UW Fitness Day: Meet Your Coaches from UW Recreation
To kick off the month-long wait for UW Fitness Day, the Whole U would like to introduce the first 13 of 50+ coaches who will be guiding you through 20 workouts over the span of 45 minutes on field at Husky Stadium on May 8!
With coaches that have experience instructing Zumba, group fitness, cardio, strength and dance, UW Fitness Day will be full of motivation, movement and fun that will get you on your way to finding your best self.
These 13 coaches all hail from UW Recreation, a proud sponsor of UW Fitness Day and many other Whole U activities, including yoga series, our annual Dare to Do challenge, and various health and wellness seminars and events throughout the year. If you haven’t registered for UW Fitness Day yet, be sure to register here!
Alana Robon
Strength Instructor
UW Recreation
Favorite quote:
“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, then any other person could be.” – Jane Austen
What do you tell yourself when you’re on the home stretch of a workout to finish strong? I work out at night so I always tell myself that I can soon crawl into bed and sleep!
My favorite thing to do besides exercise: is play piano and explore parks.
Favorite food: Apples and peanut butter from the jar!
My role model is:
Dr. Sandra Lee
Eldridge Alcantara
Group Fitness Instructor, UW Recreation
PhD Candidate, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise: Besides exercise, I enjoy meal prepping. I use my weekends to cook and make sure I’m planning out healthy snacks and meals for the upcoming week.
Favorite quote: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” – Steve Jobs
Favorite thing to do besides exercise: I love to teach! And thanks to the opportunities I have had as a graduate student here at UW to teach both engineering and group fitness classes, my interest in teaching and my genuine love for it have only deepened. It makes me a better researcher, a better communicator, a better listener, and just a better human being overall.
Ria Llanto Martin
Fitness Instructor, UW Recreation
Favorite food: Any Filipino dish.
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise: Dance!
What do you tell yourself when you’re on the home stretch of a workout?
I’m going to sauna after this and it is going to be awesome.
Favorite thing to do besides exercise:
Read and watch shows with my husband.
Favorite quote:
“Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.”
Karen Cornelio
Zumba Instructor, UW Recreation
My favorite thing to do besides exercise:
is to attend live music shows!
Favorite quote:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”
—Fred Rogers
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise: Currently, mindfulness.
My role model is: my mom.
Jessica Norman
Fitness Manager, UW Recreation
Favorite quote:
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
Favorite food: Mango!
My favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise is: Meditation!
Sharron Orr
Dance Instructor, UW Recreation
My role model is: My mother. She has fought everyday to make a wonderful example for me and my brother while loving us unconditionally and teaching us to be strong forces of nature.
My favorite thing to do besides exercise is: Dance.
It’s that simple—just dance, even if it is a 30 second dance party in the kitchen!
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise: I love spending quality time with my family and my dogs. Nothing cures a bad day more than wet nose kisses.
My favorite food is:
Nachos. I am a sucker for anything covered in cheese with a side of guac!
Reese O’Craven
UW Recreation
Favorite thing to do besides exercise:
Work in coffeehouses!
Favorite food:
Raspberries!
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise:
Commuting by foot or bike!
Evelyn Chenen Tsai
Fitness Instructor
Favorite quote: “It requires hard work to give off an appearance of effortlessness.”
What do you tell yourself when you’re on the home stretch of a workout to finish strong? Play that one song you like on repeat until the end!
My favorite way to stay healthy is: sleep more, eat more, drink more water.
Yajaira Michel
Fitness Instructor, UW Recreation
Favorite food:
Italian; fettuccine alfredo is my favorite!
Favorite thing to do besides exercise:
Exploring the outdoors and trying new things.
Role model:
my mom!
Stacy Lundquist
Cardio Dance Instructor, UW Recreation
Favorite food:
Pineapple and Mexican food…. but not together.
Favorite quote:
“Jack of all trades, master of none, but better than master of one.”
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise:
“Hidden” exercise – going for a walk to explore, riding bikes to go to a picnic, going hiking to see the views, etc.
Rosie Augsburger
Group Fitness Instructor, UW Recreation
Role model:
Anwar Wilson, my soccer coach growing up.
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise:
To journal, especially with the weather getting better. I find it really relaxing to sit in the sun and write!
Favorite thing to do besides exercise:
I teach ski lessons and like to ski, I’m learning to long board, and I am crocheting a blanket the size of a queen-size comforter.
Julie Schroeder
Member Services Manager, UW Recreation
What do you tell yourself when you’re on the
home stretch of a workout to finish strong?
It’s only 5/10/15 more minutes of my entire day and I’ll feel so much better when I’m done!
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise:
Fueling my body with nutritious food.
Favorite food:
Fruit and bread!
Sarah Nishikawa
Coach, UW Recreation
What do you tell yourself when you’re on the home stretch of a workout to finish strong? “Yes I can. Yes I can” on repeat. It’s about telling myself that this is what it takes to get stronger, and that I am capable of being strong.
Favorite thing to do besides exercise: Be present. Whether it’s with friends and family, alone in nature, or teaching fitness classes, I try to stay in the moment and enjoy what’s right around me.
Favorite quote: “Respect others and be respected. Help others and be helped; such is the family relationship.” – Hawaiian Proverb
Gea Krajcar
Yoga Teacher, UW Recreation
Role model:
My parents, as they taught me what it means to live from your heart and they keep showing me what unconditional love is.
Favorite food:
Fresh strawberries from my mom’s garden. Nothing can beat that.
Favorite way to stay healthy besides exercise:
Daily meditation and healthy food!
Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as we unveil the rest of the UW Fitness Day coaches from UW Athletics and our community partners!
Thank you to UW Athletics, AT&T, US Bank, BECU, UW Recreation, Dansai Water, KIND Bars, Pacific Coast Harvet, UW Bookstore, 24hr Fitness, IanFitness, The Seattle Gym/FitDefense, Orange Theory Fitness, Fremont Health Club, Chinese Wushu & Taichi Academy LLC, Kevin Ng Yoga + Mindfulness, and Be The Match for sponsoring this event!