Ready, sweat, go
Mya Fraser (She/Her) // Sports Editor
Angelica Blanch (She/Her) // Illustrator
CapU Rec aims to provide a variety of low barrier health and wellness opportunities for CapU students, staff, faculty and community in a fun, safe environment. The university offers many recreational opportunities; however, a lot of students are not aware of them. While nothing is 100 percent confirmed for fall 2024 yet, here are all the cool things to potentially look forward to when you are back in September.
Starting with the free services. Everyone is entitled to a free fitness membership for the weight room. With that membership, there are free fitness classes too. This year, Pilates fusion was one of two classes offered. It mixes traditional Pilates with strength training and ballet inspired movement to build muscle endurance and improve joint stability. Stretch fusion was the other class, mixing stretching and strengthening exercises to assist people in reducing and managing stress. This class aimed to restore and improve posture, mobility and strength.
All the intramural sports are free to join. This includes soccer, basketball, volleyball and badminton. This is a fun way to stay active, be a little competitive and play a fun sport in the gym. There are free outdoor clubs to join that will run rain or shine. These include the running club, the walking club and the hiking club.
‘Move More North Shore’ is a free program aimed at improving well-being for students or employees who are not currently physically active. With the help of an active health coach, you can develop a two-month action plan for physical activity and receive support throughout the two months by identifying barriers, obtaining social connection, and making lifestyle changes with goal setting support.
For a small cost of just five dollars, there are more fitness classes available. They offer a small strength and conditioning group training and a spin class which aims to increase your heart rate while having fun. Their vinyasa yoga classes offer a balanced practice that enhances both strength and flexibility while placing an emphasis on controlled breathing. There’s also a dance class to showcase a variety of dance styles that will get your sweat on, improve your health and hopefully build more self-confidence.
At a higher cost, they offer personal training sessions. For CapU students, staff and faculty, training prices are three sessions for $150, six sessions for $270 or 12 sessions for $480. They vary from 40 to 50 minutes in length.
In order to use these services, you must first create an account and become a member (free) for all CapU students. You can do so on the CapU website. Under student services, click Athletics & Recreation, then scroll down and click Campus Recreation. That’s where you can register and find any additional information. For most services, no previous experience is necessary.
Some services like the Centre for Sport and Wellness (CSW), weight room, personal training and the drop-in gymnasium hours are all open to the community, but at a cost.
CapU Rec also offers student jobs and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Anastasiia Melikhova is a student who works for CapU Rec. She explained how she enjoys getting to be part of all the events and activities happening on campus. “The flexible schedule really fits well with my classes,” she said. “Overall, it’s a great opportunity that keeps me connected with the campus community and gives me some valuable skills along the way.”
Visit the main website mentioned above for further information about CapU Rec or their job and volunteering opportunities. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram (@capu_rec) to learn more and hear about any upcoming events.