Planning your class schedule can be a bit stressful. Things never seem to work out the way you want. The classes you need to take overlap, all your classes end up on one day or you have big gaps in your schedule. The best way to fill those awkward gaps and not get overwhelmed with classes that I have found is to take a kinesiology class.

The university offers dozens of kinesiology classes that range anywhere from basketball to fencing to scuba diving to hip hop.  Your options are endless so you can choose anything you’re interested in or good at or you can go out on a limb and try something you’ve never done before. Many of them are worth one credit and only last for half of a semester.

Not only is it an easy “A” if you show up to class, but it also is a perfect excuse to get some physical activity in your day.  Rather than relying on yourself to get motivated enough to go to the wellness, you can show up for a class and exercise in a fun way with a bunch of other students.

If you’re like me, you make excuses and put off going to the gym. But by taking a kinesiology class, I am forced to go work out in order to get an “A” in the class. There’s no way I will put it off if my grade is on the line.

Although they might help you get in shape, kinesiology classes will benefit more than just your body.  According to a study on goodcall.com, “Every extra hour that students exercised, their odds of graduating (or returning the following year) increased by 50 percent.”

Not only that, but “students had higher grade point averages when they exercised more. For each hour of physical activity a week, GPA went up .06 on the 4.0 scale.”

Getting your daily exercise is clearly important for college students in many different aspects.

At first, I was reluctant to take these classes because I had never done the activities before. I didn’t want to be the odd one out who didn’t know what she was doing. With every class, I have branched out a little more and found that most of the students there aren’t super experienced either. Since branching out, I’ve found some new skills as well.

I have definitely taken advantage of the offered exercise classes at UND. So far, I have taken volleyball, hip hop, yoga, kickboxing, and jogging. Those are five credits and hours of weekly exercise in my two years at UND. I’ve also made a few friends I still talk to from the classes I’ve taken.

If you want to give a class a try before making a committment, check out the group exercise schedule at the Wellness Center.

They offer fun classes all semester for a one-time fee of $35 per semester or $3 per class, with free weeks offered here and there. Some classes include yoga, TurboKick, Zumba, XaBeat, Tabata, and cycling. Those classes are all also offered for credit, so it is a perfect opportunity to try it out.

Don’t be afraid to branch out. You will never be the only one who is trying something new. That’s what college is all about.

Emily Gibbens is the opinion editor for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at  [email protected]