University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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BC li Harry 1 C wra fife a mi - -. :,. ,. d Mwributed to flkAfFwasesub- Mti and a male ..--.:,:e MORE THAN JUST DIETS: Through the Adult Fitness Program, Carol Nelson pedals her way to a healthier life. WORKING WITH BOX- ES: Katherine Velasquez and Richard Montgom- ery cool down after their workout. Adult Fitness Program 57

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The freshman fifteen, pizza, mov- ies and ice cream: all enemies of the health-conscious who had not found an active way to be healthy. There was a place where these people could find in- formative, fun and motivated exercise classes of all sorts right on campus. The UT Adult Fitness Program had filled this bill in the past, and despite the name, had accepted people, especially students, from 18 to 70 years of age. Basic classes such as aerobics, swim- ming, walking and jogging had been offered for 12 years, and the program was expanded in 1989. New courses included Boxes, Etc., a fairly station- ary aerobics class that involved the use of boxes to step up and down along with body balls and rubber bands for weight training and variety. A power walking class, water aerobics, the rapid transit running class and the chain reaction cycling program were also added. The most successful program, ac- cording to Nancy Friedrich of the AFP staff, was the Total Conditioning Pro- gram [TCP]. It included stationary bikes, boxes and computerized ma- chines that spoke to and encouraged the user. With the addition of the Total Con- ditioning ' Powercise ' equipment and the bicycles, a whole new segment has been opened up, Friedrich said. She added that attendance had increased for the entire program each semester. The purpose of the Adult Fitness Program was to educate people as to their fitness level, to teach proper tech- niques when exercising and to make exercise a lifetime endeavor. Partici- pants often began with a physical ap- praisal to learn their body composition [percentage of fat and muscle], lung condition, muscular strength and blood profile. All of the tests were state-of- story by Jeannine Caracciolo photos by Patrick Humphries the-art, and even included dipping un- derwater for the most accurate body composition reading. The fitness testing also gave students their exercise heart rate and explained why it was important to work at their own level. Participants agreed that be- ing more informed on exercise and health subjects and understanding the purpose of reaching their heart rate helped them to push harder in their exercise. Friedrich and the staff realized that motivation was an important factor in a lifetime fitness program. Prevention health magazine found that American ' s health was improving but most people were still weekend athletes. AFP members had an advantage be- cause motivation was so important. The talking Powercise machines, for ex- ample, had names such as Coach Harry and Coach Schroeder, and actually en- couraged and amused the user. The AFP also included a Consistency Club for each participant to look at their progress and interact with the oth- er members. The instructors were mainly enthusiastic graduate students in training and had quite a following, ac- cording to Friedrich. Exercise fills a gap in my life, said one participant who did not wish to be identified. Friedrich felt that any exercise was better than none. Climbing stairs, park- ing further from work or class and walking more all contributed to a healthier lifestyle. The AFP was estab- lished to promote health and to make these small exercises regular and safe. According to the rise in enrollment, it seemed to be working. WARMING UP: Before their routine, members of the Adult Fitness Program begin with leg stretches to prepare for exercising. ' 56 Adult Fitness Program

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Crackles and Squirrels and Bats OH MY! In addition to the party animals which had infest- ed campus, the University also housed many oth- er breeds of ani- mals. However, these animals didn ' t drink, play loud music or get into trou- ble. Birds, squirrels, raccoons, cats and bats were the animals caught flying or skittering around campus. Did you ever walk across campus as dusk became night and have your ears assailed with the squawking of large birds? Did you ever round the corner of Speedway and 21st and smell the stench of fowl secretions? These problems re- sulted from the hundreds of grackles which resided in the trees on campus. These birds caused quite a stir; one student wore his motorcycle helmet while running under the trees to avoid the dropping feces. You have to be careful where you park your car or the birds will nail it. I have a black truck and the white spots story by Catherine Schlech photos by Hannes Hacker clash big time, Mitch Bledsoe, phar- macy freshman, said. The birds seem to have a leader which tells all the other birds when to let it drop, Eric Matzner, geology freshman, said. One student complained that after bad weather, the white rain which fell from the trees made his umbrella smell. Another student had a bad start with grackles. On the day before classes, she was looking for her classes and grackle waste dropped right on her schedule. Welcome to the University! Superstitions concerning the grackles ran rampant. Some students said they considered it lucky to be crapped on. Mark Kraemer, business sophomore, said, Waving a white shirt at the birds makes them fly away. A friend of Mark ' s, Sanj Patel, aerospace engineer- ing sophomore, said he tried waving a green jacket but it didn ' t work. Although students avoided grackles, they spent countless hours watching the squirrels that scampered about the cam- pus. People sat on benches amusing themselves as these small rodents chased each other around the trees. I used to throw little pieces of sugar cookies to the blond, albino squirrel which hangs around the ROTC build- ing, Jody Justus, business sophomore, said. I like to feed the squirrels pump- kin seeds, peanuts or any sort of seeds. They love them, Jennifer Murphy, drama sophomore, said. However, not all students enjoyed the squirrels. Kim Setser, interior design freshman, said I ' m terrified of the squirrels because they chase me. When- ever I am on campus, they attac k. One even ran up on a bench and threw him- self at me. Did you know raccoons lived in the sewage drain on Trinity Street by the C parking lot? One family of raccoons with at least seven members was spotted shuffling down into the gutter. Mike Eckert, a mechanical engineering fresh- man, followed three raccoons until they disappeared into a drain. Yet another animal, this one more familiar, maintained residence on the University campus. A cat lived under Mezes Hall, entering through a broken grill. When coming back from the UGL, I often walk between Mezes and Benedict to see if the cat is out sunning itself. When it is cold, the cat sits half in and half out of her home. She has long 58 Campus Animals