Wellness Wednesday With Intern Gail

Hi everyone, my name is Gail. I am here at SWCC this summer doing an internship as part of the Fitness Technology Program at PCC. I will be writing a weekly blog this summer. In this introductory blog I thought I’d tell you a little bit about myself and the Fitness Technology program, and what I’ll be spending my time here doing this summer.

First, a little bit about me. First and foremost I am a mom to two wonderful boys, ages 7 and 10.  Prior to having kids I worked as a dietitian for many years. I was a stay-at-home mom, and while home with the boys I kept up-to-date on all things nutrition and made my boys eat their broccoli (well, I tried my best at that). Last year, knowing that I wanted to go back to work and help people live healthy lives, I decided to add exercise to my bag of tricks and entered the Fitness Technology program at PCC (Two of the trainers at SWCC, Holly and Bob, are also graduates of the Fit Tech program).

 Now, a little bit about the Fitness Technology Program at PCC. Full time, the program takes one year, and prepares you to take the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) exam to become a Certified Personal Trainer. The program includes classes in Anatomy and Physiology, Exercise Science, Fitness Assessment and Programming, Sports Nutrition, Weight Training, and Injury Prevention. A nice bonus of being a student at PCC is being able to take fabulous exercise classes that complement the classroom learning – among them boot camp, cardio conditioning, yoga, and spinning. You can be sure that any trainer who is a graduate of the Fit Tech program has a great background and training.

 The Fit Tech program ends with a 120 hour internship at the location of your choice. I chose SWCC since I’ve been coming here for years and know there are quality instructors here to learn from. Basically what I’ll be doing here is “shadowing” some of the other trainers and instructors and learning how to design and implement cardio and resistance programs to help members reach their health and fitness goals.

 I thought I’d leave you today with one of my favorite healthy recipes – it’s loaded with beneficial antioxidants from the cabbage and kale. My kids even love it. It’s great for lunch or dinner, served alongside your entree. As you all know from the plates being sold at the front desk, ½ your plate should be colorful vegetables, so enjoy!

 Cabbage Salad

• 1 head of red cabbage, shredded
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 apple sliced thin
• 1 small red onion, chopped

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp mustard
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• pinch of salt

Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and toss with vegetables.

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