STORYTELLING
Are we there yet?
Listen to my podcast exploring the limitations to group fitness at Furman and other gyms.
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https://soundcloud.com/hannah-butlak/v3-group-fitness-pod_mixdown
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Fitness for all?
Erika was sitting on the spongy black mat in the group fitness studio - palms sweating. She looked around, content with the back corner she had claimed. She was the only one in the yoga class so far, good because no one else had to see her struggle. She felt hidden in the dimed lights against the dark midnight purple wall.
This semester was the first time Furman had allowed their employees to attend the group fitness classes in the twelve years she had worked there, so Erika decided to take control of her physical health.
With only a few minutes to go until the instructor began the class and to Erika’s horror, the entire Furman Men’s Soccer Team filed in, all seventeen of their mats coating the hardwood floors, and the class began.
She tried to be as mouse-like as possible as the instructor called out more and more challenging yoga poses. She felt herself begin to fall… and heard a thud. She looked over to see two of the soccer players on the floor from losing their balance. They chuckled at themselves and stood right back up.
“It is nice to see them struggle too sometimes.”
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In this room, it did not matter who was in the class and their level of fitness. It just mattered that she tried. So she adapted and tried again.
Erika wanted to commit to the process and understand fully what she needed to do to accomplish her goals of sleeping better and improving her overall health. The CDC recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day. Studies at Johns Hopkins have shown that this form of exercise helps your body increase the slow brain waves during sleep for a more rejuvenating slumber. Erika noticed that she felt stronger and was sleeping much better. She loved it.
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“I was worried that she was going to overdo it,” Jessica, one of Erika’s co workers, stated. “I had to tell her to pace herself, but she just loved going so much.”
She was able to keep up her fitness with these classes through the spring semester of 2024. However each semester, the schedule changes based on the student instructors’ availability. That following fall, Erika was limited in the classes she was able to take. So, she tried to take matters into her own hands and exercise solo in the Physical Activity Center (PAC).
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The PAC consists of two floors of raw iron weights with a vast wasteland of cardio machines, weight machines for every muscle group under the sun, and students all sweating around in their tank tops, headphones, and pristine sneakers.
(Left to right) Erika, Jessica, myself
“Going in there is really intimidating, for sure. I was scared,” Erika said.
Weights are thudding, there are clangs of metal, and thunderous footsteps on the treadmills. Erika said that the second she walks in, all the youthful eyes laser focus on her and what she looks like.. Polar opposite to the warmth of the group fitness studio.
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“For group fitness, it was really nice, and I wanted to try everything.” But she did not feel like she had the space to do that in the PAC.
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This is unfortunate because others in her life have been able to see the positivity within her for group fitness.
One of the fitness instructors who just started to offer Zumba classes shared what she has seen from Erika.
“She was so excited to try a new group fitness class format. She had said how much she disliked having to workout on the main PAC floor and that there was a new opportunity to try a new class,” Amelia stated. “She had to push to just keep trying, but now she is really good.”
Furman group fitness schedule for Spring 2025
Instagram @furmancrw
Her family has been supportive of the process and adjustments to their home life. Her husband at first felt that he needed to remind her “Don’t abuse, don’t abuse the exercise,” because she was going so much. But now, he is more worried about enjoying the healthier food she cooks. They see the good that it has done for her.
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There is the option to take the classes that are offered later in the evening, but most employees don’t want to drive back for a class, especially after working from 4:30 AM to 1 PM. They are tired and have other aspects of their life that they need to take care of.
Luckily for Erika, she lives four minutes away so she has adapted her afternoon home tasks before heading back to Furman. She keeps pushing herself and tries to modify her day. If there are no classes, she still does not work out on the main floor. She tried to take her son for comfort, but the environment never reminded her of the studio. Sometimes, it’s simpler to workout at home.
But group fitness brought a new community that Erika loves to her, and more importantly, a love for her physical health. So, Erika is continuing to push herself in her fitness and adapt to get to the spaces that make her comfortable.