For Wellness Coach of The Village at Penn State, Lindsey Zeuschel, inspiring residents to live well brings her joy and motivation each day. As Lindsey organizes a variety of fitness programs throughout the year, she feels rewarded when helping residents reach their wellness goals and improve their health.

Beginning her journey with The Village in 2018, Lindsey has enjoyed expanding residents’ horizons and introducing them to new fitness programs that build their strength and energize their motivation. “When I first came to The Village I was really excited to see how active the residents are here. Their fitness levels are very impressive,” she describes. As Lindsey is responsible for organizing The Village’s wellness activities, she leads a variety of programs including group exercise classes, personal training sessions, outdoor recreation, and more.

Most recently, Lindsey introduced residents to a new class that they are especially excited about called Urban Kick. “I became certified in Urban Kick at the height of the pandemic since I had a bit of extra time on my hands. It’s basically a variation of kickboxing, and as I looked more into it I came across research that discussed the benefits of kickboxing for Parkinson’s disease. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun,” Lindsey explains.

Lindsey leads her half hour Urban Kick classes twice a week in The Village’s Community Room, and weather permitting, outside on Palmer Park. Leading residents through a fun-filled workout, Lindsey begins the class with a warm-up. “I will teach four different kinds of punches to residents and we will go over them in the warm-up to prepare their bodies,” she says.

“Throughout the workout there are different athletic drills like squats and lunges and you combine these exercises with the various punches in different sequences. There are all kinds of combinations to try so it’s a lot of fun. After the workout portion, we end the class with stretching,” Lindsey describes.

The Benefits of Kickboxing for Residents at The Village

• Balance
• Cardio and Heart Health
• Strength and Agility
• Memory
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Beneficial for individuals with Parkinson’s disease
• Total Body Workout

As residents experience fun and excitement in Urban Kick class each week, they improve their physical health along the way. “There are so many benefits that kickboxing brings to our residents. Balance is a big one. There are two types of balance, reactive and anticipatory. Kickboxing can help improve residents’ anticipatory balance as they are anticipating what punches and moves will come next in each sequence,” Lindsey explains.

“Kickboxing is also great for residents’ heart health as it’s a moderate to intense cardio workout. Additionally, this class can help improve their strength, and even their memory, as they have to remember the various punches and sequences,” she says. “I’ve already noticed residents remembering the moves much easier than when we first started,” she adds. Strengthening their bodies and their minds, Lindsey says that residents have truly enjoyed giving this class a try.

As Lindsey incorporates fun and excitement to her various fitness programs, she looks forward to continuing her Urban Kick class each week. “Finding the motivation to workout can be really difficult. The fact that residents continue to show up to Urban Kick excited to have fun in each class, let’s me know that I’m doing something right,” Lindsey affirms.