Led by Tami Reilly, director of fitness and well being, the idea was created to encourage students to move their bodies, grab a healthy snack, and a T-shirt and reflect on what self-care means to them.

“We started this initiative last year after the creation of self-care days. We love that our wellness is moving in that direction,” explained Reilly. “We know that working out is great, but we also need to look at our mental well-being and the university is really moving in that direction with their thoughts and their messaging, especially with the addition of our new recreation and wellness center.”

So many students and their families have embraced indoor cycling during the pandemic explained Reilly, an outdoor spin class being the perfect opportunity to apply those new learned skills and passions.

“Being outside in fresh air really makes a difference. When we were looking at programming for this year, my instructors were all excited about bringing back the idea since it went so well in the Spring, so we thought we should do it again,” said Reilly.

This class serves as a unique way for students to set aside 45 minutes to take care of their physical and mental well-being, said Reilly.

“I always love the spin classes here and I thought the outdoor one would be fun. I also really like the idea of self-care behind it,” said Margret Londregan ’24, who participated in the outdoor class.