Story By: Allie Kawata
Junior screenwriting major Nicholas Berson remembers collapsing on the track in middle school, gasping for air after running a single lap.
“I was so out of shape that my own mom thought I had asthma,” said Berson.
He now goes to the gym for two or three hours on most days of the week, sometimes even going twice in a day if he feels that he hasn’t pushed himself enough.
Some students, like Berson, find the motivation to consistently make it to the gym multiple times per week. Go to the gym at any time of day and you’ll always spot the same super-fit girl on the elliptical, or pass that one guy on your way to the water fountain.
However, not all students take advantage of Chapman's facilities.
More than 60 percent of college students do not get enough physical excercise, according to a recent Northwestern University study. And the University of Pittsburgh says less than 40 percent of the college student population exercises at least three times a week.
But some Chapman students are almost obsessed with it.
Senior health science major Loraine Tucay works behind the desk at the Julianne Argyros Fitness Center. Tucay said she usually works out four times a week, but if she had a whole week free of obligations, she would still spend the majority working out at the gym.
But sometimes, said Tucay, her packed schedule can impinge on her workout time. Other similarly fitness-minded students feel the same.
“Studying can keep me from taking that [hour] and a half of being active,” said junior health science major Annie Fleming. Time spent at the gym is time that could be spent studying for an upcoming test, she pointed out.
“Of course I feel like there isn’t enough time to exercise,” said Krista Goldsmith, a junior public relations and advertising major. Despite the lack of downtime outside all of her responsibilities, she said she still makes time to work out five days a week.
Click Here For Exercise Alternatives to the Gym
Between classes, homework, jobs, internships, and other extracurriculars like clubs and Greek life, it seems like there are barely enough hours in the day to sleep or eat, much less exercise. So if these students have so little free time, why do they choose to spend so much of it at the gym, rather than relaxing or hanging out with friends?
Many said the gym is a source of stress relief.
“It's nice to blow off some steam and do something good for my health,” said Tucay. “Some days I feel suffocated with life. So going to the gym, shutting out the world with music, and just having ‘me’ time is very therapeutic.”
Junior Cait McCarthy, a strategic and corporate communication major, said her gym time is “the one time where I can take a break and not feel guilty about putting off other stuff.”
“When I miss days working out, I have trouble sleeping and just all around don’t feel great,” McCarthy added.
Taking a slightly different approach to exercising, Fleming does yoga multiple times a week. She said her favorite thing about yoga is that it’s a “moving meditation” that comes with both physical and spiritual benefits.
“It’s quite amazing to feel more a part of the world,” she said.
Goldsmith said she used to exercise to improve her outward appearance. But as time passed and she started to get healthier, her reasons changed.
“I eventually realized the top reason for working out should be to improve my overall health,” she said. “Once I absorbed this concept, my whole lifestyle changed. Just knowing that everything I do is improving my overall health keeps me eager to get a good workout in as often as possible.”
Click Here for a Workout Playlist
This kind of motivation towards a healthier lifestyle is exactly what Dean Jerry Price hoped many students would gain from the Chapman Fitness Challenge. The semester-long program is designed not just to get students to the gym, but also to help them eat healthier and develop good health habits.
“We started [the Chapman Fitness Challenge] because we wanted to introduce students to habits that they could start during college that will serve them a lifetime,” said Price. “It’s not just a short term thing, it’s trying to get students to find ways of physical engagement that will…stick with them for the rest of their life.”
“Staying healthy is what’s important to me,” said Berson, echoing this idea. “If you eat healthy enough outside the gym, and just lead a generally healthy lifestyle, it’s not a big deal if you miss [a day at] the gym.”
But beyond that, Berson remembers the days when he was too out of shape to finish a single lap around the field.
“People didn’t really respect me or give me a chance,” he said. Now, though, if he does the right things to take care of his body, he said, “All the people who…never give me a chance and judge me…Then they won’t be able to say anything.”
|
It’s been a long week of studying (again), and you know you should get to the gym, but you’re just too tired to even get up from your desk. What better way to get moving than by updating your workout playlist?
|
