Toning and zumba: give ’em a whirl! You’ll love it!

Promoting good health and caring for people are two of the UOC’s top priorities. That’s why we kicked off the year with the healthy activities that Personnel’s Health and Safety Service have suggested so that all members of staff can enjoy a healthy lifestyle, stay in contact and share some fun times.

As you know, in this second quarter, we’ve been continuing with the toning, healthy teleworking and zumba sessions, not to mention, in April, the introduction of nutrition workshops. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the healthy activities calendar so you don’t miss a single one!

Of course, many of you are already taking part, but there might be one or two out there who’ve never done so. Well, in today’s post, we’ll be chatting with Eva Rimbau, member of the Faculty of Economics and Business, and Oriol Solé, of the Library for Research team, who’ll be telling us what they’ve most enjoyed about the body toning and zumba sessions and why they’d advise you to try them even if you’ve never done them before, because you’d love them!

“I haven’t even set foot in a gym since lockdown was declared, and exercising on my own is always really hard, since all the other personal and professional activities always seem to come first, meaning it’s hard to find the time. So, when the UOC began offering physical activities under the guidance of professionals that we could do from home and at times that were compatible with work and family responsibilities, I really didn’t have to think twice. Many people outside of the UOC have told me how lucky we are to have these opportunities.

To someone who’s never done them before, I’d say “give it a go for a couple of weeks”. It started at quite a gentle level and has been progressing (though not TOO much!), but you can simply adapt things to your personal abilities and, if you’re too embarrassed to be seen, you can always turn your webcam off! 

What’s more, aside from the obvious health benefits of doing exercise, the toning and zumba sessions are also great for your state of mind, as I always start the day off in a good mood after doing them. It’s also a laugh seeing your colleagues taking part! There’s not a lot of time for chit-chat, as we all have to go off to work straight away, but simply knowing that they’re there, on the other side of the screen, sweating away like I am, gives me the feeling that we’re a team.

Of all the healthy activities, I really try never to miss the toning and zumba ones. I knew that I’d find it difficult to find time to do the others, so I decided that if I could only do one or two, I’d do them as consistently as possible”.

“I like to kick-start my day first thing. If I could, I’d do them every single day. And if, what’s more, they’re sessions I can do from my own living room, well, that makes things even easier! The activities are complementary, and I do both of them: one works on your strength, and in the other we do cardio to music. I really have a blast, and the girls who run them are just fantastic.

To someone who’s never done one, I’d say they shouldn’t hesitate to sign up because they’ll have a great time keeping healthy. There’s really no downside: in addition to what I’ve already said about getting myself in shape, these activities are well designed, because they’re suitable for any level and you can make them as hard or as easy as you want. You get fit at your own pace. And I really push myself. 

I try not to miss a single one!”