The second floor of Markin is as busy as ever. There’s a student who is bright red, sprinting the straights of the track while another huffs as he tries to climb to the top of the stair machine. The rock wall is covered in climbers and every single treadmill is taken. Across from the treadmills, Nicole Mccabe is gripping a bar with hundred pound weights hanging on the ends. With tight knees and a grunt, Mccabe lifts 200 pounds off of the floor to kick off the beginning of her daily gym routine.
Sophomore Bradley student Rachel Notter goes on her daily hour-long treadmill walk to begin her morning.
Nicole Mccabe, junior health science major, is someone who just recently started getting into fitness. Now, it’s the biggest part of her life.
“I have been interested in fitness since high school,” Mccabe said, “but I didn’t start taking it seriously until sophomore year of college when my roommate told me she was a bodybuilder. I started going with her to the gym just to see what she’d do, but then it became a daily routine and I fell in love with watching my body get stronger and feeling healthy. I’ve even made a fitness account on social media so I can see my progress and hopefully encourage other people to do the same.”
Thousands of people on social media have hopped on one of the latest Instagram trends, creating “fit-stas.” These “fit-sta” accounts are profiles that are separate from their personal/work accounts that are used to track their fitness journey and inspire/teach others that are interested in doing the same. Some pioneers of the fit-sta trend are people like Jule Loui or Brittne Jackson who have both created careers for themselves within fitness simply because of their fit-stas (see more of Loui and Jackson’s content at https://www.instagram.com/juleloui.fit/ and https://www.instagram.com/brittnejackson/). Mccabe expressed that for her, these pages were the reason she felt inspired to get into fitness and without them she probably would not be where she is today.
Markin staff member Gabby Wilkes said Bradley offers lots of different options when it comes to working out.
“Bradley has a deadlift platform, ellipticals, treadmills, stair machines, bikes, a pool, endless hand-held equipment, and a track to make workouts a lot easier to complete,” Wilkes explained.
On the second floor of Markin is a ⅛ mile indoor track, surrounding 3 full-length basketball/volleyball courts.
She continued on to say that Markin does a great job of providing resources for people to participate in a lifestyle that is considered fit. All of Markin’s resources and equipment that are available are listed on Bradley’s website, at https://www.bradley.edu/campuslife/campusrec/facilities/markin/.
“One of the best resources Bradley offers is the ‘Get Fit Stay Fit’ program,” Wilkes said, “where every time you come to Markin, you get points that can eventually add up and result in big prizes.”
The Get Fit Stay Fit program is an initiative that Bradley University implemented where both Bradley students and staff are encouraged to participate. Every time you scan your ID into the Markin facility, you are rewarded with points that can add up and get you fitness-related prizes at the end of the semester. The program is an initiative to get people on their feet, which is especially important amidst the pandemic. To learn more about the Get Fit Stay Fit program, visit https://www.bradley.edu/campuslife/campusrec/programs/gfsf/.
Mccabe’s every day gym routine is far from simple.
“A regular gym session for me is an hour to an hour and a half of heavy lifting with 20 minutes of cardio after. My favorite workout activities are lifting anything heavy and leg day. It is a small gain of confidence if I see myself lifting more than a guy in the gym. I also do legs 3 days a week because it’s just so exciting to see what I can do weight wise.”
Mccabe has seen an amazing transformation over the past year due to her passion for fitness and access to Markin’s resources and facilities. This initial picture marks the beginning of her journey, starting in June of last year.
Here, you’ll find her present-day transformation picture. Since beginning in June, she has lost 30 pounds.
Another regular gym goer and friend of Mccabe is 20 year-old local resident Joshua Collier. Collier is not a Bradley student, but he lives in Peoria and has a Markin gym membership.
“I’d rather be going to Markin to workout instead of a Planet Fitness because Markin has more equipment and more fitness programs that actually gets me and my friends excited to go workout.”
Mccabe explains that she is a lot more confident in herself and feels physically more healthy than she ever has before.
When asked about the best advice she could give to someone starting to get into fitness, she said “a transformation is not going to happen overnight. You have to have that mentality of ‘6 months from now, I’ll thank myself’ instead of ‘I worked out yesterday, why is my body still the same?’. If your head is not in it for the long run, you are not going to have that transformation.”
Markin is open every day of the week, from 6a.m.- 10p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 6a.m.-7p.m. Fridays, 12p.m.-7p.m. Saturdays, and 12p.m.-10p.m. Sundays.
To learn more about the facility or to schedule an appointment for Markin’s Health Services and/or counseling offices, visit https://www.bradley.edu/campuslife/healthservices/.