“Campus makes for prime jog”

By Christine Fisher

[Originally printed in Temple News 9/15/09]

There’s no need to take the subway to Center City if you’re looking for a good outdoor workout; there are plenty of ideal running routes on and around Main Campus.

Going to school in Philadelphia allows Temple students the exciting option of stepping off the treadmills and indoor tracks and onto the city streets or other areas around Main Campus like the outdoor track.

Temple’s track and field and cross-country teams use the outdoor track at 15th and Berks streets, running trails in Philadelphia and streets in and around Main Campus for outdoor training.

Eric Mobley, coach of Temple’s track and field and cross-country teams, said when the teams head off-campus to practice, they typically run at Valley Green, Belmont Plateau or Kelly Drive.

Kelly Drive stretches the four-mile length extending from the Philadelphia Museum of Art along the Schuylkill River and Boathouse Row.

Mobley is an advocate of running outdoors.

“There’s more to see, different running surfaces, just more options,” he said. “Because of the conditions outside, weather, surface, et cetera, two miles on the treadmill is easier than two miles outside.”

Valley Green and Belmont Plateau are sections of Fairmount Park, a system of 63 regional and neighborhood parks, which boasts more than 215 miles of recreation trails. Getting to certain sections of Fairmount Park from Main Campus often requires some form of transportation, but if transportation is unavailable, Temple students should know they still have options.

“If we are limited to just our feet for transportation, we will run either on the track or down Broad Street straight past City Hall, until it’s time to turn around,” Karrie Finn said. The sophomore biology major is a Temple cross-country runner.

Students can also choose to run west from Temple’s Main Campus, along Fairmount Avenue, to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This route is about two miles long and connects with Kelly Drive. For shorter runs, Shameka Marshall, assistant coach for Temple track and field, said students can run south on Broad Street and turn around at Girard Avenue.

Brian Norton is a leader of Philly Runners, a group that runs together three times a week, and notes that running outside is a good core work out.

“The constant adjustment to pavement, leaves, other pedestrians … keeps the runner moving vertically and challenges you to maintain a steady pace,” Norton said.

Safety is always a factor to consider when running outside. Members and coaches of the cross-country and track and field teams agree, though, that if students take certain precautions when running outdoors, Temple can be a safe and enjoyable experience.

“As a team, we feel perfectly safe running almost anywhere we please,” said Rebecca Mims, captain of the women’s cross-country team.

Still, students who run in the city have a story or two to tell.

“I haven’t really been full-out hit by a car, but I was tapped by one that wasn’t looking while I was crossing the street,” Finn said. “People make ignorant comments as our group runs through the city, and some think it’s funny to join in for a little bit.”

“For ladies, attire may be a factor,” Marshall said, adding that women who run along the city streets may want to don more conservative running gear in order to avoid receiving “interesting comments” from bystanders.

Regardless of where students choose to run, Mobley recommends they stay on busier streets, run with other people and avoid using iPods or MP3 players.

Mims said students should try to vary the surfaces they run on.

“It is important to balance your time on concrete with softer surfaces to avoid injuries if you are running more than three or so miles a day,” she said.

Marshall suggests that in addition to running, students should work out in Temple’s indoor pool to relieve stress from their knees while still achieving a cardio workout.

“Sometimes, it’s good to change up the routine, so you can work other muscles and change your breathing rhythm,” Marshall said. “Running the McGonigle stairs, for instance, is good and doing long sprints in the grass at the track is another option.”

“The main thing,” Marshall said, “ is fitness can be achieved in many ways, so give yourself a variety.”

Christine Fisher can be reached at fisher.christine@temple.edu.

Fitness options not too far from home

[Originally printed in The Temple News March 3, 2009]

It is hard enough to go to class, not to mention the gym, when the temperature drops to 30 degrees or below.

Fortunately, it is easy enough to get a comprehensive workout that doesn’t require walking in the cold, rain or snow to get to the gym. Students living on campus have the added advantage of fitness equipment that Temple provides in every Main Campus residence hall.

A combination of cardio, resistance and stretching provides the best workout geared toward general weight loss and maintenance. The elliptical trainers and treadmills available in residence halls give students the chance to get a cardio workout without having to go out in the cold.

Temple students keep up with treadmills in the upper level of the IBC Student Recreation Center. Many students, however, prefer to work out in their own residence hall (Carroll Moore/TTN).

Tricia DePoe, a fitness coordinator at Temple, suggests students alternate between the treadmill and elliptical trainers or use both on some days.

“You don’t ever want to do the same routine all the time,” she said. “Your body gets used to it, and it’s not as beneficial.”

She also advises students not to hold onto the treadmill when walking or running.

“When you swing your arms, you are increasing your heart rate and getting more of a workout,” she said.

For cardio activities, DePoe tells students to focus on their heart rates, noting that the benefits of increasing heart rates include burning fat, losing weight and strengthening the heart.

Assistant Director of Student Recreation Anne Wilkinson, who also serves as an adjunct professor in the department of kinesiology and the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, emphasizes the importance of working at an increased heart rate.

She recommends working at levels students can keep up with, but that would make having a conversation somewhat difficult.

As for how much exercise, students need to maintain or lose weight, Wilkinson said, as she follows the “Fitness, Intensity, Type and Time,” principle guidelines. By FITT standards, workouts should be between 20 minutes and 60 minutes, as many as three to five times per week.

Wilkinson said the most important thing is to simply get moving. If students cannot exercise for 20 minutes, she said one way to get to this level is to start with three 10-minute exercise sessions a day.
In addition to doing cardio with the treadmills and elliptical trainers available in the residence halls, students can do resistance and stretching exercises without having to leave the building.

Free weights and weight machines can be used when available, but students can use their own body weights for this type of exercise. Push-ups, lunges, squats, sit-ups and back extensions are just a few resistance exercises that can be done without fitness equipment.

Such exercise is important for weight loss because your body burns more fat at rest when it has more lean body mass. Resistance training also tightens muscles, increases strength and tones. It is important, DePoe notes, to work arms, legs and abs into your regular exercise routine.

Wilkinson admits that students will feel minor aches because “if you are doing it right, you will feel it.”
To deal with these aches and pains, Wilkinson emphasizes the importance of stretching. She advocates stretching as a means of reaching a fuller range of motion, repairing muscle and relieving stress.

As with resistance training, stretching can be done almost anywhere and does not require students to walk in the cold, snow or rain to get to a gym.

With any and all types of exercise, Wilkinson advises students to drink water before, during and after working out.

“If you’re thirsty,” she said, “you’re already dehydrated.”

Electrolyte sport drinks, however, should be avoided unless exercising for more than 60 minutes. These drinks provide more calories than health benefits.

Wilkinson also stresses the importance of safety measures such as telling someone when and where you plan to exercise.

As the cold winter months linger, do not let the weather keep you from staying in shape. With a few basic exercises and the assistance of Temple’s fitness equipment, you can stay in and still stay fit.

Christine Fisher can be reached at fisher.christine@temple.edu.

Fitness Series: Spinning Sessions for Stamina

[ Originally pritned in The Temple News http://temple-news.com/2009/03/24/spinning-sessions-for-stamina-sweat/ ]

Spinning, a trademark cycling program, is offered in 17 sessions a week by Campus Recreation, making it the most frequently offered group fitness session at the IBC Student Recreation Center.

Students push themselves to the limit on exercise bikes during the strenuous Spinning sessions at the IBC. The sessions are set to upbeat music and students are often motivated to work hard to burn extra calories during their workouts (Jonathan Braymer/TTN).

Tricia DePoe, fitness coordinator and a Spinning leader, said Spinning is one of the few group fitness sessions to offer 40 minutes of straight cardio as opposed to a combination of endurance, strength and cardio.

Each of the Spinning instructors has been trained through a specialized program, and sessions must follow specific guidelines.

Workouts are all set to upbeat music, starting with a gradual warm up and transitioning into different exercises, which utilize resistance levels and different cycling positions. The time following each standard 40-minute session is designated to cooling down and stretching.

Because it is such a cardio-focused exercise program, Spinning offers a full body workout, instructors said.

Tracey Heckstall, who has been a Spinning leader at the IBC for two years, said since it is mostly a cardio workout, the average person can burn 300 to 500 calories per session.

“The great thing about Spinning is it’s your own ride,” Heckstall said.

Both Heckstall and DePoe emphasized the fact that each person in the Spinning class determines how challenging his or her own workout will be. Spinning bikes can be adjusted for resistance throughout the session.

“Some days, you’ll push yourself harder than other days,” DePoe said.

DePoe and Heckstall also agree that because Spinning allows participants to set their own paces, it is suitable for beginners.

Heckstall said almost everybody is fit enough to spin. She found that Spinning helped her lose weight and enabled her to become fit enough to do other types of exercises as well.

Although you can control how hard you push yourself, some people find Spinning a challenging workout.
DePoe warns some beginners not to start out pushing themselves too hard because they will burn out.
Despite Spinning’s reputation as challenging, it seems to have a fairly loyal following.

“I do see a lot of familiar faces,” DePoe said about the different crowds she sees in the morning, afternoon and evening sessions.

She said the morning crowd has a lot of die-hard Spinners. In the afternoon, there is a lunch crowd with more Temple employees, and in the evening, a mix of people return, some trying Spinning for the first time, she said.

Just as Spinning is accessible to beginners and returning fans, it attracts both males and females. DePoe said more males participate in Spinning than any of the other group fitness sessions offered at the IBC.

DePoe and Heckstall stress the importance of drinking water before, during and after sessions.

Sessions are offered three times a day Monday through Friday and once on Saturday and Sunday. A complete schedule, adjusted by semester, can be found at http://www.temple.edu/campusrec/groupfitness.

Christine Fisher can be reached at fisher.christine@temple.edu.