If you want to start working out but have no idea where to being, Washburn’s very own Student Recreation and Wellness Center can help. The SRWC offers a variety of programs to help you get on your feet and into the gym.

A great place to begin is with the wellness services. A fitness assessment will measure your overall physical health by testing your strength, endurance and flexibility. From there, you can receive help developing personal exercise and nutrition plans.

The SRWC offers Smart Start Orientations to help students learn their way around the gym. You can sign up for an instructional tour by yourself or with a group of friends and learn the basics of the gym equipment.

Kellie Hundemer, director of fitness and wellness, walks students through the testing and offers her advice to further their fitness goals. You can set up a time for an assessment by emailing her at her Washburn address, picking up a fitness packet at the SRWC or even through their Facebook page.

If you aren’t ready to venture into the gym alone, you can attend a group exercise class. The sessions cover all kinds of exercise including cycling, strength, yoga and foam rolling.

Hundemer says she wishes more students would give the classes a shot.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand what we have for group exercise and how it’s great to revamp your exercise routine and meet friends,” Hundemer said.

No advanced registration is necessary, and a complete class schedule can be found on the Washburn website. An average class takes 30 minutes.

Another excellent way to meet friends is through Bod Buddies. This program allows students interested in a certain sport or activity to meet others with the same interest. You can leave your name and contact information in a book at the front desk of the SRWC. With this information, other students can contact you to meet up and play a game. The program includes several sports including badminton, rock wall climbing, swimming, tennis and running.

Now that you and your new friends are getting involved and staying healthy, you can sign up for the Active Ichabod program and get rewarded for your hard work.

“Active Ichabod is an incentive program,” Hundemer said. “If you do the different things that are listed each month, you can bring that in and I will tally up your points and keep a running score. You can redeem those points for different things that we have such as t-shirts and water bottles.”

You can sign up for the program by picking up a sheet from the SRWC front desk and tracking your activities.

“It’s nice because you’re already doing stuff by coming here, you’re already being healthy, so it’s kind of nice to get a reward for doing that,” Hundemer said.

Once you’re killing your fitness game, you can engage in some friendly competition with fellow Ichabods. The SRWC hosts several different fitness competitions each semester, including a Mini-Triathlon, a Max Bench Press and WU’s Most Fit. The dates for these events are posted in the SRWC and online.

Washburn University offers several programs to help you improve your physical abilities, meet new people and expand your comfort zone. Using the programs offered by the SRWC will help you to start your fitness journey on the right foot.