With busy work schedules, family commitments and other obligations, maintaining a consistent fitness routine can become a major challenge. Luckily for Temple faculty and staff, the university offers several fitness resources that make it easy to stick to an exercise routine and see results.

 

At a very low cost, employees can access one of several facilities, making it convenient to get in a workout around scheduled work hours.

Larry Banks, senior technical support specialist, has been taking spinning classes offered at Temple’s Independence Blue Cross Student Recreation Center (IBC) for two semesters straight and says he has never felt better in his life.

“It helps that it’s near my work, it’s affordable and you can pay with a convenient payroll deduction,” said Banks.

Joining the IBC costs just $10 a month — a cost that employees who have elected to receive health benefits through Temple can recoup by signing up for Independence Blue Cross’ Healthy Lifestyles reimbursement program. The program will reimburse up to $150 when 120 workouts are completed within a 365-day period. To qualify, employees must be a member of a full-service fitness center.

  

Located at the corner of 15th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, the IBC offers more than group fitness classes. The center also provides areas for both strength training with weights and machines, and cardiovascular workouts on treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair steppers and recumbent and upright bikes. Patrons may plug their headphones into the CardioVision adapter to listen to one of the eight TVs in the cardiovascular area.

Employees who sign up can also use other campus recreation facilities such as the outdoor track or the tennis courts and are even eligible to participate on intramural sports teams, such as softball or soccer.

Temple University Fitness (TUF) is a new Campus Recreation facility located across the street from the IBC on the corner of North Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue (second floor) with over 16,000 square feet of space featuring cardio and strength training equipment.

The university also has fitness centers on Temple’s Ambler and Health Sciences campuses and at TASB and the School of Podiatric Medicine.

Another option for those looking to get fit is the Health Fitness and Wellness Center (HFWC), located in Pearson Hall and sponsored by the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Health Professions and Social Work.

At a cost of $150 annually, also payable through payroll deduction and also reimbursable through Healthy Lifestyles, members of the HFWC are closely monitored by qualified staff, who are often graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology, and receive health information and individualized fitness programs to help them achieve their personal goals.

Lisa Troy, program coordinator at Temple’s Institute on Disabilities, says she likes the individual attention she receives at HFWC. “When I was trying to put together my workout schedule and set my personal weight loss goals, I received a customized plan of circuit training tailored just for me — and it actually worked! I am still working with that plan today,” said Troy.

And, if you’re looking for someone to take you through each lunge and count every one of your push ups, the HFWC offers personal training with a certified trainer at an additional cost of $10 per session. Personal training is not available at the IBC or TUF.

Although smaller and less high-tech than the IBC or TUF, the HFWC has both strength training and cardio equipment, and members have use of the locker room and Pearson Pool as well. The center offers one group fitness class — a group circuit training workout with instructor Christine McNutt, a master’s student in Kinesiology and a certified personal trainer. She tailors the session to meet the needs of those in attendance at the class on each particular day.

Hours for the HFWC are limited to early morning, lunch and early evenings, when employees with traditional work schedules are most likely to go.

On March 21 from 6-7:30 p.m., the Center will offer a free Iyengar Yoga workshop with instructor Marian Garfinkle. The workshop is designed to help participants unleash their health potential.