Are you looking for something a bit different to stay or start getting active? Why not try our specialty courses!  Learn something new in a small group setting for five weeks.

What are specialty courses?

• Five-week courses where you learn a new skill, starting Week 2 of Term 3 (that’s the 22nd July onward…)
• The same (small) group come together each week to learn and move, building up skills over the course
• These are not free with membership – but they are extremely well priced, with student prices coming in at $8.50 a session for boxing fitness, and $11 a session for dance classes
• All held at the RecCentre

What can you choose from?

• Boxing Fitness   $42.50
• Ballet $55
• Hip Hop $55 

Check out all the info on our website.  You can book online from there, or go in via your app, with payment at reception.

Got questions?  Ask one of our friendly team at the desk or email danielle.mather@canterbury.ac.nz

Don’t forget, you can access all of our other amazing Group Fitness sessions for free with your membership, booking via the app.

Ngā mihi
UC Rec&Sport | Te Ratonga Hākinakina

Now is an excellent time to get your levy-funded gym membership sorted for Semester 2, setting you up for great results both in your health and your grades!  

We all know that exercise can bring you physical benefits like strengthening bones, muscles, improving cardiovascular health, and it helps to maintain a healthy weight (which in turn helps stave off lots of long-term health conditions). But did you know that regular exercise also helps boost your brain power?

The link between exercise and the brain 

Indirectly, exercise helps to reduce stress & anxiety, and improve sleep. The brain performs more poorly when it is tired and stressed, so exercising indirectly improves your mental performance. 

Directly, exercise can promote the growth of new brain cells, a process called neurogenesis. With new brain cells comes better cognition (thinking), memory and learning.    

Your student levy pays for your RecCentre membership 

That means you don’t have to pay anything further to access top notch equipment and group fitness classes – some of the best in the city!   

• Simply head to our membership page and register online. 
• Once you’ve done that, pop over to see us and we’ll activate your student ID card on your first visit.   
• We recommend downloading the Rec&Sport app as well, to book into classes, get free programmes and exercise videos and more

Not sure where to start?

We got you! Start with a Discovery session, or book a free 15min orientation with a fitness consultant via the app. You could jump right into a group class, head to our group fitness pages to see what’s available.  We really do have something for everyone, from yoga/pilates and Zumba through to boujee circuit style classes. 

Start small, build a habit, and watch both your health and brainpower improve! 

Ngā mihi
UC Rec&Sport | Te Ratonga Hākinakina 

Congratulations! You’ve made it through another (or your first) semester at UC.  That’s a huge milestone, and one you should be proud of and celebrate. Once you’re done celebrating, it’s also an excellent time to reflect and reset.

Stop, breathe and reflect

Reflection is more than just daydreaming.  It’s intentional exercise to think back on your experiences, analysing them and learning from them. Thinking back on your first semester and try answering these questions (writing it down helps!)

• Describe it, with as much detail as you like
• What went really well for me?
• How did I feel?  And why?
• What could I have done differently?
• What could I DO differently next time?

You can bundle up the whole experience, or you could break it down into different parts like…

• Study schedule – how did you approach it?  Was it rigid, flexible, with study buddies, solo, chip away every day or rushed last minute assignments?
• Social life – was it balanced? Did you stay connected or disappear into the ether at crunch time?  Staying socially connected is critical to wellbeing, even if it’s showing up to study groups to chat in the breaks.
• Physical wellbeing – were you active?  Too much, too little, just right? How did you sleep?  How about your nutrition? Did you drink enough water?

Just remember, small changes over time bring good rewards and most importantly, they are more likely to stick. Increasing your fruit or veggie serve by 1 each day means you’ve now had 7 extra serves of veggies that week. That’s a win.

So, stop for a moment to reflect on your first semester, and set some intentions for the next. You will thank yourself for it!

Ngā mihi
Te Ratonga Hākinakina | UC Rec&Sport (UC RecCentre)

Got your gym membership sorted?  It’s student levy funded, so you don’t have to pay anything more. Sign up online now!