There are many ways to stay mentally and physically active with recommendations available from both Melissa Florine as well as University Recreation at UW-Green Bay. Credentials: Ryan Rickard
Students and residents need to stay active during this pandemic not only for positive physical health but also for positive mental health. Staying healthy and active in the coming months is important as the weather will be getting colder and outdoor facilities become less available for working out. At UW-Green Bay, the arboretum trails, Phoenix park, and many other popular outdoor locations close in early winter. This includes the Kress Center, which has reduced their hours to Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. These changes are more significant this year than in past winters due to COVID-19 limiting options. While most students may have chosen to workout at the Kress Center in the past, options similar to this one are now less available due to social distancing rules.
UWGB Athletic trainer Melissa Florine has insight on how students can stay active at home while the pandemic carries on and as the weather gets colder in Wisconsin.
Melissa shares, “ I would say yoga is an excellent exercise to do at home. Instead of people sitting at home because they are not going to the gym much, it can be an excellent way to stretch, stay active, and get a workout in.”
Melissa also talked about using yoga as an exercise for her student-athletes because it can be a very diverse workout.
“I use it all the time with my student-athletes because it can be geared towards whatever you need,” Melissa explained.
There are also other options for at-home workouts if yoga does not fit some people’s needs. These different types of workouts can be found easily by searching the popular social media and video streaming service, YouTube, and are generally easy to follow along with. Other suggestions for workouts and health habits found on YouTube include squats, planks, jumping jacks, curls, waking up at a normal time, getting exposure to sunlight, finding a way to get comfortable outdoors in the colder weather, finding more creative ways to exercise and picking up a new hobby. Melissa also suggests looking up different yoga exercises on YouTube. Many types of workouts can be done at home, but Melissa suggests yoga, which may be worth trying.
“Yoga is easy to do at home. You can go on YouTube and find yoga exercises to help with sleep, for shoulders, or stretching or anything else, really. There are also home workouts you can find online or on YouTube as well, but I think yoga is a great way to go,” Melissa recommended. It is easy to see why athletic trainers would recommend yoga. According to osteopathic.org, yoga can provide a number of physical and mental health benefits such as increased flexibility, improved respiration, energy and vitality, injury protection, and manage stress, and improve overall mental well-being.
Melissa Florine, who works for Prevea and UWGB as an Athletic Trainer, shares her favorite exercise she commonly recommends to her athletes and other students who are stuck indoors this winter during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Credentials: Josh Yahr & Ryan Rickard
Mason, a freshman in the Computer Science program who uses the campus gyms, shared several ways to stay physically and mentally active this semester while preparing for weather changes.
“The Kress Center has been a bit more difficult to access this semester, so I’ve been running outside and working a job that keeps me on my feet. I’ve found it harder to be outdoors as it gets colder, so I hope COVID-19 slows down, and the Kress becomes more available as it gets colder outside with the snow around the corner,” Mason explained.
Other students who have been using the Kress Center have mainly been utilizing the weight training room to stay active. This area is one of the few still open for student access, with many others being closed due to COVID-19. This space has equipment available for students to do exercises such as squats and curls and many open spaces for workouts such as planks and jumping jacks. Students who would like to utilize the Kress Center this semester and/or learn more about staying active while social distancing at UW-Green Bay can visit the University Recreation (UREC) website https://www.uwgb.edu/university-recreation/.
Josh visits students at the Kress Center who share four ways students can stay active from their homes during this coming winter while COVID-19 is still active. Credentials: Josh Yahr
Green Bay’s first snowfall of the season was seen on Sunday, October 25th, having received a tenth of an inch of snow while temperatures plummeted to as low as the upper 20s and lower 30s. While early November predictions share that the weather may stay nicer for a while, this snowfall prepares residents for colder weather ahead. Be sure to keep a healthy mindset and stay active as the temperatures get colder.