Forget pens and bluebooks. LIFE: Rx’s test is all blood, sweat and tears.
Two months after Olin Health Center’s LIFE: Rx tested their endurance, strength and flexibility, students from Kinesology 201 returned to IM Sports-Circle looking to see whether weeks of training for the test had paid off.
For Jazzmin Lewis, it had.
Lewis cranked out 60 push-ups in one minute, doubling her previous score of 30.
“It’s helped me maintain a healthy lifestyle,” the kinesiology freshman said. “Because I’m not playing sports right now, I need to take classes like this so I don’t slack off.”
Mike Sheffield, who is interning for LIFE: Rx, said the program aims to help students stay healthy and fit — a difficult task for some college students.
“Our goal is to get out there and tell people about exercising and health,” the physiology junior said. “A lot of times people want to exercise and go to the gym, but they don’t know how to use the equipment or how to exercise properly.”
For $15 dollars, LIFE: Rx determines how fit students are through a variety of tests measuring health indicators such as muscular endurance, aerobic capacity and body fat. The results are used to design a fitness program tailored to the individual.
Jon Kermiet, the coordinator of LIFE: Rx, said regular exercise benefits students both physically and mentally.
“Students want to look good, they want to feel good, they want to have more energy, they want to sleep better and they want to have less stress,” Kermiet said. “Students see the benefit of exercise for that purpose.”
According to the 2006 MSU Student Health Assessment, 40.6 percent of students exercise three or more days per week.
That number is low because students often find it difficult to fit physical activity into their schedule, Kermiet said.
Elizabeth Motz agrees.
With 15 credit hours, the animal science freshman said finding time to break away from her studies is difficult.
“I feel like my studying is more important right now,” Motz said. “Being it’s my first semester, I’m trying to stay focused and stay on the right foot.”
In some instances, however, exercise can help students study more effectively, Kermiet said.
“You get some students who study for hours and realize that nothing is sinking in,” Kermiet said. “If you get up and move around and then get back to it, you’ll be much more effective.”
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