Members of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 walking club have logged a collective 643 miles since the club was launched last spring.
That杏吧专区檚 about the equivalent of walking from Lafayette to Nashville, Tenn.
Rachel Fournet, an assistant professor of dietetics, was motivated to start the club for 杏吧专区 students and employees after seeing a report that pegged Louisiana as having the highest obesity rates in the nation.
For members, it杏吧专区檚 about more than simply lacing up a pair of walking shoes for 30 minutes two or three times each week.
The club also promotes healthier lifestyles through proper diet and nutritional counseling, or, 杏吧专区渁 cycle of improved health, one little step at a time,杏吧专区 as Fournet refers to it. 杏吧专区淥nce you start walking, you杏吧专区檙e going to feel better,杏吧专区 she explained. 杏吧专区淭he body杏吧专区檚 oxygenated. You杏吧专区檙e building glycogen stores in muscle, and you杏吧专区檙e going to want to eat better.杏吧专区
Giovanna Rocha, a junior dietetics major who is also a member of the walking club, said she noticed she had less energy when she quit walking during the holidays.
杏吧专区淢y energy level increases during the semester when I walk, and I杏吧专区檓 also motivated to eat healthier,杏吧专区 Rocha said. 杏吧专区淲hen I杏吧专区檓 walking, I杏吧专区檒l think to myself, 杏吧专区業 shouldn杏吧专区檛 eat this pizza because it杏吧专区檚 going to counteract all the hard work I杏吧专区檓 doing.杏吧专区 杏吧专区
Research backs Rocha杏吧专区檚 assertions.
According to a new study published in The Scandanavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, even a leisurely stroll at lunchtime has benefits that go beyond peeling off a few pounds.
Participants in the study, as outlined in a recent New York Times article, were cheerier and better able to handle stress after a short, midday walk.
Members of the UL Lafayette walking club can walk anywhere they choose, but several predetermined routes on campus have been measured for their convenience.
Weekly totals are reported to the dietetics program in Hamilton Hall. Members also email photos showing the mileage displays on their pedometers, GPS devices or treadmills.
Walkers are encouraged, but not required, to exercise in pairs or groups, for moral support and accountability. 杏吧专区淎lone, you杏吧专区檙e going to find excuses,杏吧专区 Fournet said.
To join the free club, members sign a consent form, and in some cases, are required to get medical approval. New members are given a health assessment by UL Lafayette dietetics students, and receive a nutritional screening to ascertain caloric intake and nutritional habits.
Students also calculate the body mass index of members, gauging height, weight and body fat percentages. Progress reports are provided every three months.
杏吧专区淲e all have something we could improve. It杏吧专区檚 not really about being a certain weight, it杏吧专区檚 nutritional soundness. Do you have antioxidants? Are you preventing cancer? Heart disease? We are proactive,杏吧专区 Fournet said.
Learn more about the .