Location: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Type of Travel: Visiting a college campus can be an exciting adventure, especially when one of your children is considering attending. For me it was a special opportunity to bond with my daughter, Coach Trin. We planned for lots of walking and standing.
Ages: All
When I was younger and traveling with my five children, we would often visit college campuses in the area. If it was possible, we liked going onto the athletic fields. Some favorites were Dartmouth (close to my parents house), Harvard, Boston College, and William and Mary. As the children grew older, visiting college campuses gave us the opportunity to learn about a school they were interested in attending as well as the area surrounding the school. Trin and I recently visited UCLA, a college they are interested in attending for graduate school. UCLA is located in an urban setting on over 400 acres. The weather and location meant we had plenty of opportunities to explore neighborhoods, visit the ocean, hike, go sightseeing, and learn about the campus.
PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP
Both Trin, age group 20–24, and I did not need to prepare specifically for this trip. We participate in training that allows us to have a foundation for lots of walking and standing. One of my personal goals is to be able to say yes to a variety of activities like hiking, skiing, surfing, and going on college visits without needing to change my training program. We both felt well prepared for the trip.
Trin’s Training Program
- Independent Training:
- Cardio: daily walking
- Flexibility: daily exercises that kept all of Trin’s joints moving well
- Active lifestyle: standing, moving objects, rock climbing, and getting outside!
- Personal Training
- Strength and Stability: focusing on foot, ankle, knee, and hip stability as well as the core strength needed to walk on uneven surfaces. Additionally, Trin focuses on upper body exercises that allow for them to move art supplies, boxes, and other equipment.
Heather’s Training Program
- Independent Training:
- Three Key Habits: walking, squatting, and mobilizing first thing in the morning. Find out more about the three movement habits that help get your day off to a great start.
- Cardio: Walking 10,000+ steps per day and hiking once a week, creating a foundation for moderate-to-hard hikes of over four hours.
- Flexibility: daily exercises to keep joints moving well
- Group Personal Training
- Stability and Strength: focusing on the ability to stabilize the spine
- Strength and Stability: focusing on base movements like squats, lunges, and pushups.
- Cardio and Strength—Circuit: focusing on movements that require hip engagement and create a strong foundation for hiking and running
- Flexibility: focusing on mobility training for ankles, knees, and hips, creating improved strength and control
If you aren’t walking, standing, and training as much as Trin and I do, don’t worry. Now is a great time to begin a program designed to get you ready for college campus visits as well as other adventures. The personal trainers and coaches at Monarch Fitness Coaching recommend starting preparation for this type of trip a minimum of 8-10 weeks prior to travel, although beginning at any point will be beneficial. Using our fitness coaching software we will guide you through a gradual build up of your steps per day and your standing time. The gradual build will ensure you don’t injure yourself preparing for the trip and will allow you to enjoy all that the college campus and surrounding area have to offer.
ACCOMMODATIONS
When it comes to accommodations, consider staying close to or on campus. Trin and I stayed at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center. We were centrally located and felt immersed in college life. Most of the college attractions were a short walk away. When traveling to surrounding neighborhoods, we were able to easily access public transportation or use ride sharing. The Luskin Center has a no tips expected or accepted policy. We found the staff to be courteous, informative, and kind.
ACTIVITIES
Campus Highlights
UCLA is a public university and visitors are welcome to explore the campus. Some of the campus highlights included the botanical gardens, inverted fountain, sculptural garden and the Hammer Museum. Most activities, including the botanical gardens and the Hammer Museum were free to the public. We particularly enjoyed relaxing outdoors in the spinning chairs at the museum. Trin and I also visited the campus store and ate at some of the many food options. We love how UCLA has many outdoor spaces to explore, eat, and relax.
AllTrails
Monarch Fitness Coaching recommends using AllTrails to help you find hikes and walks near you. You can select your activity, distance away, difficulty, length, and more. AllTrails did not disappoint in the UCLA area. We selected the UCLA perimeter hike, Runyon Canyon hike, and Santa Monica Boardwalk Beach Trail. The UCLA perimeter hike provided me with an opportunity to see the areas around campus. Trin attended meets while I walked around UCLA. I highly recommend reading the comments in AllTrails. I knew people recommended the loop for jogging, and that people often went off trail and walked inside the perimeter campus. Both the Ryan Canyon hike and the Santa Monica Boardwalk Beach Trail gave Trin and me the chance to see areas away from the campus. We enjoyed seeing more of the city and the area around Los Angeles.
Visiting the Surrounding Area
Trin received recommendations about areas off-campus to visit. We spent time in the Westwood area, in Sawtelle Japantown, known for its shops and restaurants, on Sunset Blvd, and in Beverly Hills. Additionally, Trin looked at housing options within ten minutes of the campus by bus. Trin noted that they felt more comfortable in Los Angeles having had the opportunity to explore the areas around UCLA.
CONCLUSION
Trin’s and my trip to UCLA was filled with movement. We toured the campus, went sightseeing, hiked, went to museums and parks, and enjoyed Los Angeles. We were both grateful to have a foundation that allowed us to enjoy each other’s company, learn about UCLA, and participate in so many activities in such a short period of time. Find out how Monarch Fitness Coaching can prepare you for the rigors of college visits and allow you to get the most out of the time you’re spending with your children. Schedule your FREE consultation HERE.
