Want to get fit beforehitting thebeach for spring break?
West Virginia Universitys Student Recreation Center is offering a fun way to get in shape through a new program called Body for Break.
The program, which is free and open to WVU students and Rec Center members, includes a fitness contest, wellness talks, exercise tips and more. It begins Jan. 21 and continues through March 18. Registration is Tuesday, Jan. 16 (see details below).
The goal of the contest is to help students develop healthier lifestyles. The Body for Break winner will be the person who shows the most fitness improvement during the eight-week period, according to Colleen Harshbarger, the Rec Centers manager of fitness, wellness and informal recreation.
Change in fitness levels, along with before and after photos, will be used to select the winners. (Pictures will not be made public without contestantsconsent.)
The grand prize is a bed and breakfast package for two at Stonewall Resort. The second-place winner will receive four ski lift tickets or four rounds of golfwinners choiceat Wisp Resort, and the third-place prize will be an iPod.
In addition, weekly prizes, including gift certificates for Steve&Barrys University Sportswear Inc. and Dicks Sporting Goods, will also be raffled off for contestants who exercise at the Rec Center at least three times a week.
Harshbarger said this is the first time the contest has been done at WVU .
We wanted to come up with an outreach program that lets people know were here to help,she said.Although the contest is called Body for Break, its really about much more than looking good on the beach for spring break. Hopefully, participants who complete Body for Break will have more knowledge about taking care of their personal health for the long term than they did before the program.
The primary measure of success during Body for Break will be a decrease in body fat. Focusing on a more scientific measurement instead of weight alone ensures a healthy approach to changes in appearance, Harshbarger said.
The Body for Break program will show students how to put safety first when managing their fitness,she said.Rapid weight loss that comes with binge dieting may change body circumference, but it doesnt decrease body fat.
Contestants will be encouraged to participate in cardiovascular, strength and flexibility exercises, and they have the option of working with a fitness trainer or nutrition specialist.
The Rec Center staff can help people begin individualized exercise programs,said Harshbarger, noting that amajority of the centers fitness floor workers are exercise physiology, sport management or physical education majors who can provide advice and feedback.
Im proud of our student workers, their abilities and their eagerness to help people,she said.We want to highlight their skills and accessibility.
Brochures with nutrition and exercise tips will be available each week of Body for Break, and there will be three wellness talks. Nettie Freshour, a dietitian who works with HealthyU,a nationally recognized educational program developed by WVU Dining Services to help students and employees learn to make healthy food choices, will discuss nutrition; Harshbarger will talk about exercise; and Sam Zizzi, an associate professor who teaches in WVU s sport and exercise psychology program, will share tips for exercise motivation.
Registration Information
Registration will be from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the Rec Center free zone. The first 200 people to sign up will receive free Body for Break water bottles.
During registration, participants will learn contest rules, schedule body fat and blood pressure measurements and get theirbeforephotos taken.
TheBody for Break program is an outgrowth of WVU s Wellness and Nutrition Initiative established by WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. to get students, faculty, staff and the community more physically active and aware of campus wellness options.
Sponsors of Body for Break include The Daily Athenaeum, U92 , Stonewall and Wisp resorts and Steve&Barrys University Sportswear Inc.
For more information, contact Harshbarger and Freshour via the Rec Centers Ask the Expert online service at:http://www.studentreccenter.wvu.edu/