Even though Markin is closed, exercise doesn’t have to stop.
Sue Neff, who teaches fitness classes at Markin, is continuing to keep students and faculty fit through her live-streams on the Bradley Campus Recreation Facebook page.
She does it all from the comfort of her home and with the company of her cats. She hosts a full-body workout “Body Blast” on Tuesdays from 10:30-11 a.m. and yoga on Thursdays from 10:30-11:15 a.m.
In an in-person class with Neff, you would see and hear her constantly offering encouragement, instruction and suggestions to make the class run smoothly. Her digital classes are much the same, but she said one major difference is trying to maintain her enthusiasm and energy without the interactions with attendees.
“With the in-person classes, I can see if someone needs a modification of an exercise or if I need to correct their form,” Neff said. “Another difference of live streaming versus in person is being able to see if a participant is getting dizzy or needs assistance if they aren’t feeling well.”
For a normal, in-person body blast class, attendees would use equipment like free weights, resistance bands, fitness balls, step risers and versa loops that Markin provides, but Neff is making do with items almost everyone can find in their home.
“That’s where the gallon jugs, paint cans, chairs, small towels and tote bags come into play,” Neff said.
After some quick research, Neff found that a gallon of paint or milk weighs 8.34 pounds, and a 24 pack of water bottles is about 25 pounds. To allow people to adjust for what weight they specifically would need, she encourages participants to fill tote bags with their desired amount of water bottles or gallon jugs to get to a weight that works for them.
All attendees need for yoga class is a mat, and Neff suggests using a book in place of a yoga block if they need additional support.
“I wasn’t nervous about doing a live Facebook class. Finding what household equipment to use in the Body Blast class wasn’t hard either,” Neff said.
It’s difficult to see how many people are attending and participating in these classes through Facebook live, but Neff makes sure to check the comment section every so often to address any questions, comments or concerns attendees may have and openly communicates with the whole class.
Neff has been teaching fitness classes for 19 years; and though she’s never faced a challenge like this, she said she isn’t going to let this shelter-in-place stop her from doing so.
