Students’ “Power Up” takes Zvishavane by storm

 

                                                 From left, Coach Tang, Angie and Moscow

Vigorous and energetic.  It is certainly true that a friend in need is a friend indeed. So is the case of three Midlands State Unieversity (MSU) dance enthusiasts Charlotte “Tang”  Ndlovu,  Aubrey “Moscow” Pasi and Angela “Angie” Mpofu, who are best friends to join hands in starting an aerobics “Power Up Dance and Fitness” studio. Aerobics are a popular sport with the combination of collective exercise, dance, music, fitness and entertainment. It is a unique way of exercise based on aerobic exercise, which integrates gymnastics, dance and music. This is helping fellow students in handling academic related pressures caused by schoolwork to refresh and recharge through a combination of dancing and music.

In an interview with Coach Tang, he said, “Power Up is a dance and fitness studio, we concentrate mainly on dance and fitness. We host dance workshops where we exchange ideas with other dancers. We teach individuals who inspire to dance to become professional dancers so as to reduce alcohol and drug abuse by the youth which is now a prevalent issue country wide.”

“We focus on health and fitness for weight loss and body building, Zumba, dance aerobics and step aerobics. Step aerobics is working out with music which makes it more enjoyable and efficient. We also do team building activities and obstacle courses for companies,” he added.

Coach Moscow revealed that they had to undergo a three-month training course to sharpen and nurture their skills. “We underwent a three-month training course for us to be qualified fitness trainers. So far, we have managed to open the official studio in Zvishavane since we are still students. We are passionate dancers,” he said.

In order to be a member, a monthly subscription fee of $15 must be paid, and once subscribed one gets a free Power Up T-shirt. “One is supposed to pay only $15 a month since the studio is self-sponsored. You then get a free Power Up tees and then for dance workshops one has to pay a small fee of $2 and are for free sometimes,” he narrated.

“We have an array of Power Up branded merchandises which are, caps for $3, tees for $5, golf t-shirts for $8 and woolen hats for $3. We are located at Zvishavane Swimming Pool premises and we train from Monday to Thursday from 1700 hours to 1800 hours,” Coach Moscow added.

One Power Up member, Natasha Rasten who joined the studio last year is happy being part of this fitness phenomenal which is taking the Zvishavane thriving mining town by storm. “Dance and fitness always give me a sense of self-fulfillment, self-esteem, and encourages me to better my body and nurture my sports habits.  Aerobics is of great significance to improve the basic shape of body and it cultivate a correct body posture,” she said.

Brian Nyasha, who joined the studio in January also applauded the impact of Power Up is unmatched. “Dance and fitness cultivate brave and indomitable good morality. Students need to have rich professional knowledge, and good physical and mental quality which is one of the indispensable conditions for them to succeed in university,” he said.

In an interview with guest Coach Fresh, he stressed the importance of physical fitness to a university student. “Long term adherence to aerobics can significantly improve students’ physical fitness. Through the combination of aerobics teaching activities and physical fitness exercise, the concept of healthy physical fitness is transmitted. Aerobics training is usually accompanied by music. Students here are looking forward to a bright future and can better adapt to the changes of the external environment than their colleagues who are not engaging in fitness activities,” he said.

Aerobic exercises have a plethora of benefits both physically and mentally. They provide cardiovascular conditioning, decreases risk of heart diseases, lowers blood pressure and to improve the mental stamina of students. The term aerobic actually means "with oxygen," which means that breathing controls the amount of oxygen that can make it to the muscles to help them burn fuel and move.