after I attend a session. I recommend grabbing a friend in the upcoming weeks of stress and finding a fun way to get fit and get out of the books for an hour.
HCXO,
Samantha Hilyer