Anyone who thinks obtaining a Lethbridge College diploma is a “no-sweat” 
proposition hasn’t visited the Physical Education Complex.
Students, alumni and the community are welcome to work out here, and can take advantage of the Val Matteotti Gymnasium (three full-size gymnasiums) with seating for some 1,100; four international-size squash and racquetball courts; a fitness testing centre and therapy centre; a weight training centre complete with Nautilus machines, free weights, aerobic equipment, and a multi-purpose dance room and combatives room. A steam room is also located in each locker-room area.
But perhaps it’s the personnel who make Lethbridge College an attractive place to shape up. Here are three top-flight folks who bring their A-games to work every day:
Kloe Miko (weight room co-ordinator/fitness trainer): Miko (Recreation Management 2003) is updating her CSEP certified personal trainer designation, which allows her to provide health related fitness assessment/appraisals, physical activity and lifestyle counseling. She obtained her personal fitness trainer diploma from NAIT, a recreation management diploma from Lethbridge College and a business administration degree from Athabasca University.
Alison Pilsner (Be Fit For Life director): Pilsner earned degrees in education and exercise science while on a volleyball scholarship in South Carolina, and holds a masters in exercise physiology from Eastern Washington University. She’s served as a fitness instructor for 12 years.
She manages The Be Fit For Life Network, running active living programs for school kids to seniors. Her offerings embrace several dance forms, hunter education, yoga and Pilates, nutrition and stress courses, fitness testing for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and emergency services personnel, life skills and more.
Stacia Nelson (Exercise Science instructor): Nelson, a Stavely native, holds a diploma in fitness leadership from Mount Royal College (the program is no longer offered), a bachelor of science in exercise and physiology from the University of Calgary, and a masters of applied science in clinical exercise science from the University of Queensland, Australia.
Two of every three people who begin an exercise program are still at it after one year. You can beat the dropout odds and make a successful transition to a lifestyle that incorporates exercise. Here are Kloe Miko’s tips to help you stay motivated and working out in a healthy and safe manner:
- begin slowly, build gradually
- keep a record of your workouts and improvements
- make exercise non-negotiable
- schedule your workouts
- stretch to prevent soreness and injury
- distract yourself
- drink lots of water
- don’t wimp out
- watch your diet
It’s the middle of winter, so you figure you’ll just wait for the robins to return before starting your program. Nice try. You live in Canada, so unless you flew south with the birds, cold is just part of the deal. Here are some tips on winter exercising from Alison Pilsner:
Outdoors
- warm up sufficiently
- dress in layers
- don’t sweat
- allow time for your body to adjust when
- you return indoors; remove layers slowly.
- drink plenty of water.
Indoors
- create a home gym
- find exercise DVDs at the library
- use the stairs at work and home
- get wet: find a pool offering lap swims or water
- aerobics
- walk indoors: if it’s too cold to get outside, try indoor
- walking at the mall or at the college.
