PECI students keep new year’s fitness resolutions

By Claire Stenhouse
PECI Student Council
Public Relations Rep
Ice skating. Self-defense. Zumba.
This year’s Personal Fitness students are learning that their classroom is different than most.
Personal fitness is a senior level course offered at Prince Edward Collegiate Institute. Where other gym classes focus on team sports like basketball or volleyball, this class focuses on introducing students to a wide variety of healthy activities that promote life-long fitness.

“I want my students to feel comfortable going to the gym or to trainers later in life,”  says Laurie Spencer, PECI fitness teacher. “The class not only helps students get healthy now, but also gets them excited about fitness. Combine that with the knowledge about fitness opportunities in the community, and you have teens whose love for being healthy will carry on into their adult years.”

The class is chock full of fun fitness activities: those mentioned above, as well as curling, fitness circuits in the gym, Piloxing (a mix of Pilates and boxing) and much more. Students also study theory topics such as nutrition, and mental/sexual health.
Another bonus in this class is the opportunity to learn from highly-trained instructors who promote fitness in the community. Jason and Christi Bilodeau from Picton Martial Arts led a one week course on self-defense and zumba and piloxing have been taught by Tracy Powers from FitnessPowers.
Spencer says that by the end of the semester, many students who took the class have reached their goals in personal fitness, have more confidence and developed leadership schools throughout the semester.

-Paul Pickard photos