Warrior Wellness: An inside look at Willowbrook’s Online Individualized Fitness class

Willowbrook students are working hard every day to become more educated with their health and wellness, and we are thrilled to feature those accomplishments through this monthly column.

In this edition of Warrior Wellness, we are proud to highlight one of our classes that has steadily increased in popularity during the past few years – Online Individualized Fitness.  

Online Individualized Fitness offers students the flexibility to decide how and when they are going to meet their fitness goals and to choose the exercises in which they will engage. Students wear a heart rate monitor while working out and earn class credit based on their heart rate data. When students push themselves a little harder, they will earn more class credit. Cardiovascular exercise offers the most opportunity in the shortest amount of time, but even moderate elevation of the heart rate will result in the student earning class credit.  

Online Individualized Fitness is scheduled during zero hour or ninth period, which opens up the student’s schedule to take another academic course during their daily schedule. This course has been very successful for our athletes, and all students who can stay organized and committed to independent work can succeed in this class.

One of the big advancements is the new generation of heart rate monitors we use, the MZ-Switch. The Switch allows students to wear their monitor around their chest, bicep or wrist. This device is usable in water, so students who swim can earn their class credit during that activity as well. The flexibility of the Switch means all students can have their activity counted accurately.

Online Individualized Fitness meets in person a few times during the semester to take the FitnessGram tests. If students need to make up missed work, they can do so during resource period. Our cognitive class content is delivered through Google Classroom and covers subjects such as mental wellness, nutrition and fitness program building.

We look forward to finishing out the 2022-23 school year strong!

- Mike Haussmann, Willowbrook Department Head for physical education, health and driver education

• The Warrior Wellness column provides an inside look into the physical education, health and driver education classes at Willowbrook. This monthly feature highlights what students are working on in class, as well as student successes in those departments.