Second-year College student Jessie Shields said she doesn't like to run regularly. Instead, she said she swims, plays tennis, takes a volleyball class, goes rock-climbing, hiking, mountain biking and follows Jane Fonda workouts by on cassette tapes.
"Running is hard and boring, especially in the winter, so I do lots of other things for fun and because it's good socially, too," Shields said.
Shields is one of many University students who choose to stay in shape by participating in a variety of activities that are not all traditional ways of working out.
At the University ranked "Hottest for Fitness" in Newsweek's 2005 Kaplan College Guide, some students choose to exercise in a variety of different ways that don't simply revolve around the treadmill and weights.
"We try to offer a comprehensive program that offers different opportunities to lots of people," said Mark Fletcher, associate athletics director for U.Va. Intramural-Recreational Sports.
According to Fletcher, the University's four indoor recreation facilities are open to students a total of 110 hours per week, with the Aquatic Fitness Center (AFC) totaling 50 percent of the use.
"We've tried to create options to keep up the level of anticipation people have to work out here," Fletcher said.
In addition to the traditional indoor facilities, Fletcher said approximately 2,100 students participate in the 65 different club sports offered with IM-Rec Sports, not including students who participate in intramural sports.
"Intramurals are a good way to stay active," second-year Engineering student Brad Costella said.
Costella played intramural softball and volleyball and said after playing sports in high school, intramurals are "a good way to continue" to play sports. He also added it was a good way to meet people.
Alternative Fitness
In addition to intramural and club sports, traditional group fitness classes such as cycling and aerobics are offered at the AFC. The AFC also offers non-traditional classes like the Kukuwa dance class.
According to the IM-Rec Sports Web site, the Kukuwa dance class is a combination of Latin, African and Caribbean Dance aerobics.
Fourth-year College student Abby Winship regularly attends the Kukuwa dance class.
"It's a good way to combine a workout with being exposed to other cultures," Winship said.
Winship added she runs regularly in addition to Kukuwa classes, and normally participates in "diverse things." She also said she is interested in Latin culture and that this helps her enjoy the uniqueness of the Kukuwa class.
"I'm really into Latin culture, so I get excited when [Latin music] comes on," Winship said. "It's fun because you look at yourself in the mirror doing moves you would never do on a dance floor."
While some students choose organized alternative ways of exercise, others prefer individual forms of activity.
Second-year College student Katie Kelly said she began taking fast-paced walks last year after she stopped playing competitive basketball.
"I just like walking instead, because running around the track is monotonous, but if you walk a loop outside, time goes by much faster and you have nicer scenery," Kelly said.
While Kelly acknowledged that walking is harder by the Downtown Mall because of the traffic, she thinks "Charlottesville is very conducive for walking because it has sidewalks and it's a very pretty neighborhood."
Shields's Jane Fonda exercises are also an individual way for her stay active.
"It's not really challenging in the sense of building muscles, but it helps increase flexibility and it's relaxing," Shields said.
She also said she uses the video game Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) exercise mode, which helps her keep track of how many calories she burns. In addition to these individual activities, Shields said she enjoys other forms of exercise, like volleyball class and hiking with a group of friends.
Like Shields, other students prefer to stay active by participating in relaxed group physical activities with their friends.
Fourth-year College student Thurston Childrey, who played basketball and football in high school, enjoys playing pick-up games of basketball and flag football with his friends. However, he doesn't focus on the games as exercise.
"While I'm playing, I don't really think of it as exercise, but if I haven't done anything all day, I'll definitely jump at the chance to play," Childrey said.
Childrey added he doesn't like running, so he enjoys playing because "it keeps me in shape because it's like a form of running."
"It's just a fun way to try and stay in shape," he said.
Just Do It
Shields said she feels that there is some pressure at the University to work out "traditionally," and that when she sees people who run or work out religiously it makes her feel pressured to go work out. However, Shields, who wanted to avoid the "freshman 15," chooses to stay active by participating in a multitude of activities.
Tamsen Grigonis, an IM-Rec personal trainer, fitness coordinator and nutrition consultant, agrees with Childrey and Shields, and suggests people engage in activities they enjoy in order to stay fit.
"We encourage people to incorporate activity into daily life," Grigonis said. "Get involved in activities that are enjoyable, because if you don't like it, you're less likely to do it." According to Grigonis, "it's all about calories in and calories out."
Participating in enjoyable and active events can have positive psychological effects as well, said Lenny Carter, assistant director for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
"There are more and more studies uncovering positive psychological effects of exercise," Carter said.
According to Carter, studies suggest that even two short walks a week probably have long-lasting health benefits if it is a habit built into a healthy lifestyle.
Exercise "seems like a particularly salient issue to college students, because a lot of them played sports in high school but aren't playing now, and that loss of physical activity often plays a part in their clinical picture," Carter said.
Just as many students stay active in a variety of ways, without participating in organized sports.
"The key thing is a just healthy lifestyle," Grigonis said. "All people have to do is just incorporate small activities here and there."
Fletcher's goal to offer a variety of activities through IM-Rec Sports echoes Grigonis's emphasis on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Fletcher added that he "is not hung up on what people choose to do as long as they do something good for themselves."
"We hope to set people into a healthy lifestyle mentality," Fletcher said. "Work hard, play hard."
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