For Sharia Moore, making it to her pre-nursing classes at Mississippi University for Women last semester was more difficult than it should have been.
The 19-year-old sophomore felt fatigued, out-of breath. Her diagnosis: she was out of shape, and it was time to do something about it.
Since that fall revelation, Moore has gone from hardly exercising to taking as many as four fitness classes each week. Her weight loss, so far, is marginal, she said, but she’s noticed muscle gain.
“I knew I needed to do more cardio,” Moore said. “I’ve been doing indoor cycling, pilates and zumba. Now, I can finally walk around campus without losing my breath.”
Last week, Moore enrolled in MUW’s annual “Whatcha Gonna Do?” fitness challenge, which is spearheaded through the campus recreation center and Passport to Wellness — a year-long program at MUW geared toward healthier lifestyle choices. The program is funded through a grant by Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Stark Membership Services Coordinator Melissa Parsons said the fitness challenge helps kick-start a new healthy lifestyle for students, faculty and gym members. With nearly 200 participants this year, competitors started the challenge with a weigh-in and blood pressure test last week. A final weigh-in will be in April, with four winners announced April 11 based on weight loss percentage.
A male and female winner will be announced in both the student and faculty divisions. Each winner will receive a $150 gift card as well as an option for swim lessons, private trainer lessons or a boot camp. A grand prize beach cruiser bicycle will be gifted to the top male and female winners.
Even those who don’t bring home a competition prize still will have something to show for their efforts, Parsons said.
“The ultimate prize is the health they will garner,” Parsons said. “It’s about a lifetime of wellness. It’s about putting feet to pavement and being able to sustain it.”
In the past three years, more than 500 people have accepted the challenge and have lost more than 1,050 pounds. This year, Parsons said Stark will offer seminars, speeches, pop-up competitions and on-site trainers to help guide and lead others to a healthy lifestyle.
“It’s a good way to challenge them to think about fitness,” Parsons said. “Our goal is really about the education piece. We are trying to program our fitness facility. We have challenges within the challenge.”
Moore, who has her sights set on losing 20 pounds, wouldn’t mind winning the challenge, of course. But what she really wants is to sustain the healthy lifestyle she has already begun.
“This has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life,” Moore said. “There’s nothing more refreshing than getting up and exercising. You just feel better about yourself and more confident. And then you can finally fit in the jeans you wanted to wear a long time ago.”
Lyndsay Cumberland, director of alumni relations, will participate for the fourth time this year. Like every year, she is working toward continuing a healthy lifestyle. Cumberland said one year she lost nearly 30 pounds and she is excited about the new challenges, such as a rowing and a bench-pressing competition, offered throughout the semester.
“The reason I keep coming back is it’s fun,” Cumberland said. “It’s a very welcoming environment. It’s easier for me to stay focused on healthy options because we hold each other accountable.”
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