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

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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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Ti LUNCH BREAK: Taking a break, J. P. Van Wol- ske, a member of the utilities engineeri ng staff, purchases a fajita and a soda from the Long Beach Egg Roll stand at 26th and Speedway. THE CO- LA WARS: Teresa Araiza, economics senior, purchases a Pepsi outside the Main Building. Everything from drinks to hot soup were found in virtually every corner and hallway on campus. Die PEPS Freshman 15 55

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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