Usually at the start of the school year, students have to worry about the Freshman 15. In 2020, we said hello to the COVID 15.
An extra challenge for the Freshman 15 fears.
When gyms and fitness centers shut down their doors due to the pandemic, everyone was forced to find alternative ways to stay active. This especially was the case for students living on Chapman’s campus who primarily relied on campus facilities to get off their lazy butts.
Students like junior Alexa Coelho have discovered a newfound trend of YouTube content creators who post workout videos online. The best part, they’re completely free. No catch, all you need is internet access and 20 minutes.
“This girl on YouTube named Chloe Ting is a fitness instructor who took advantage of everyone in quarantine and created free workout videos that got my ass in shape. She is literally the only reason I wasn’t sitting on the couch all of quarantine.”
Who wouldn’t want to come out of quarantine with a six-pack for only 20 min a day? And for FREE!
Off campus housing unaffiliated with Chapman have also kept their gyms open, but strictly for their residents. Apartment homes like Eleven10 houses a large number of Chapman students who just use their “home gyms” instead.
Tanner Rubin is a sophomore living in Eleven10 who uses the apartment’s gym on a daily basis.
“Ever since the campus gyms have closed, my only option was to use the one in my apartment building. Last summer, I once saw other Chapman students trying to sneak up to the second floor and use our gym since everything else is closed”.
Thankfully for students, the Argyros Fitness Center is now back and running as of April 19th. Even though the Henley Hall FitnessCenter and the Doti-Struppa rock wall remains closed, this is certainly better than nothing.
Unfortunately, all the avid rock climbers are just going to have to wait their turn.
But to enjoy the one fitness center that remains open, students have to follow a lengthy set of rules and regulations. Appointments must be made through the Chapman Rec Portal and each student is only allowed one appointment per day for only one hour.
A reservation is almost near impossible to lock down and every time slot fills up daily.
On top of all of this, Chapman is offering outdoor fitness classes which are almost never fully booked. All of the classes are free for students to take place on zoom.
Diana Abyad is a senior who decided to try out this new form of online workout classes offered by the school. “It was interesting to say the least because I just found it difficult to stay motivated through a computer screen. I love how the school is offering this, I just wish more people attended”, said Abyad.
Students like Abyad have become accustomed to switching to outdoor workouts like biking and hiking. The “zoom gym” method doesn’t seem to put students in the atmosphere to stay motivated and stay active.
As off-campus gyms have opened up in Orange County, students are finally getting back to the grind after an entire year of lockdown.
