Last week, Conor defended the PE requirement, but Carly Silver wasn’t entirely convinced. Below, she tells you how to dodge unnecessarily strenuous activity in Dodge. Moving is totally overrated anyway. Register wisely, friends!
After all the month-long weight gain known as the holiday season, spring semester brings another opportunity to beat the bulge, Columbia-style. For freshmen, that means yet another attempt to find the easiest class to fulfill the physical education requirement. The least-active way to knock off one semester of gym is Wellness at Barnard. Though it meets for an attention-span-challenging hour and forty minutes, the class only meets once a week. Wellness aims to teach students various aspects of “living well” while at college, ranging from physical to spiritual health. To top off the semester, students complete PowerPoint presentations on an aspect of health they find interesting. You won’t have to do much more physically than move your phalanges.
If you have fond memories of middle school gym, grab your stick for Floor Hockey at Columbia. Meeting twice a week, this class involves hardwood floors, ridiculous goggles, and a lot of fun, childish shouting. Smack those sticks to the tune of “We Will Rock You” and prepare to pass the puck.
If you want to limber up without too much effort, try Beginning Yoga. Meeting twice a week at Barnard, the class allows you to break a light sweat without too much work. From the downward dog to the meditation that ends every class, Beginning Yoga will ease your way back into physical exercise after a month off.
Whichever way you fulfill your physical education requirement, remember that there’s always some way, bullshit or not, to get it done.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
11 Comments
@Anonymous Can Columbia College students take Wellness at Barnard? I’m trying to register but it wont let me…the course doesn’t show up.
@Anonymous Has anybody taken the scuba class? What is a typical class day, where is it held, what do you wear, etc.?
@volleyball is crazy fun, and you don’t really notice that you’re actually getting exercise.
@self-paced running it’s the best…no running required!
@question Does self paced running take place completely outside?
@You forgot hiking Hiking may sound like strenuous physical activity, but when the requirement is merely that you go on 3 hikes during the semester, and complete a ‘fitness test’ which consisted of walking to somewhere in the 70s and back, it’s quite a good deal. Plus if there’s good weather the hikes can be gorgeous.
The best fitness tests are those during which you can stop for bagels. mmmm exercise.
@Anonymous Only 3?! wow, where do they hike?
@Dr. Steve Brule For your health
@Anonymous sweet berry wine!!
@Ummm The social experiment is a bad idea.
@Anonymous If you want to do no physical work–you don’t even have to change into exercise clothes–try archery. Plus, it’s totally bad-ass.