Welcome to Virtual URec!
Virtual UAB University Recreation – Online resources to help you stay healthy, well and fit while you’re staying at home. #URec4U
Staying physically active and fit is a great way to build a strong immune system and stay healthy. Given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and closure of our facilities, you can still count on our team to provide you with exercise, wellness, and other health-related alternatives while practicing social distancing.
Explore Virtual URec by clicking on the tabs below!
Fitness
FREE Virtual U-Fit
Join your favorite UFit instructors for FREE Virtual UFit classes from the comfort of your home. As Blazers, you have access to over 90 Virtual Group Exercise classes each week due to our partnership with friends and partners at instructions across the country.
Class Descriptions
This Week's Schedule
Upcoming Week Schedule
Viewing on your phone? See this week's schedule here!
Written Workout Plans
Bored with your current at home workouts? Kelcie and Dylan, our certified personal trainers, are here to help you out with simple full body workouts that you can do right now from the comfort of your own home.
Dylan's 4-Day Plan Kelcie's 15-Day Plan
Contact our Fitness Team at
Les Mills
At home workouts! You have access to over 100 FREE workouts during the COVID-19 situation. There are 10 workout categories varying from High-Intensity Interval Training to classes focused on mindfulness.
LifeFitness Workouts of the Day
Due to our partnership with LifeFitness, you now have access to 3 different types of daily workouts. You can choose from:
- Bodyweight WOD
- Small Accessories WOD
- Strength, Flexibility, Restore WOD
Are you ready to start your today’s workout?
Workout at Home Tips & Tricks
With more and more fitness and wellbeing content being available to you to stay fit and active while staying at home and practicing social distancing, you might become overwhelmed and not exactly sure where to start. You might even run into a few barriers with at home workouts.
Don’t worry! Brianna, our Fitness and Wellness Coordinator, is here to help you navigate through some of the challenges you might encounter.
We will be releasing 1-2 videos weekly focusing on At Home Workout Tips and Tricks for you. Since there could be a wide variety of challenges that you might experience, we are asking you to tell us what are some of the challenges that prevent you or limit YOUR at-home workouts? Brianna will try to incorporate your feedback to our future episodes.
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Introduction
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Needy Pets
Are your pets crawling all over you while you workout at home? Check out some of these tips and tricks for how to stay efficient in exercise and still be a good pet parent.
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No equipment, no problem!
Tips and tricks for how to use random items around your home as weights to workout with!
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Getting and Staying Motivated
Check out our tips for getting and Staying Motivated with working out at home! Reach out to us with any questions you may have. Let us help! :)
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Desk Chair Workout
This video breaks up different movements that you can do from your desk or office chair! Useful for busy students or UAB employees that just want to add a little bit of movement to their day without having to worry about gym wear or time constraints. Do just a part of the video for movement or the whole thing!
Aquatics
Swimming Exercises For Land
You can make a strong argument that swimming is one of the best TOTAL body workouts. When you are swimming laps you are working your muscle strength and endurance, flexibility of the upper and lower body, your cardio-respiratory system, AND your mental focus and endurance.
All of that happens while in a pool where risk of injury can be greatly reduced. You put those two things together and you have a solid choice for a workout.
Now that we have helped convince you that swimming is a super awesome workout, the reality of our current situation is that most pools are closed right now.
But, UAB URec wants to help make sure you are still able to get your workout in even if you cannot actually get into a pool. Our team put together a training program - Swimming Exercises For Land just for you.
Download the Swimming Exercising For Land here!
This program will help you to keep your body and mind ready to get back in the pool.
F45
F45 On Demand
Have you been missing our F45 classes? Did you want to try F45 out but never got the chance? We've got a solution just for you -- F45 Challenge Online Portal and F45 Challenge Mobile App!
What is F45?
F45 is THE premier small group, high intensity training program focusing on functional movements that will take your fitness to the next level! With brand new workouts each day you will be able to kiss your excuses good-bye!
So, are you ready to conquer your fitness goals?
With the F45 Challenge Portal and App you will get access to free daily F45 workouts, a variety of meal plans, delicious recipes, the opportunity to track your progress, and more for you to try out in the comfort of your own home. You can use the mobile app for free until the end of July 2020.
Download the app now:
Virtual Camps
Story Time
Join URec for Story Time every Wednesday from 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. as we Zoom into a different adventure each week! We will all go on journeys across the deep blue see, to lands that rain meatballs, sit at dinner tables with green eggs, and hunt for smelly fruitcakes. That is just the start! You will not want to miss a single week of thrills!
You can join us via ZOOM
Books
- July 29 - "Peekaboo Sophie!" & "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"
- August 5 - "The Little Engine That Could" & "The Rainbow Fish"
- August 12 - "Pout Pout Fish Goes to School" & "Llama Llama and the Bully Goat"
Baby Blaze In Mail
Hey Campers, since you couldn't come to see us this year, our team has been busy putting together something special for you. We wanted to let you know that even though you couldn't spend the summer with us this year, we haven't forgotten about you.
With this little gift, you'll get to have a piece of us with you throughout the summer. Remember to stay active and don't forget to check your mailbox over the next few weeks for your surprise!
If you were unable to submit your Summer 2020 Camp Enrollment prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and you would like to get your own Baby Blaze In Mail, please email
Other Fun Resources for Kids
How do teachers do it?! I think most of us were already there, but if you did not think teachers deserved raises before, I am sure you think that now! Here are some movement and mindful resources to help your kids stay active and burn off some of that energy!
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GoNoodle – This website has a lot of different dances and activities all geared towards getting kids active.
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Cosmic Kids Yoga – These videos make yoga super fun for kids by creating yoga workouts based around stories like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Trolls to name a few. (Not going to lie, this may be my new yoga workout too!)
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Little Twisters Yoga- Who does not wish they started working on their flexibility earlier in life??? This website will help get your kids moving in many different ways to stretch and move using both traditional yoga poses and creative movements.
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Sworkit Kids – This is an app that is full of workouts led by kids, for kids!
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Fun Brain – Do not forget to let your kids exercise their brain muscles too. Fun Brain has tons of great interactive learning games to help keep those wheels turning!
Intramurals
Team Building
URec is NOW offering a new way to connect with team members -- through Virtual Team Building. Whether you're trying to connect with your coworkers, or just looking for something to do with your friends; Virtual Team Building is a convenient way to get together with your team and comply with social distancing guidelines! This unique program offers groups an opportunity to virtually test their intellect and teamwork through various activities and challenges. Our Virtual Team Building is available for only $50 per hour.
For more information, and to request a Virtual Team Building session, please contact
Outdoor Pursuits
Many of us either had to cancel our trips, or are limited in some way on how we can get outdoors. But, never fear, Google Earth is here! Google Earth recently released virtual tours of 31 totally awesome national parks! While I know the middle of your quarantined living room might not smell as awesome as that fresh mountain or desert air, you can at least pretend you are there. So, get your packs ready and lace up those hiking boots and check this out:
Google Earth National Parks Virtual Tours You can also check out the National Park Service (NPS) website for more virtual tours of the national parks. Since our Grand Canyon trip was canceled, here is the NPS virtual tour: Grand Canyon National Park Virtual Tour.
Great indoors videos
Get inspired by these incredible videos from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. These festival films have been made free during this time in hopes to continue to spread the love for the filmmakers and grow your love for the great outdoors.
Outdoor Blazer Craze!
Outdoor Blazer Craze is a scavenger hunt for any Blazers that are wanting to get outdoors! This crazy scavenger hunt is a great way to appreciate the outdoors and share selfies with everyone with your adventures! Tag us with your photos with #OutdoorBlazerCraze and @UABURec
More information coming soon!
Virtual Fun
Self-Care Bingo
See how active you are in engaging your mind and taking care of yourself while having to be socially distant from others. Play Virtual Self Care Bingo with us and Have Some Fun while being apart – Social distancing doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected and have fun
Download and use this Bingo template located below and share it back with us on Social Media once you have 5 in a row! Tag us in any story or post you create doing these things to help encourage other Blazers to take care of themselves too!
Netflix Party
Did you know you can still watch a movie with your friends while not being in the same room? Google Chrome has an extension called Netflix Party.
This extension allows you to simultaneously stream Netflix with friends. You can play/pause for everyone in the group and you can even chat about the movie!