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Villanova
steps into fitness challenge
By Elizabeth Solly '05
This spring semester, health-conscious
Villanovans have a new way to get in shape: the 10,000 STEPS Fitness
Challenge. This program gives students the opportunity to borrow pedometers
from either Stanford or Farley Fitness Center in exchange for their
Wildcards. The students can then clip the pedometers onto their clothes when
they go for a walk or run and clock their steps. After finishing their
workouts, students return the pedometers, retrieve their Wildcards, and log
the number of steps they have taken.
To make the Fitness Challenge more exciting, a
winner will be declared each week. The person who clocks the most steps will
receive a prize at the end of that week. Prizes will also be awarded at the
end of the entire contest, and overall winners will be declared.
Participants will also receive weekly newsletters
containing fitness tips and congratulations to exercisers who meet the goal
of 10,000 steps. Currently, there are 32 participants involved with the
program, but students may join in at any point in the semester.
Lisa Melillo, Villanova’s Coordinator of Intramurals
and Recreation, initiated the program, and executed it in conjunction with
intramurals coordinators Philip Snead at Farley Fitness Center and Joanna
Phang at Stanford Fitness Center. Philip contacted friends who had
successfully initiated similar programs at other universities, and modified
their formats to suit Villanova’s needs. The principal motivation for the
program is to promote fitness through the attainment of realistic goals.
Philip noted, “If people set a goal for themselves, they will be more likely
to achieve.” |
