By Briahnna Brown
Exercise can be an easy thing to discontinue, but exercising in a group setting has been shown to motivate physical activity.
This is why the Lerner Health and Wellness Center is offering a Demo Week for George Washington University students to try group fitness classes for the first week of the semester. Erik Strouse, director of membership at the center, said that the center recommends that people exercise in group formats rather than on their own because of the benefits group fitness provides.
“In a group environment, you are more inclined to have that community feel and get to know individuals that you may not have met otherwise,” Mr. Strouse said. “Group formatting also takes the guesswork and the brain power necessary to create a workout out of the picture. You just show up and do what the instructor tells you.”
Students already have access to the fitness facility as part of their tuition, but that does not include free access to the group fitness classes that the center offers. This Demo Week gives students the opportunity to try as many classes as they want between Jan. 13 and Jan. 19.
For GW faculty and staff, the center offers two-week trial memberships to the fitness center facilities, and that trial membership includes access to classes.
Available classes range from intense calorie burning formats, such as the HIIT Boot Camp or Zumba classes, to restorative flexibility and relaxation formats, such as the multiple yoga varieties.
Those interested in participating in the programming that the Lerner Health and Wellness Center offers must register by visiting the membership office in the main lobby of the facility. There, the membership team will enroll students in the free week of classes—or faculty and staff in the two-week trial of facility access with classes—which will allow them to use their GWorld card to tap into any class they want. The team can also assist anyone interested in purchasing a membership package after the trial period is over.
Andre Julien, director of the center, said that this trial offer will help those with New Year’s resolutions around wellness and general health to tackle those goals and capture that momentum by offering fitness options that meet those unique goals at every level.
“Our ultimate goal at Lerner is to see it blossom into a lifelong pursuit of wellness,” Mr. Julien said. “We aim to create a supportive environment at Lerner that serves those needs for everyone in the GW community.”
