Matt Weir/The Collegian
New year, new semester, new resolutions.
One New Year’s resolution has students checking into the Student Recreation Center or a local gym more than usual.
Winter break, with all of the holiday foods that we eat, may have caused some students to induldge in foods that are high in calories. The new year is a time for students to look at the past year and change what they didn’t like.
“I think a lot of people are noticing now that being healthy isn’t just about looks, but it’s also for your health,” Deirdre Bayne, a biology major, said.
Bayne has been working at the front desk of the SRC for three years. She said the busiest time of the day at the SRC is around 7 p.m., but the busiest time of the year is January and the start of each semester.
“Usually the start of every semester we’re always busy because we always have new students and a lot of people who want to come in, check it out and see what they’re paying for,” Bayne said. “It’s always really busy here.”
According to Customer Relations Coordinator Amy Allen, 8,765 people checked-in to the SRC during the first full week of classes for the spring 2010 semester. The numbers dropped by almost 1,000 at the start of the fall 2010 semester. During the last full week of classes last semester, only 4,793 people checked-in to the SRC.
“How you take care of yourself is how you are going to lead your life when you’re older,” Bayne said. “Muscle has memory, so when you do it when you’re young, you’ll be able to take care of yourself a lot easier then you’re older.”
Recreation administration major Nick Springer has been working at the SRC front desk for two years and said a lot of people lose track of their weight over the Thanksgiving holiday and winter break.
“There would be times at the end of last year when there would be two or three people in here,” Springer said. “At the beginning of this year, there’s never a time where there’s probably less than 40 or 50 people in here.”
Springer also said the start of the year is only a couple of months away from spring break in April.
“Everyone wants to get back into shape for spring break and get back into bathing-suit season,” Springer said.
Getting into shape and losing weight is the No. 1 New Year’s resolution for people of all ages, but a lot of people don’t have the time or money to buy a gym membership. The SRC is located next to the Save Mart Center ”” giving students, faculty and staff a convenient place to fulfill their New Year’s resolution.
“I think people are taking advantage of what they pay for, instead of paying for Gb3 or Bally [Total Fitness],” Bayne said.
Students have an opportunity to interact with faculty and staff, as well as other students in group-fitness classes and throughout the SRC.”
“We’re younger, we’re on the same boat here,” Bayne said. “We can help each other.”
The new year has just begun and the spring 2011 semester is a great time to start achieving goals that weren’t reached last year.
“Be consistent, don’t set goals that aren’t achievable,” Bayne said. “Always start with a goal that’s really small; that way when you do achieve it, you feel more satisfied with the things you are doing.”