Branden Bienz

Major: Kinesiology and Health
Company/Organization: Story County Medical Center Medically Oriented Gym (MOG)
Company/Organization website: https://www.storymedical.org/services/MOG
Destination: Nevada, Iowa
Timeframe: Spring 2022
Advisor/Coordinator Email: dpower

Responsibilities

My responsibilities throughout a typical day included leading most of the exercise classes through warm-up, stretches and weights activities as well as programming workouts for the Fit4Life and Women on Weights classes. Before each class, it was my responsibility to take and record blood pressures for clients who needed them. In addition, it was also my responsibility to wipe down equipment and maintain overall cleanliness of the facility throughout the day. I was also responsible for a variety of projects throughout the semester including a billboard updated monthly with various health and wellness related information, updating medical history files, as well as orchestrating an at home wellness challenge for members of the MOG.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment was being able to create great relationships with my clients. Nevada is a very tight knit community and there is a very strong bound between members in the MOG. Being able to chat with MOG members about their lives started with just making small talk to forming great relationships with the people there. Being a part of the community was a really great experience and I consider that my greatest accomplishment.

Learning experience

The greatest lesson I learned is to not be afraid to think outside the box and try new things. Sometimes things might not work out; for example, a workout might not go the way you envisioned it. This is going to happen every once in a while. It's just simply part of the process if you're trying to be creative, which is much better than if you're sticking with what's comfortable and doing the same thing over and over again, because there's no opportunity for growth that way.

What advice would you give?

You might not be perfect or even good at something the first time you try doing it. Don't give up on something if you're not instantly perfect at it. Stick with it for a little longer and focus on using feedback from yourself, clients, and supervisors to improve on your weaknesses. Internships exist for a reason because they allow you to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes so you're better prepared for the real thing in the future.

Career Connections