Listen to a reading of the Total Body Stretch Class blog.

After not working out or stretching for quite some time, I was very excited to get my body moving again. Looking for something to ease me back into exercise with low intensity, I stumbled upon the “Total Body Stretch Class” at Anna Fascitelli gym and was elated to see that it lined up with my schedule. 

Going into this class, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Stretching sounded like something I would be interested in – I was a competitive cheerleader for 9 years, and I haven’t stretched since my senior year of high school, which was two years ago now. I was eager to get some flow back into my muscles after what feels like forever. 

My friend and I were the only two people that signed up for the class, which made it feel like a personal training session. The instructor, Molly, was really personable and made conversation with us at the right times, leaving our stretching session to be silent so that we could focus on our thoughts and relax. 

This class beautifully blew away my expectations of what I thought that it would be. I explained it to my friends as “yoga for dummies” because a lot of the poses that we did were yoga-esque without getting too difficult. Something that I liked about the class was that we didn’t do any standing poses, making it especially easy for those with little balance to do the exercises. 

When the class said “total body stretch” they weren’t lying. We literally worked out every single part of our bodies – and I know that from my sore muscles in the days following. The instructor explained to us each position and gave us multiple options with different levels of difficulty, creating a safe environment for people with different levels of flexibility and experience. She also explained which muscles we would be stretching when we did every pose, which was nice to understand what we were truly working out. 

This is a brand-new class at Fascitelli, only beginning at the start of the Spring ‘22 semester. Molly is the sole instructor for the class and it only takes place once a week – 6pm on Mondays. I normally have other responsibilities at 6pm on Mondays, but that was canceled this week, allowing me to go to the class. 

My favorite stretches that we participated in were the ones that stretched your back. From my experience as a base during cheerleading for my whole life, I have a pretty messed up back that constantly hurts/needs to be cracked. Stretching out my back felt amazing and really allowed me to release the weight of the weekend and prepare for the rest of the week before spring break. Another favorite for me was “pigeon,” a hip flexor stretch. Pigeon was my favorite stretch that we did in cheer, so it brought back some nostalgia sitting in that position again.

Overall, the “Total body stretch” class at Anna Fascitelli was a great experience. As I said, I was really upset to find out that the class was only taught once a week at a time that I can never make it to. I could see all people enjoying this class, whether you’re a retired athlete, a current athlete, a gym rat, or just a regular person looking to start working out.

 

Hi! I’m Juliana and I’m a sophomore Communications and Journalism student from Brookfield, CT. I can’t wait to continue my passion for writing as a blog writer for InsideRec! Outside of Campus Recreation, I’m also involved in Greek Life, the Good Five Cent Cigar, and URI 101 mentoring. In my free time, you can find me watching the sunset in Narragansett, sitting on the quad with my friends, or in the line at Dunkin’ Donuts. I’m looking forward to writing more blog-style posts and giving advice from my own experiences!