Balancing schoolwork, family, a job, and a social life can be tough for college students. Finding motivation to get to the gym or squeeze a work out in, only makes it tougher.
To make going to the gym easier and more effective for students as well as staff, Monmouth offers the opportunity to work one on one with a personal trainer, free of charge.
Training sessions are scheduled based on the student/staff and trainer’s availability to help reach individual goals safely and effectively. Training sessions can take place as frequently as the student or faculty member may like, as long as there is a trainer available to work with them.
Christian Esola, Fitness and Well-ness Coordinator, is responsible for the administrative portion of this program.
Esola coordinates the hiring, training, scheduling, program design and evaluation for each of the trainers as well as offers advice and guidance to the staff when it comes to program design and implementation.
Esola explained the program by saying, “Each client we take on is first required to fill out a packet of paperwork that includes a health history questionnaire, a waiver, an informed consent, and a training time and preferences sheet.” He explains that some of the forms are for legal purposes while others are designed to ensure the application of a safe and effective exercise pro-gram.
On the training staff, Esola explained that each trainer is certified through a nationally accredited institution. “Most people realize the benefits of a regular exercise routine and want to be healthy, they are just not sure how to go about it. That’s where we come in. Our staff can show you the basics, get you going on a routine and help you progress toward your specific goal,” Esola said.
Vanessa Leverich, a personal trainer at Monmouth, explained that she had wanted to get her certification to be a trainer for a while but the cost of the certification held her back.
When she found out that Monmouth was offering to pay for the certification to become a personal trainer and work at the university’s gym, she jumped on the opportunity.
Leverich explained what drove her desire to be a personal trainer, “I knew so many girls and guys that just wouldn’t go to the gym or only did cardio because they didn’t know how to weight train or they felt intimidated. I wanted to change that for people and show them how great weight training really is for your body,” she said.
On challenges she faces as a personal trainer, Leverich said, “When I encounter clients with serious restrictions, I have to do a lot of research on what they can and cannot perform with certain in-juries and being on certain medications and I have to change my way of training in order to accommodate these needs.”
Though this may cause a bit of a challenge for her, Leverich finds it rewarding to hear her clients tell her how great they feel and look as well as how much they appreciate her time an effort.
Hayley Bray, a senior health studies student and personal trainer at Monmouth for over a year, said, “The training program provides students with the first step in the right direction to-ward their fitness goals. Guidance from a personal trainer gives individuals the confidence to go out of their comfort zones and push their bodies to levels they didn’t know were possible.”
Bray continued to gush over her inspiration from her clients, “My clients have shown so much improvement and I couldn’t imagine not doing this. It’s hard at times trying to juggle everything all at once, but seeing the weight loss or seeing the difference in self-confidence in the students and faculty I work with make it worthwhile.”
For any students or staff looking to take advantage of this health and fit-ness opportunity, he or she may contact Christian Esola.
“As far as the personal training pro-gram goes, I am the main contact for anyone who is interested in enrolling. All they need to do is reach out,” he explained.
Esola can be reached via email at cesola@monmouth.edu
IMAGE TAKEN from monmouth.edu
