Fitness and nutrition awareness have been capturing plenty of attention nationwide in the past decade, and a large number of FSU students are now becoming more aware of the benefits that come with having health and fitness goals.
“So many of the people who have visited the Leach Center lately have tried to ask more questions about fitness and acquire more knowledge about their health rather than their looks,” Fitness Instructor Morgan Rummerfield said.
The Leach Center offers many amenities for students interested in a healthy lifestyle, including nutrition services, physical therapy, fitness instruction and massage therapy.
“We’re no longer accepting the quick-fix method people use anymore, we want to educate and teach fellow students about health and fitness essentials,” Rummerfield said. “We’ve had a good amount of health conscious people lately. Before, we had a lot of girls who just wanted to get skinny and do it the wrong way simply by eating next to nothing.”
Local eateries around campus such as Tropical Smoothie, which prepares nutritional wraps, have opened with the intention of providing healthy eating options for students.
“People really look at this place as a health food store, and we get a lot of college students and kids in here all the time,” Tropical Smoothie Training Supervisor Curtis Cooper said. “A lot of our wraps provide plenty of protein for the healthy diets that students are on, whether it be low carb or another. They can check out the nutrition information we provide on the menu. I’m glad we’re able to tell students we do have stuff in here for them.”
With an abundance of fast food joints revealing their nutrition information, many students have come to believe that a healthy lifestyle cannot be maintained with these kinds of foods in a balanced diet. However, many fast food restaurants have recently attempted to change that image with the addition of salads and health conscious meals that boast healthy ingredients and dressings.
“I didn’t even know fast food places had fat-free menus now,” Cooper said. “It’s just not really acceptable to go to those places thinking that you’ll get something healthy. It’s associated now with the fast food hamburger and fries, not low in fat. Tropical Smoothie and places like that could be considered an upscale fast food in a sense that you order and it’s done in five minutes.”
Health doesn’t stop after one short trip to the Leach Center and a few good meals, however. In order for a health plan to be effective, an individual’s physical regimen must take place on a somewhat regular basis.
“Some people just go to the gym or exercise more than others, but my friends and I now try to stay healthy in different ways,” FSU junior Eric Beasley said. “Mostly we work out and do a little bit of cardio. No one thing is going to make you in shape.”
Many students have gotten creative in filling their daily exercise requirement, doing everything from signing up for summer intramural sports to taking a brisk walk around FSU’s campus.
“We have had more of a return for intramural sports in the past couple of years in almost every sport we offer,” Assistant Director of Campus Recreation David Peters said. “Students enjoy the social activity and fitness aspect combined. In the fall we’ll offer over 15 sports such as flag football and swimming for students to get involved in.”