The University of Minnesota’s CHAARG club empowers women to gain confidence in the gym and explore different forms of workouts by visiting fitness studios in the area.
The club, which is the local chapter of a nationwide organization, costs $63 a semester for membership with members engaging in new workouts every week both on campus and around the Twin Cities area.
Elena Wurst, a third-year student and one of the club’s event coordinators, said the group usually goes to studios around the Twin Cities, though a fitness instructor will occasionally come to campus.
Wurst said the club has gone to various studios including Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping, Tangletown CrossFit and The Grind MPLS.
Isabelle Silvola, UMN CHAARG’s Vice President of recruitment and a second-year student, said the club finds various ways to promote health and wellness for women.
“We try to find new ways to feel fit, whether it is more high-intensity workouts like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) or low intensity and just an opportunity to decompress like yoga,” Silvola said.
Wurst said she enjoys going to different workouts each week and has a lot of fun with them.
“Sometimes you will get on the email list for the different studios, and they will send you free workouts or deals,” Wurst said. “It’s nice to be able to experience those workouts with people my age.”
Silvola said the club also hosts social events each semester to give members a chance to get to know each other since it can be difficult during the weekly workouts. The group has held charm bracelet-making events, movie nights and casual hangouts in the past, Silvola said.
The club’s Vice President of Media, Julia Miller, said the club offers eight different small groups of five to 10 girls, who meet on a weekly basis for workouts, socials and bonding.
“It is definitely a good way to get closer to people,” Wurst said. “Each small group has a coordinator, which personalizes the events they do to the interests of the group they have because people join CHAARG for different reasons.”
Wurst said many people join the club to participate in workouts but also to expand their community on campus.
“The small groups help people who are more introverted open up to a smaller group of people, which is a little more comfortable,” Silvola said. “Everyone in the club can find their place, whether it is at our weekly workouts or in our small groups or socials.”
Miller added the club also has a mental health focus.
“Sometimes during the semester I am so stressed that maybe I don’t even want to go to a CHAARG workout,” Wurst said. “But when I do go, it forces me to step away for a second, which can be really helpful.”
Wurst said she believes physical health is tied to mental health, and working out can be a great way to relieve stress.
“We have an entire CHAARG Mental Health Month in May, which is focused on making sure our members are doing well mentally and giving them the opportunity to do what makes them happy,” Silvola said.
Silvola added that the club has its own Instagram circle where members make profiles, follow each other and post more casually, which discourages the need to have a so-called “perfect image” on social media.
“I think it’s really beneficial because I know social media can be so hard on people’s mental health at times, and I think having that little community where people can post what they want instead of posting what they think other people want is great,” Silvola said.
CHAARG is very informal and all are welcome to join, Miller said.
“It is a place where you feel included and do not feel embarrassed,” Wurst said. “Everybody is very encouraging, and we have a large executive team who tries to branch out as much as possible during events to avoid any cliquey feelings.”
Wurst said the club’s primary goal is to make everyone feel included and comfortable working out.
“It’s just a different type of connection you can get that connects people in all grade levels,” Miller said. “It becomes more like a family than just a club.”
