Members of the 麻豆夜市鈥檚 walking club have logged a collective 643 miles since the club was launched last spring.
That鈥檚 about the equivalent of walking from Lafayette to Nashville, Tenn.
Rachel Fournet, an assistant professor of dietetics, was motivated to start the club for University students and employees after seeing a report that pegged Louisiana as having the highest obesity rates in the nation.
For members, it鈥檚 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, 鈥渁 cycle of improved health, one little step at a time,鈥 as Fournet refers to it. 鈥淥nce you start walking, you鈥檙e going to feel better,鈥 she explained. 鈥淭he body鈥檚 oxygenated. You鈥檙e building glycogen stores in muscle, and you鈥檙e going to want to eat better.鈥
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.
鈥淢y energy level increases during the semester when I walk, and I鈥檓 also motivated to eat healthier,鈥 Rocha said. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 walking, I鈥檒l think to myself, 鈥業 shouldn鈥檛 eat this pizza because it鈥檚 going to counteract all the hard work I鈥檓 doing.鈥 鈥
Research backs Rocha鈥檚 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 麻豆夜市 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. 鈥淎lone, you鈥檙e going to find excuses,鈥 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 麻豆夜市 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.
鈥淲e all have something we could improve. It鈥檚 not really about being a certain weight, it鈥檚 nutritional soundness. Do you have antioxidants? Are you preventing cancer? Heart disease? We are proactive,鈥 Fournet said.
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