Apart from studying for my degree, one of the most important things for me is staying fit and healthy.
Being at Brunel is great because I am surrounded by fantastic sports facilities. There’s the Indoor Athletics Centre and outdoor running track, where I use the strength and conditioning area and train for High Jump, Triple Jump and Weightlifting. There’s also the Indoor Climbing Wall (one of the 1st in the country dating back to 1972!), Netball and Tennis courts, Football pitches and more.
Staying active is not only important for living a healthy lifestyle, it’s fun and a great way to make new friends, learn new skills, destress and challenge yourself. Here’s a few tips for staying active at Brunel:
A brand-new social sports programme, for all abilities and levels. You can take part in recreational sports such as Badminton, Tennis and Yoga to name a few.
2. Join a Sports team
Brunel has over 50 sports clubs to choose from and they’re all free to join. All it takes is a small one-time purchase of a Union Sport Membership then you can take part in as many different sports as you like for free all year. Sports include: American football, Cheerleading, Rock Climbing and Snowboarding alongside Football, Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball among others.
The gym in the Sports Centre on campus, has excellent facilities including: a state-of-the-art cardiovascular zone, resistance & functional zone, dedicated Olympic free weight zone, professionally qualified fitness team. There’s also a gym in the Indoor Athletics Centre for members of the Sports Performance Programme.
4. Sign up to the Sports Performance Programme (SPP)
For a one-off fee this gives you 1 year’s access to the Indoor Athletics Centre, high level coaching, weekly strength and conditioning sessions, free physio/ sports massage and access to the Spa!
5. Unwind at the Spa!
The spa on campus is in the Lancaster Hotel and includes a jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and plunge pool. The spa is free for SPP members, just £5 per session for non-members. This is a great way to aid muscle recovery after tough training sessions, I usually alternate between the hot sauna and the freezing cold plunge pool.
I really enjoy being part of the active scene at Brunel. As a member of the Athletics team I can train and compete for my university at a high level. But at the same time, I am still able to try out other sports where I am a complete novice, such as Weightlifting which I am improving at every week and hope to compete in very soon, and Rock Climbing which is challenging and good fun.
The highlight of the year, for me, is always the big competitions like and where we compete against other universities in Britain and even get to travel! Wearing Brunel colours and supporting your team and being cheered on by your teammates is an unforgettable memory.