Rec Fest, an annual event that promotes various on-campus clubs, turned the IM Sports-West gyms into carnivals last Friday.
Students were able to race their friends in a bouncy house obstacle course and run around in inflatable hamster balls, among the many other activities that kept attendees on their toes throughout the night.
Dietetics graduate student Haley Phillips, who was running the spin bike demonstrations, said she was there to demonstrate proper cycling form.
"(For) people who’ve never spun before or have been scared to come to a fitness class, this is a quick little demo for them to see that it’s easy, it’s doable, it’s fun,” she said.
Phillips came to MSU after being accepted into the Dietetic Internship Program. Before this, she received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Dayton.
“Dietetics is the study of food, so in your undergrad you complete four years just like you would for any other program,” she said. “It’s a lot of science (and) counseling work that you do.”
In order to be a registered dietitian, which Phillips said is her aspiration, a year-long internship needs to be completed after finishing a bachelor’s degree.
Phillips said the internship consists of doing a variety of work. Some of the work is clinical, which would take place in a hospital. Food service is also involved, which could be in a school or a hospital.
There’s also a community aspect, which could be counseling or going into schools to talk.
Phillips said she’s completing the community portion by working in after-school programs.
“A lot of the time, it’s not safe for kids to go outside after school because of the neighborhoods they live in. Or, they go home and just sit in front of the TV, so what I’ve been doing is teaching fitness classes there to get kids active. It’s a great way for them to be able to run around and have a good time,” she said.
Phillips said she also offers various fitness classes, such as cardio kickboxing and Zumba, at IM Sports-East and College Towne Apartments.
She said some of the perks of being a fitness instructor include getting paid to work out, being able to teach others and simply working out in a group atmosphere.
“Everyone’s there for a common purpose. Everyone really pushes each other,” she said.
Being a fitness instructor is something Phillips said she’s passionate about, but she noted it’s a difficult thing to do as a full-time job because of the human body’s inability to work out for eight hours every day. Regardless, Phillips said she plans on continuing to teach for a long time.
Phillips said she believes people should pay more attention to health and fitness because it helps prevent problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
“Honestly, it’s just about feeling good, and it’s a great accomplishment. I know after you have a good sweat, you just feel a little bit better about yourself. It’s definitely a great motivator and it helps you to be an overall better person,” she said. “People always ask me why I’m so happy and energetic. I’m like, ‘It’s because I work out.’”
