Members of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 walking club have logged a collective 643 miles since the club was launched last spring.
That小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP students and employees after seeing a report that pegged Louisiana as having the highest obesity rates in the nation.
For members, it小蝌蚪APP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, 小蝌蚪APP渁 cycle of improved health, one little step at a time,小蝌蚪APP as Fournet refers to it. 小蝌蚪APP淥nce you start walking, you小蝌蚪APP檙e going to feel better,小蝌蚪APP she explained. 小蝌蚪APP淭he body小蝌蚪APP檚 oxygenated. You小蝌蚪APP檙e building glycogen stores in muscle, and you小蝌蚪APP檙e going to want to eat better.小蝌蚪APP
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.
小蝌蚪APP淢y energy level increases during the semester when I walk, and I小蝌蚪APP檓 also motivated to eat healthier,小蝌蚪APP Rocha said. 小蝌蚪APP淲hen I小蝌蚪APP檓 walking, I小蝌蚪APP檒l think to myself, 小蝌蚪APP業 shouldn小蝌蚪APP檛 eat this pizza because it小蝌蚪APP檚 going to counteract all the hard work I小蝌蚪APP檓 doing.小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP
Research backs Rocha小蝌蚪APP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. 小蝌蚪APP淎lone, you小蝌蚪APP檙e going to find excuses,小蝌蚪APP 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.
小蝌蚪APP淲e all have something we could improve. It小蝌蚪APP檚 not really about being a certain weight, it小蝌蚪APP檚 nutritional soundness. Do you have antioxidants? Are you preventing cancer? Heart disease? We are proactive,小蝌蚪APP Fournet said.
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