Life can get pretty stressful. Homework, midterms, projects, repeat. Students can easily get lost in the shuffle of all this stress and forget to take care of themselves. Susanne Carpenter ‘20, a biology major and personal trainer at LMU’s FitWell Center, is a firm believer in trying to maintain all-around wellness and joins the emphasis the campus community has been putting on wellness, both physically and mentally.
“My approach to personal training is general wellness and the whole body. I encourage my clients to not only train and take care of their body, but to do the same with their mind.”
Carpenter has been a personal trainer for FitWell at the Burns Recreation Center gym since her sophomore year. She joined because of her love of fitness, but has found so much more in the job. She says that the personal interactions that she has had with both her clients and co-workers have helped LMU feel like her second home, especially at the gym. Carpenter has worked with students, professors, alumni and community members as a personal trainer and has seen the impact of fitness on people, “A client told me that she feels that she can accomplish more things because she feels healthier, which is always the goal for a personal trainer,” said Carpenter. It’s these interactions that make her job worth it, as well as the amazing staff that the gym has.
A common problem that most people face when deciding to become more physically fit is the intimidation that comes along with going into the gym. The staff at the gym have heard those concerns and now they are offering classes happening outside. Two times a month, classes are offered outside the gym, Beyond Burns Bootcamp happens the first Tuesday of the month on O’Malley field and Sunset Yoga takes place on the bluff the first Wednesday of every month. Carpenter sees these classes as a great opportunity for people who are either a little intimidated or just don’t like the gym compared to being outside, “I really like the movement going on around wellness and people shouldn’t be intimidated by the gym,” said Carpenter. “I like how they are trying to reach everyone and give people different types of opportunities. These different opportunities that the gym is offering are engaging, unique and a great opportunity for people to get in shape, while not having to go to a gym.”
Carpenter believes that working out whether it be in a gym or outdoors, will help in other areas of one’s life by giving them more energy and passion, among other things,
“Fitness gives me a purpose. If you have a purpose towards any aspect in life and you will feel the drive to get up and go to reach that purpose.”
To get started on your fitness journey, here are a few of her tips, “Hydrate a lot, stretch and move a lot whenever you can. Try to walk to school. As for your mental health try going out on the bluff and sit and take some time to think.”
For more information on FitWell’s class offering, massage therapy or personal training, visit the FitWell website or follow the Burns Recreation Center on Facebook or Instagram.
By: Nik Feldhaus