A weighty problem

It's that time of year again -- the line outside the Student Recreational Sports Center workout room extends like an amusement park roller coaster ride. But instead of waiting for a quick downhill thrill, many students are preparing for a tough uphill climb toward a better body. \nSome want to lose their freshman fifteen, others are trying to tone up for spring break, and there are those who have made New Year's resolutions to finally become committed to fitness. In any case, the road ahead could be bumpy. \nUndergoing a lifestyle change is not the deal most people think it will be, said Michelle Miller, a Health, Physical Education and Recreation coordinator of the fitness specialist program.\n"To make this kind of a change is one of the hardest things people can do in their lives," Miller said. "If they succeed, they're very lucky."\nMiller founded the walking program at the HPER last January, which distributed about 200 pedometers, devices that measure the distance a person walks throughout the day, to faculty and staff and put together an incentive program. Miller said many people still use their pedometers, and other businesses in Bloomington have requested the pedometers for their employees. \nWalking is a part of a healthy lifestyle, Miller said, but she urges walking is not a cure-all, nor is any other form of exercise.\n"One of the myths we have to dispel is that 'I'm overweight, I can start an exercise program and lose weight,'" Miller said. "The body really has to be ready, and eating and lifestyle must also change. Exercise is one part of it."\nThe best place to get started on the road to health is to assess the state of one's body to determine what improvements can be made. Fitness assessments, available at the Health and Wellness Center, will help determine a person's current level of fitness in several categories and is free to eligible students.\nMiller warns that the test can be discouraging.\n"Classifications can bury people," Miller said. "The tests give baseline information so that people have a foundation to build on."\nAfter identifying weaknesses and establishing a routine, the goal is to stick with the program over the long haul. Recsports has a way to help new exercisers stay on track-- the Activity Motivation Program. \n"AMP is geared toward the novice, and most people can maintain the two sessions a week," said Teri Bladen, assistant director for Fitness Wellness. \nThe program gives incentives, like Recsports t-shirts and entries into drawings, to those who complete various phases. \nThe first AMP program begins Sunday and is free for all participants.\nFor more advanced exercisers or those wanting more personal attention, personal trainers are available through Recsports. While they offer additional motivation, participants still need some personal willpower.\n"The problem is you have (clients) an hour a day, and then there's the next 23 hours," said Julie McCullough, a personal trainer and IU senior.\nAlthough the campus sports facilities are busier than usual this time of year, there are ways to avoid the crowds. Chris Arvin, program director for Fitness Wellness, recommends avoiding the peak hours of 4-8 p.m. He also said many people are unaware of the additional cardio-vascular and strength studios on the lower level of the SRSC.\nAfter physical activity is completed, the last step in achieving body-changing goals is to make permanent lifestyle changes that include eating habits. Awareness of how and when a student eats can help bring about healthier changes, said Alice Lindeman, an associate professor in the School of HPER.\n"College life activities are manifested in social settings, and there is a lot of casual eating," Lindeman said.\nAlso, a student's schedule is different from many adults, and late-night eating is often a necessary part of it, said Stacey Matavuli, a registered dietician for Bloomington Hospital Nutrition Therapy and outreach educator for IU Health and Wellness.\n"What I see is that because students stay up late, school work is really a second or third shift in the day," Matavuli said. "If they are up that long, they tend to make less healthy food choices."\n-- Contact staff writer Kristin Wynkoop at kwynkoop@indiana.edu.