Reduction in exercise remains a problem affecting adults' health
- by Sonya Ray: Newswriting Student

As fall arrives and winter draws near, the want for a fit body starts to fade.

The lengthy darkness and the lure of sports and special programs on television, not to mention the cold weather approaching, could be why students choose not to participate in activities outside of their homes. Exercise, which includes aerobics, is important because it helps maintain students’ overall mental and physical health.

According to the Surgeon General, 70 percent of adults in the United States do not get enough physical activity, and more than one-third of children do not participate regularly in vigorous exercise. A study released by Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March 2004 found that 400,000 deaths in the United States are linked to poor diet and lack of physical activity. The number of deaths has increased 33 percent since 1990.

CU offers numerous physical education courses to help promote wellness in students. Teresa Worthington, a member of the CU faculty, has taught aerobics at Cameron since 1984. When she first started there was just one class each year. The need for aerobics has risen since then, and the classes have increased to about seven or eight per year.

Worthington’s classes include water aerobics, beginning rhythmic aerobics, step aerobics and aeroball aerobics. This semester she teaches four aerobic classes and a hiking class.

“With aerobics, I like when people tell me how much better they feel after a couple of weeks in class,” Worthington said.

She feels that exercising at least three times a week and eating well is the key to students’ mental and physical health.

“It’s going to improve their overall health and make them feel better. It’s going to help them live longer,” she said.

Worthington also said that exercise is hard work, but that students will reap the benefits in the long run. She feels her hiking course, which is offered on the weekends, is beneficial. Students are able to experience the outdoors while working to keep their bodies fit.

“I like to introduce students to the Refuge because a lot of people don’t know what’s out there,” she said.
An alternative to participating in an aerobics course is to visit the CU fitness center. The center is available for student and faculty use. The CU Fitness Center includes a swimming pool, a playing floor for basketball and volleyball, four racquetball courts, a track, Nautilus and weight training area, aerobic floor, locker facilities and administrative offices. West of the Shepler Center are the CU tennis courts, which are also under the administrative supervision of the Fitness Center staff.

Victor P. Fredricks, a business administration senior, has incorporated the CU Fitness Center into his daily workout plan.

“I believe fitness is important because it keeps up with your well-being — the well-being meaning that you have a better posture, better image, and you get your creativity juices flowing, and it helps you to be a better person,” Fredricks said.

Fredricks, who has been a personal trainer and an aerobics instructor, said exercise is a part of life. He believes he became a better person since he began to exercise and take better care of his body.

According to Worthington, students who exercise tend to have an increased metabolism, better muscle tone and their stress levels are reduced. Endorphins, which are released in the brain during exercise, help to fight against depression, and they help students’ move into the direction of a relaxed lifestyle.