A group of seven energetic students, who each have different fitness goals, are the first to embark on the Wellness Challenge’s eight week process that will monitor their fitness progression.
Amy Cavender, the Wellness Education coordinator, said the Wellness Challenge is a program provided by the Wellness Education Department and Rec Sports to helps students who are seeking healthy lifestyles through nutrition and exercise.
Joseph Jebara, a civil engineering sophomore participating in the program, said he joined to have other people to work out with who have the same fitness goal.
The challenge includes weekly meetings to educate students on health and give participants and advisers the opportunity to schedule a work out date with a partner, Cavender said.
Participants are given two sessions with a personal trainer at the Rec Center to train on the proper way to exercise and help them get the best results, Cavender said.
The participants also have private meetings with Autumn Douglas, the Wellness Department’s dietitian, to have their diets assessed. They are given a food journal to better track their eating habits and have them evaluated.
Cavender came up with the idea for the Wellness Challenge when she thought about what she would need to do to get fit. She said she wanted a support group with people who were interested in fitness, but were not “psycho about it.”
“We wanted to create a supportive network but with a moderate setting,” she said.
The objective for the seven students for the duration of the program is to help them develop habits that will stick with them beyond the eight weeks and to increase awareness of what is available at the University, Cavender said.
The participants joined the program for different reasons. Some are happy with their body composition but want to learn more about nutrition, Cavender said. Others want to lose fat or gain muscle.
Cavender said most of the participants joined for the group support.
“Some people would try to get their friends to work out with them and they [their friends] would say ‘whatever, I don’t think so,'” she said.
Cavender said the participants are learning that exercise can be a social activity rather than a chore.
People who are not a part of the challenge are welcome to come to group work out activities, Cavender said. People who are interested in the group exercise functions can contact the Wellness Department for the scheduled dates.
The next activity will be frisbee throwing, held Saturday at 3 p.m. on the Parade Ground.
At Monday’s meeting Douglas began by distributing raffle tickets to each participant according to the number of times they exercised the past week. While most students pulled five or six, tickets a couple pulled only one or two. The prize was a choice of dumb bells, a weight loss motivation book and a food portions measurement bowl.
The group discussed individual work out dates and a group exercise activity at Monday’s meeting.
When an adviser suggested bowling, a student asked if that was “really exercise.” Cavender explained that bowling is exercise as long as “you actually get up and participate, and not eat nachos and beer.”
Cynthia Oby, an art education senior, said she plans to participate in the program every semester.
Students who are interested in participating in the Wellness Challenge next semester can fill out an application at the Wellness Education Department.
Cavender said the department is looking for people who are committed and have “good attitudes.”