The 10 Weeks to Fitness project is returning to the University of Guelph campus for the second time since the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Guelph initiative began in 2013.
“EIM is dedicated to promoting exercise prescription as a way treat and prevent many chronic conditions,” says Jill Jaworski, the president of EIM Guelph. The movement’s main goal is to encourage a healthy lifestyle among Canadians, which they believe can be done by incorporating physical activity into a daily routine in a variety of simple ways. Moreover, the global movement is encouraging health professionals to promote physical activity in disease prevention and treatment.
In addition, EIM helps to promote active living and inform the public on the innumerable benefits of exercise through workshops, guest lectures, work in seniors’ homes, and annual symposiums. EIM also provides tips, motivation, and research summaries through their social media.
One of these on-campus initiatives is the “10 Weeks to Fitness” program, which operates in partnership with the Office of Intercultural Affairs (OIA). This program runs a variety of exercise and wellness events every week for 10 weeks.
“The project is meant to help students try out different forms of exercise so they can see that there are lots of ways to exercise, and to see what they like best, without having to pay any sort of fee,” says Jaworski. This includes events such as running groups, rock climbing, salsa dancing, skating, as well as workshops, all of which are open to anyone and free of cost. The main goals of this initiative are to make exercise fun and social, and to break common myths about exercise that serve as barriers. Events are primarily advertised through the social media of EIM Guelph as well as the OIA’s social media.
The first event kicking off the program was a Fitness Goals workshop with Lindzie O’Reilly, the dietitian at Student Health Services and the Wellness Education Center. This event emphasized the idea that in order to stay dedicated, it is essential to set goals that define clearly what we are hoping to achieve.
In light of the new year, many people tend to set “New Year’s resolutions,” which are often goals that are unrealistic or are simply too broad and too long-term.
“To stay motivated and committed, it is essential to set SMART goals: specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and timely,” said O’Reilly.
She emphasizes that the trick is finding how to make small changes, and breaking up a long-term goal into smaller commitments that can be achieved in the short-term. These achievements can be built into a habit, which in the long-term will become an integrated part of our routine.
Especially as students, we have very busy and stressful schedules that make time our biggest barrier to exercising, but exercising doesn’t have to take a lot of time.
“It’s easier than you think,” says O’Reilly, and it’s not necessarily about finding extra time to exercise, but about doing the things we already do but differently. For example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, biking to school instead of taking the bus, or taking a walk for a few minutes.
This comes back to the common misconception that we need to set aside time to exercise, which makes it sound more difficult, and much more time-consuming than it is. The total recommended duration of physical activity is 30 minutes a day, five days a week, but these 30 minutes can be broken down into five to 10 minutes at a time, which can be easily accomplished by making small changes in our day.
“It is important to do something that you enjoy and not feel pres`sured to do it because someone believes that it needs to be done a certain way,” says O’Reilly. Not everyone enjoys going to the gym, so setting a goal to go to the gym every day might be difficult to maintain, and might create feelings of frustration and guilt when we don’t have the time or motivation to go. There are many fun activities that do not involve the gym, and can be done indoors or outdoors when the weather allows. Even taking a 10-minute break from studying to have a quick dance break, or to exercise at home can be of great benefit and can be easily done using the many tutorials online, and easily-found household equipment such as a chair or a wall.
The journey to integrating fitness in our routine can be challenging at times, which is why it is important to try new things that you may like, make small efforts throughout the day to become more active, find a friend to exercise with, and most importantly, do things that make you feel good physically and mentally. O’Reilly says that sometimes the best approach is to just “put on your shoes and see what happens,” listening to your body and being spontaneous, which will help you figure out what works best for you and what makes you feel the best.
10 Weeks of Fitness will allow you to do just that with the many free, fun and diverse activities through which you will be able to explore new sports, meet new people to be active with, and find simple ways to make exercise a part of your daily routine.
“There are many resources available to students on campus, including free equipment and amenities, the pool, reduced prices for various classes such as Zumba and cycling, and other activities,” says O’Reilly.
Some of the benefits to regular activity include improved blood flow to many tissues and organs, a healthier heart, prevention of many chronic diseases like diabetes and heart diseases, higher levels of energy, better sleep, stress relief, improved self-image, improved academic performance, as well as positive mental health outcomes.
The bottom line is to listen to your body when it comes to whatever type of activity you choose to do, alongside the intensity, the length and the time of day during which you exercise. Choose a time when you have enough energy to be active, don’t make yourself exercise if you are sick or feeling weak, and stop when feeling sore. Find what works best for you and your schedule and what makes you feel good. That way, you will be able to enjoy the process and to reach a much healthier lifestyle.