Campus News

UK Campus Recreation and Wellness to Continue Offering Virtual Classes

Sara Kinkaid working out in the Johnson Center.
Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

LEXINGTON, Ky, (Sept. 2, 2021) — This semester, Campus Recreation and Wellness, housed in the Office for Student Success at the University of Kentucky, is offering 24 classes virtually as part of their Group Fitness program. These classes will be available for free to all UK students, faculty and staff, and they will supplement the in-person classes currently ongoing at both the Johnson Center and Alumni Gym.

After offering virtual fitness classes last year due to COVID-19, with a goal of meeting students where they are, Campus Recreation and Wellness will continue with virtual offerings.

“Virtual classes were so well received last year that we opted to continue to offer classes as they allowed us to assist our community in ways we could not previously,” said Casey Gilvin, fitness director of Campus Recreation and Wellness. “Last year we saw users take part in these virtual classes who had previously never stepped inside our on-campus facilities.”

Classes are offered in a hybrid format as the instructor is leading participants live in Campus Recreation facilities and virtually at the same time. The classes offered as part of the virtual schedule require limited equipment (bands, chair, dumbbells) and exercise modifications can be offered by the instructor.   

For the first time, Campus Recreation and Wellness will offer dance formatted classes with seven times to choose from for Zumba or Cardio Hip Hop. This year they are also offering drop-In Koru Mindfulness Classes designed to assist students in the reduction of stress, anxiety, increasing one's sleep and self-compassion. Participants will learn specific skills that help calm and focus their mind, including breathing exercises, guided imagery and body scan.  

Participants can get more information by visiting the Virtual Group Fitness page on the Campus Recreation and Wellness website at www.uky.edu/recwell/fitness/virtual-group-fitness and register for classes on our Rec Well Services Portal at https://recwellservices.uky.edu/.

For a quick video of how to register for classes, follow the link: https://youtu.be/m_Ym4vcqL0w.

For more information on all the programs, services and facilities at UK Campus Recreation and Wellness, visit www.uky.edu/recwell.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.