By Helaina Thompson
From Ryan Lochte’s infamous bathroom shenanigans to the dressage horse that pranced to Santana’s “Smooth,” the 2016 Rio Olympic Games captivated me. When I wasn’t watching slow motion YouTube videos of Simone Biles, I was listening to podcasts about high-altitude Olympic training programs. I streamed events live and then watched them unfold again in prime time. When Michael Phelps ran to kiss his 3-month-old son after winning gold, I wept.
Then, in mid-August, I realized I hadn’t exercised since the Games had begun. After 17 days of vicariously living through the superhuman feats of Olympic athletes, the person who really needed to go for a run was not Usain Bolt — but me.
All joking aside, physical inactivity is a serious problem when prolonged much longer than the two-week span of the Summer Olympics. Study after study shows exercise reduces risk of obesity and disease and helps relieve anxiety and depression. Still, according to the CDC, almost half of all young people between ages 12 and 21 do not regularly engage in physical activity. Closer to home, only half of University of Iowa students meet the American College of Sports Medicine’s aerobic activity recommendation: 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week or 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week.
At the UI, a myriad of fitness services help students, faculty, and staff establish and meet exercise goals. At the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center you’ll find treadmills, a lap swimming pool, and stationary bikes, as well as opportunities to burn calories in more untraditional ways, such as in a Zumba group fitness class or on the three-story climbing wall.
For students looking to add extra semester hours to their schedules, I recommend signing up for a Lifetime Leisure Skills class. Pick up new skills from expert instructors offering for-credit courses in stand-up paddle boarding, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. The Dance Department offers courses in jazz, hip-hop, and ballet to all UI students as well. There’s nothing like getting a grade in exercise to hold oneself accountable.
If we’ve learned anything from the 2016 U.S. women’s gymnastics team, it’s that working out with friends is the key to success. My advice? Arrange a day and time this semester to regularly exercise with a friend and stick to it. Make new friends by joining an intramural sport, such as sand volleyball or indoor soccer, or a student organization such as the water ski team.
Some parting words of encouragement: If Lochte — who once said, “Something will pop up in my head. It could be like the weirdest thing. Like all of a sudden I have like a jumping banana in my head” — can win gold in the Olympics, anyone can exercise just three days a week.