CREDIT: ANGELA MCINNES
The Fanshawe Wellness Centre app will help you make the most of your Wellness Centre membership.

Course schedule? Check. Meal card? Check. Bus pass? Check. Wellness Centre membership? “Do I even have time or energy for that?” you wonder.

YES! I’ll make it simple for you: If you have an even an hour gap between classes, a free morning or afternoon, you have time to do something! Something is better than nothing. Exercise will help circulate your blood for better brain and immune function, help you feel more alert and energetic and will help keep off those inevitable pounds gained when you eat or drink a bit differently than you did previous to coming to college.

The first thing to do is to log into WebAdvisor and fill out the necessary forms to be a member at the Student Wellness Centre, located in J Building. This gets you access to the fitness area, classes, included fitness programming with a fitness consultant, climbing on the rock wall and more!

The next step is to download the Fanshawe Student Wellness Centre app and to check out our website at studentwellnesscentre.ca. The website will give you detailed information and the app will allow you to sign up quickly for a variety of programming. Classes are all included and most are 30 to 45 minutes in length so that leaves plenty of time to wash up, change and get back to class with your healthy post-workout snack or meal!

To get the most out of your membership and to figure out how to maximize your time in the Fitness Centre, sign up for an orientation, included in your membership (tour, how to use equipment, member etiquette, discussion of goals, etc.). This includes an InBody assessment of your body composition (body fat percentage, muscle mass and more).

You can also get an InBody assessment for free one time each month to track your progress. We include a follow-up orientation appointment to make sure you are doing well with everything.

After the orientation, we encourage you to sign up for our Individual Program Design (IPD), also included with you membership. Choose your main goal (i.e., strength and muscle building, athletic training, weight management or running/learn to run) and we have the program for you! This also includes a follow up IPD, where the orientation is a prerequisite (are you counting? That’s 4 free sessions with a trainer so far!!).

We also have awesome Exclusive Group Training (EGT) programs. This fall we run our Fit in 30 program ($20 for 4 weeks plus 2 weeks of assessments and other programming), then we have our Trim Down program (4 weeks, plus assessment weeks) for $20. You meet with two trainers, 2 times a week and get online support as well as support and some friendly competition from the group with our wellness challenges. Then, look for our Biggest Winner Program which begins in January!

You can also book a consultation and purchase personal training sessions, for as low as $31.00 per session with a package of 10 or more sessions (student only rate). We can show you how to maximize every corner of your schedule and help you keep your eating on track, in order to perform your best while at school.

Self-care is not a privilege but a necessity, and making sure your body functions properly is a major part of self-care. Everyone has 10 to 60 minutes a day to spare and we are here to help you figure that out! Come and talk to us today or email me anytime with your questions: karen.carroll@nullfanshawec.ca.

Karen Nixon-Carroll is the Program Manager at the Student Wellness Centre.