Campus Life

Kinesiology Club to promote active living during Exercise is Medicine Week

Penn State men's lacrosse coach Jeff Tambroni, center, exercised on a stationary bike along side Alli Thompson, Class of 2003, Health and Human Development, outside the Pattee-Paterno Library on the morning of Nov. 5, 2012. Both were taking part in Exercise is Medicine, a week of events around the University Park campus promoting physical activity and hosted by the Penn State Kinesiology Club. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Kinesiology Club, with the support of faculty members in the Department of Kinesiology, will hold its second annual Exercise is Medicine event during the week of Oct. 14 to 17. The event will consist of campus-wide activities that will encourage Penn State students, and the entire campus community, to "get moving" so they can enjoy a healthier, more physically active lifestyle.

“Not getting enough daily physical activity as a result of insufficient exercise and prolonged periods of sitting is the fastest growing public health problem in the United States, and is widely prevalent even among college-age individuals," said David Proctor, professor of kinesiology and physiology and one of the faculty organizers for the annual event.

Rebecca Ganim, vice president of The Kinesiology Club and one of the student organizers for the event added, "While we college students may currently look and feel healthy, now is the time for us to become and remain physically active to help ward off future medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity."

Exercise is Medicine, an initiative launched by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association in 2007, encourages primary care physicians and other health care providers to assess physical activity during office visits and to discuss the health and medical benefits of exercise with their patients. One outgrowth of this ACSM initiative is Exercise is Medicine on Campus, a program calling on universities and colleges to promote physical activity and its health benefits on their campuses.  

Exercise is Medicine week at Penn State will kick off at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 14, with the Dean's Walk, a cross-campus walk led by Ann C. Crouter, the Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development; Penn State President Rodney Erickson; and College of Human Development faculty members, staff members and administrators. 

Also beginning on Monday, Oct. 14, and continuing through Thursday, Oct. 17, will be outdoor exercise stations supervised by Kinesiology Club students and kinesiology department faculty members. The stations will consist of stationary bikes, mini trampolines, medicine balls and other circuit exercise equipment. These stations will be set up at selected sites on campus, including the Pattee Library Mall Entrance (Monday), the Palmer Art Museum Plaza (Tuesday), Willard Building (Wednesday) and the Willaman Gateway to the Life Sciences (Thursday). Students and other passersby will be encouraged to engage in some exercise, assess their fitness and health knowledge, and register for prizes and free giveaway items. Penn State administrators, coaches and athletes (and the Nittany Lion) have also been invited to exercise.  

"We are looking forward to building on what we accomplished last year," said Melissa Bopp, assistant professor of kinesiology and faculty member overseeing the distribution of pedometers, questionnaires and activity-prompting signage on campus. "We handed out more than 1,500 pedometers last year, posted signs by elevators all over campus, and encouraged students to skip the bus loop and take a walk for their health. Incorporating habits of active living in college will track into later life and instill in students the importance and versatility of exercise for their health and well-being."

"Exercise is Medicine week at Penn State perfectly aligns with the educational and outreach mission of our department and college," said Nancy Williams, professor and head of the Department of Kinesiology. "We advocate for improved health and quality of life through movement and physical activity, and that is exactly what this initiative does."

Visit http://pennstateeim.weebly.com for more information or visit http://news.psu.edu/gallery/240927/2012/11/05/athletics/exercise-medicine-penn-state-kinesiology-club to view photos of last year's event. 

Last Updated October 1, 2013