Students and employees of West Virginia University looking to lose a considerable amount of body fat are encouraged to join this year’s Fit Camp, sponsored by the Student Recreation Center.

Fit Camp is a summer weight-loss program designed to get participants on track with better eating and exercise habits. The components of the program include intense group workout sessions, personal training and nutrition coaching.

Registration for the program ends on May 15, and the program runs for eight weeks, from May 23 until July 18. Pre-assessments begin May 16, and post assessments will take place during the last week of the program. To register, visit the website at http://studentreccenter.wvu.edu/fitcamp. There is a $75 registration fee for students, employees and SRC members.

Nancy Oliverio, manager of fitness and wellness at the SRC, said the program was designed years ago to encourage recreation center attendance for students who usually would not use the facility.

“We developed Fit Camp for the overweight population because we weren’t seeing a lot of that at the rec center, and when we were, it was a lot of people who said they were intimidated by coming here,” Oliverio said. “Fit Camp can help ease them into the rec center, get them feeling more comfortable working out here, and in the process help them get on the path to weight loss and living healthier.”

Oliverio said the program is unique from the other SRC programs in that it is smaller, and each participant gets personalized attention from a trainer.

“The rec center is slower in the summer, which allows us to really focus in on each individual person, that is imperative in this program,” Oliverio said. “We usually get about 10 to 15 people each summer, which ends up being a tight knit group. They all become friends, work out together and support each other.”

There will be prizes from local businesses given to participants at the end of the program with the most overall improvement, body fat loss and weight loss. Additionally, prizes will be given to the participant who takes part in the most program components weekly.

Past programs have shown “stellar” results, Oliverio said.

“All of our past participants have gone up in strength, flexibility and amount of push-ups they could do, and the average body fat loss was about 5 percent,” Oliverio said. “Eight weeks is the very minimum you’ll start seeing results in a fitness program, and we hope Fit Camp provides the members with enough education, motivation and self-efficacy to continue to lose weight on their own.”

This year’s program is the first to include employees and SRC patrons, Oliverio said.

“We focus most of our time on students usually, so this is a program where any employee struggling with their fitness can get in on what we offer here to improve their lives,” Oliverio said. “It is never too late to start your fitness journey and get yourself healthy, and we are hoping faculty members will take advantage of this opportunity.”

For more information on Fit Camp or to register, visit http://studentreccenter.wvu.edu/fitcamp.
The program coordinators are currently seeking donations having to do with wellness and healthy living from local businesses. To donate items, contact Oliverio at 304-293-5065 or Nancy.Oliverio@mail.wvu.edu .

-WVU-

mm/05/11/11

CONTACT: Nancy Oliverio, WVU Student Recreation Center
304-293-5065, nancy.oliverio@mail.wvu.edu