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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY,OCT.24,2001
HEALTH HiLL
discuss how students can maintain exercise habits without leaving campus. STORY BY LIZ FRANKLIN.
From campus topography to plans for a new student recreation facility to be completed for the 2004 fall semester, the University of Kansas is decidedly exercise-friendly.
cise-friendly. KU has not had a physical education requirement since the mid-1930s, and KU ambassadors are quick to tell incoming students during orientation that the University has a "rigorous campus."
Regular exercise is still a part of student life
Exercise has positive effects physiologically, psychologically and socially, said Wayne Osness, chairman of the department of health, sport and exercise science.
"Students that exercise regularly simply do better in class," he said. "Generally, they have a positive avenue to interact with other students and, of course, there are many positive changes in a growing body that is physically active."
Experts now recommend the equivalent of at least five 30-minute cardiovascular workouts of moderate intensity per week for adults.
That intensity can be found on campus.
The most basic exercise, and easy to fit into daily walks on campus, is climbing stairs. According to KU Info, the area under and immediately around Wescoe Hall contains 389 stairs. The staircase from the corner of Sunflower Road and Sunnyside Avenue up to Blake Hall has 102 steps. Depending on the combination of steps taken, students walking up to Anschutz Library or Budig Hall from Robinson Center will climb a minimum of 80 stairs.
Even dorm life is well suited for stair climbing — resi
Justin Nicholson, Wichita junior, performs a rail slide at the Lawrence Skate Park, Ninth and lowa Streets. Nicholson said he enjoys skateboarding as his primary source of exercise.
dence halls average 16 stairs between every floor
Climbing stairs targets gluteals (buttocks), quadriiceps and calves, said Julie Welsh, Prairie Village junior and personal trainer for campus recreation facilities.
Choices abound on campus for people who want to exercise more or just better — and not all of them are gymdependent.
"Lawrence is a hill," Welsh said. Just walking to class every day, while it can't replace a half-hour jog, will burn a few extra calories.
Running, rollerblading, skateboarding, biking, jumping rope and cross-country skiing are good cardiovascular workouts away from the gym, said Lindsay Leonard, Carbondale, Colo., freshman and personal trainer.
Focusing on hills can help increase endurance. Leonard suggested jumping rope in three-minute intervals, sprinting the last 30 seconds and then resting for one minute before the next three-minute set.
The mind-body connection is as prevalent in exercise motivation as in exercise effects, Welsh and Leonard said.
Welsh cited mostly mental and emotional motivators for her own exercise.
"It gives you release to let out your aggression in a healthy way," she said. "If I don't exercise, I get depressed. And then I eat."
Leonard said, "For me, it keeps me balanced. And I feel like if I stay really stable physically,it motivates me," drawing a connection between physical achievement and increased productivity at tasks like homework.
increased productivity at the They suggested getting a workout buddy, listening to music while working out, and going to bed focusing on the next morning's workout to stay motivated.
next morning's workout may need some. Some sources even advocate aromatherapy when that trek to the gym gets too daunting. According to the November issue of *Glamour*, smelling peppermint can not only improve moods but actually make people exercise harder.
Variety is an integral factor in keeping exercise exciting, or at least not oppressive. Variety is also extremely important in keeping exercise routines as effective as possible Leonard said.
Leilani said.
"If you just do the same thing, your body gets used to it," she said. "You're not actually working toward your physical peak, you're just maintaining where you're at."
Leonard and Welsh urged students to include strength training in their exercise regimen. Leonard said bodies typically burned calories at an elevated rate for about 30 minutes after a cardiovascular workout.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
KU Rock Climbing Club member Michele Harp, Overland Park senior, eyes the next hand grip on the horizontal climbing wall at Robinson Gymnasium. The two climbing walls in room 207 are open to students several times a week.
warts, she said.
Not all strength training exercises rely on the gym.
Junior-high gym teachers have a point when requiring students to perform push-ups and sit-ups.
But after a strength training session, "your body has the potential to keep burning calories for up to two hours afterwards," she said.
The key to push-ups, Leonard and Welsh said, is to keep the back straight to avoid lower-back injuries. Addressing the fact that many women lack upper-body strength, Leonard suggested five intervals of 20 sit-ups followed by 10 push-ups to ease into a routine.
push-ups to ease into a routine. People wary of lower-back strain can substitute crunches for sit-ups. While numerous crunch variations target certain abdominal muscles, Leonard and Welsh said they saw nothing wrong with the basic crunch — on the back with knees bent.
The key, they said, is to keep abdominal muscles tight while raising shoulder blades a few inches off the ground, and to look at the ceiling to avoid curving the neck.
For more exercises involving household components and variations on gym classics, Leonard suggested reading magazines. They target teen-age girls and women, and are especially likely to contain toning and other workout tips.
The personal trainers also suggested tucking feet under a counter or couch to keep the body from sliding.
They said a textbook on the head could help increase this exercise's intensity. Welsh said walking with gluteal muscles tensed helped with toning.
For arms and backs, Leonard and Welsh suggested holding arms straight out and making slow, small circles both forward and backward. People can also do dips off a couch or a chair: sitting with hands on the edge of the seat and legs at a 90-degree angle, lower the body toward the floor and rise toward the seat level.
Those who want more intense arm training can purchase free weights from most sporting goods stores or use household goods such as soup cans, water bottles and milk jugs to do exercises such as bicep curls.
a counterweight in a backpack. Leonard and Welsh advised doing wall sits — the back against a wall and knees at a 90-degree angle for as long as possible — and lunges and squats to tone thighs and gluteals.
Contact Franklin at 864-4810
JAKE TEITELBAUM/KANSAN