Between classes, studying, activities, jobs and socializing, college students don’t have time for much else. Often, college students don’t find the time for exercise, contributing to unhealthy habits in the future, and “the freshman fifteen.”

However, many students do find ways to incorporate exercise into their daily routine. Most do so by making use of the fitness center on campus, or participating in sports or recreational activities.

The main place to work out is Quinnipiac’s fitness center. The fitness center is open to all students and contains an abundance of exercise equipment, as well as a suspended track, various courts, and rooms for classes.

Equipment in the fitness center includes: bicycles, ellipticals, crosstrainers, treadmills, stairmasters, rowers, free weights and benches, and strength equipment.

Darrah Black, a sophomore who works in the fitness center, noticed a trend in the times of year that most people work out in the fitness center.

“A lot of students exercise in the spring to get fit in the summer,” Black said. “In the winter they exercise less because they can cover up. It all depends on the seasons. The fitness center is also busier after the holidays, because people are trying to loose weight after eating so much.”

Quinnipiac also offers a number of different classes to promote exercise. The classes can be taken weekly for one credit, or on an occasional basis. The student taught classes include yoga, aerobic kickboxing, fencing, self defense, and step aerobics. Classes are usually one hour, and equipment is provided.

“I chose to take a yoga class once a week this semester as part of a requirement for the MAT program thinking at first that it would be an easy way to get the credit I needed,” said sophomore Jennifer Pescik.

“After going to the first class, I found that I actually looked forward to going to the next one because it’s not only relaxing, but it’s also challenging. It’s a good way to get some exercise and release some stress at the same time.”

Some students choose to run or walk around campus as an alternative to using the fitness center. Sophomore Amy Schaefer said, “[Running] is a pain to do, but I feel so great when I’m finished.”

Many students find that the best way to exercise is to have a fun workout through recreational sports or intramurals. The university has a host of intramural sports to promote recreation and fitness. They include, but are not limited to, flag football, soccer, tennis, field hockey, basketball, and volleyball.

College is a time where many good and bad habits can be acquired, so it is important to pick up a good fitness routine now. According to collegebound.net, “More than 80 percent of people who were obese in their mid-30’s became obese during college.”

Even if it seems as if there is no time for exercise, it is important to make the time for it, because it is much more difficult to lose weight than to maintain your current weight.

Quinnipiac’s website provides a guide to running and walking around campus. It has directions for a number of different routes, including the mileage for each route. This can be found at http://www.quinnipiac.edu/prebuilt/pdf/Recreationwalking_bro.pdf.

The Quinnipiac fitness center is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.