If you frequent the UMass Rec Center, you may have seen Katie C.’s name on the Group Fitness schedule next to the seemingly scary name of her class, “Insanity.” If you’ve attended Katie’s class before, you know that she is a caring instructor who works in modifications for challenging moves, but still pushes you through an incredible and intense workout. This senior English major talks with Her Campus about her fitness journey, and how you can be a part of it!
Girvan: When would you say your “fitness journey” began?
Campbell: Probably after my first semester of freshman year. As most freshmen do, I began to put on a little bit of weight, and since I wasn’t constantly busy doing sports or after school activities I wasn’t as busy. So, I started to put on some weight and I didn’t like it—so I decided to do something about it.
Girvan: What type of exercise did you first start doing just to get into the fitness mindset?
Campbell: I started just going to the gym and doing elliptical and doing a couple of sit-ups about three times a week. That didn’t really work. It just didn’t. I mean, I was eating a little bit better, but I was still consistently staying the same weight that I wasn’t happy with.
Girvan: When would you say the “ramp-up” to Insanity began? What was the turning point for you?
Campbell: The summer before my sophomore year, I got into this program called Turbo Fire through the Beach Body company. My aunt is a Beach Body coach and she turned me on to the whole “Beach Body Lifestyle,” and all of their products. From there, I did Turbo Fire, which made me want to do Insanity—another one of their products. After that I did Insanity Asylum and T-25 (two more of their products), and then I myself became a Beach Body coach so I could promote these awesome products that helped me so much.
Girvan: How did you become an instructor?
Campbell: I went online, and I signed up to become one, and went through the training. Basically, what I do now is I promote the products, and teach their class!
Girvan: What motivates you? How do you stay motivated?
Campbell: The feeling of being healthy is kind of like the feeling of having super powers. When you’re healthy, and have a positive mindset, you actually feel like you can do anything. You feel like you could fly, and that feeling is probably better than anything in the world. That’s what motivates me, looking for that feeling, and trying to attain it daily.
Girvan: How do you balance the college lifestyle with healthy habits?
Campbell: It is a constant battle. Constant. But, I feel that at times such as winter break or summer, I get down to business. During these times, there won’t be the temptations of going out every weekend or late night study sessions with snacks. You really just need to take a couple of months out of your year and be a little crazy so that you can get back to where you want to be. And then, during the school year, your biggest rule is, “Everything in Moderation.” There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself as long as you don’t do it all the time.
Girvan: What is your advice for Fitness Newbies?
Campbell: Don’t get frustrated. It’s going to take a while! It’s not going to happen in a couple of weeks or a month, it might not even happen in six months. But don’t give up! It took me a lot longer than I expected to be where I wanted to be, but I’m so glad I stuck with it.
Girvan: Your class is called Insanity. What do you have to say to people who are a little intimidated by that title?
Campbell: I say to everyone who wants to try it, but is a little bit afraid, that you can really do it at any level that you want. I always give different versions of every exercise. So, I’ll give modifications, and I’ll tell you to take breaks. The most important thing about the Insanity workout is that it is your workout. You are the one who determines how hard you’re going to work. I’m not going to tell you to do a certain number of reps. I just lead it.
Katie teaches Insanity on Mondays at 8:00a.m., Wednesdays at 11:30a.m., Fridays at 6:30p.m, and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.!