MTSU’s Sara Pollard has taken charge of her health by staying fit at the university’s Campus Recreation Center and strongly encourages others on the Blue Raider campus to join her.

An MTSU alumna with a business administration degree, Pollard has served as an executive aide at Campus Rec for two decades, so she’s quite familiar with the modern, state-of-the-art recreational facilities and equipment as well as the diverse health and wellness opportunities are offered seven days a week.

Sara Pollard

To improve her personal fitness, Pollard decided to take up bicycling 15 years ago and is now a member of both the Murfreesboro Bike Club and the Tennessee Trails Association. That’s where the Rec has come in very handy.

“Once I started bicycling and hiking, I realized ‘I’ve got to really work out more to keep up with (the other riders),’” she said. “To be able to do things like that and to keep up and have the stamina, I have to work out.”

Sara Pollard, executive aide at the MTSU Campus Recreation Center, works out on one of the recumbent stationary bicycles at the Rec as part of her lunchtime fitness routine. (Photo courtesy of Campus Recreation)

Pollard encourages MTSU faculty and staff to work out at the Rec as well because it’s an important part of their benefit package at MTSU and can greatly contribute to their long-term health and wellness. She also reminds students that access to the Rec is included in their tuition and fees.

Pollard works out every day during lunch time and participates in stationary bicycling classes twice a week. The days when she isn’t building her stamina with bicycling, she works out on her own and also participates in other group exercise classes to keep her motivated.

For those just getting started on their fitness journey, taking a group exercise class is a good way to begin a workout program, she said.

“Our group fitness classes are great for all fitness levels and are a low barrier to get more people moving and exercising,” she said.

Campus Rec offers a wide variety of such classes that focus on cardio, strength and relaxation. Cardio classes include cycling, Dance Fit, POP Pilates, step aerobics, and Zumba, while strength classes include TRX, Buns & Guns, and Raider Fit. Relaxation courses include yoga and Tai Chi.

In addition to employee and student access to the Rec Center, semester-based memberships are available for student families, employee families, alumni and their families, part-time and adjunct employees and their families. Other specialized fitness classes and resources are available to all for nominal fees.

For more information about MTSU Campus Recreation, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/camprec/ or call 615-898-2104.

— Kewana McCallum, student intern (news@mtsu.edu)