Fitness Program gives kinesiology majors chance to help community

November 1, 2001
Filed under Campus News

At 6 a.m. on Monday mornings, senior McGuire Scroggins, an exercise science major, is up and going in McPhee leading and assisting exercises.

Those participating in the exercises are people who are recovering from injuries, working on better cardiac fitness or just trying to lose weight.

One woman is going in for hip surgery soon and wants to build up muscle beforehand, Scroggins said.

The kinesiology department organizes the UW-Eau Claire Community Fitness Program from 6 to 8 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.

The program was started in the fall of 1998 and has two main goals.

The first is to serve the community by helping people get started on the right type of exercises, said Don Bredle, associate professor of kinesiology and coordinator of the community fitness program.

The second goal, he said, is to serve the students by giving them experience with working with the general population.

It also aides those thinking about a career in kinesiology.

Students in kinesiology programs can volunteer with the program by checking blood pressure, helping with weight lifting techniques and leading stretches.

Most of the people working out have a program that they use, Scroggins said.

Students can help and record results of improvement for those without a program.

A typical morning for the program begins with a warm-up walk around the indoor track and then stretches led by students.

Scroggins said that leading the stretches and interacting with people has helped him become more comfortable speaking in front of people.

After stretches, people can work on endurance training on exercise bikes or strength development.

The program is open to anyone who needs assistance in exercising correctly and costs $60 per semester.

“We have not had a problem with too many people coming,” Bredle said.

Scroggins said that on a good day students usually work one on one, but for the most part students are partnered with a least two participants.

The semester starts out with about 30 participants , Bredle said, and maintains about 20 through the rest of the semester.

With the larger numbers of participants, Bredle said that everyone can be helped by the group, which offers support.

When people stop coming, Bredle said they try to keep track of them.

“Some can’t make exercise a regular thing,” Bredle said. “We want to help make it a part of their routine.”

The program first started as a cardiac rehab before one opened in the area hospitals. Bredle said that now the hospitals have taken over, but are still working with the program at the university.

The Community Fitness Program is affiliated with three area hospitals: Sacred Heart, 900 W Clairemont Ave.; Luther, 1221 Whipple St. and St. Joseph’s, 2661 County Hwy 1, Chippewa Falls.

Staff from each hospital support the program and send patients to the university who are not comfortable exercising on their own, Bredle said.

Also, members of the hospital staffs serve on an advisory board for the fitness program.

“We want to keep people exercising once they are out of a rehab program,” Bredle said.

The Community Fitness Program is not only beneficial to those working out but also for the students volunteering.

“(A benefit is) meeting really nice people,” Scroggins said. “I have even gotten job opportunities.”

Scroggins said a lady offered him the job of cleaning her house. He declined the offer.

Also, Scroggins said that the people he works with really respect him.