Home Fitness Friday Feature

The Family of Steve Swerdlow '71 does an in-home workout.
The Family of Steve Swerdlow '71 does an in-home workout.
Posted: Jun 26, 2020

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Friday Feature

Here's how some of our colleagues are keeping fit and healthy during their social distancing!

June 26

Amy Powell, Assistant Director, Hadassah-Brandeis Institute

I do quite a bit of stand up paddling and I am on a race team through SUP East Coast Style, though all the live races are cancelled this season, but there are still virtual races. We had just completed a "virtual" 5K where we timed ourselves and upload it to a website run by Paddlemonster.com.

May 29

Alumnus Steve Swerdlow '71

Stopped to take a picture during initial explanations so you can see my daughter's rocks for weights.  My wife uses the smaller weights we happened to have-- down from her usual.  I took the picture so all you see is my finger!  I was in a rush.  Thanks again for this weekly event in our household.

May 15

Kristin Menconi, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications, Hiatt Career Center

Kristin Menconi

1. I am doing online Zoom Boxing Classes - though I miss being in the gym hitting things, it has given me time to work on my form, especially my hooks! It's also nice to "see" most of the people that I box with as we are a close-knight group.
2. I am staying active by going on runs through my neighborhood. To challenge myself, I find neighboring streets that have hills so I can work on my endurance. 
3. You have to use what you have. It's amazing what can take the place of a weight. I am improvising as much as possible with resistance bands, kettlebells and even a 25-pound bag of rice.  
 
My best advice is to use your "workouts" to break up the monotony of the day. Use it as a way to keep yourself motivated and to get fresh air. I am utilizing my front porch as much as possible to change up the scenery and take an "official" break from being inside. Both your health and mental health are important during this quarantine. 
 

May 8

Admissions Staff

Clockwise from upper left: Lexi Schneider, Dean of Admissions Jennifer Walker, Meaghan Napier, Mesa Robinov, Assistant Director Suji Yi, Senior Assistant Director Jessica Schulman '12.

The Admissions staff has put together a *Virtual* Admissions Run Club! - Whether it's running, walking, or any other type of exercise, we're continuing to motivate each other through this crazy time!

May 1

Jenny Abdou (Director of Orientation)

Jenny Abdou and Family

To keep some semblance of routine, I have been attending my Boot Camp classes via Zoom twice a week. It's not as fun not being surrounded by others but it's still a good workout! I have also been going on A LOT of walks and bike rides with my family. We also recently began playing pickleball and it's truly fun for all ages! I highly recommend it. Stay well and healthy, Brandeis! 

April 24

Lara Ericson (Assistant Director of Spiritual Life)

Assistant Director of Spiritual Life Lara Ericson

I've loved to take walks all over my Cambridge neighborhood, getting to know each street way better than I had previously. I especially enjoy walking down to the Charles River when I can. Normally I'd be rowing on it this time of year, so it feels meaningful for me to connect with it in some way.

I've also been doing live classes via Zoom with my barre studio, Modern Barre, and using YouTube videos like Yoga with Adriene. 

April 17

Leah Berkenwald (Director of Health Promotions and Wellness Initiatives)

Leah Berkenwald and friend

I use Aaptiv - it's not free but much cheaper than a gym membership. It provides audio workouts for all different types of exercise (strength training, walking, outdoor/indoor running, pilates, stretching, yoga and meditation). It's nice because you can choose your workout for the day based on what type of music you're in the mood for, or by the length so on those blah/yuck days you can choose a 9-minute something or a meditation/stretch and still feel accomplished.  It's also nice because it's all audio, so you don't have to look at a screen!

April 10

Lusi Wang (Area Coordinator, Department of Community Living)

Luci Wang working out

I love this! Mostly I am walking from my bed to my couch to the kitchen to the office, but I guess my professional answer would be taking walks (pokemon go!), yoga on youtube, pushup challenges, and my gym (Nolan Brothers Boxing) has been putting out virtual workouts and challenges!

April 3

Colby Sim (Community Service Specialist)

Colby Sim gives a thumbs up!

My roommates and I follow different youtube channels on social media, and some fitness instructors are taking classes to Instagram live which is helpful. So we follow along and often times we'll have upwards of 4 yoga mats set up in the living room while we all work out together and follow along with the videos. We've done Zumba, pilates, HIIT, learning dance routines, and yoga. I know one of my coworkers is a runner and often goes out for runs on trails and takes her dog along with her. My other coworker has also been doing a lot of HIIT workouts because they're easy to do without any equipment and you can use your own body weight.  The other activity my colleague recently started engaging in is bike riding and that doesn't require access to any specific location since many parks have been closing. You can ride around the neighborhood or on the local bike path!

 

Katie Dunn (Senior Academic Advisor)

Katie Dunn head shot

I'm doing walks with my baby (he is 4 months this week!) mostly in my neighborhood which is by the water on the South Shore. The yoga studio I use (Chakra Power Yoga-has studios in Braintree, Waltham, Newton, and Hanover) is holding 3-4 virtual yoga classes each day with virtual memberships as low as $15/mo. I've been able to make a few classes a week and actually it's a bit easier logistically because my husband can just be downstairs with the baby and I can be upstairs!