SPARTANfit

About Us

The goal of SPARTANfit is to enhance student success and promote lifelong healthy habits by providing diverse and inclusive physical activity and wellness opportunities, services, and resources.

Exercise is Medicine on Campus® is a national initiative that encourages universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health, empowering students, faculty, and staff to collaborate in creating a healthier campus. Learn more.

Benefits of Physical Activity

Research shows that a total amount of 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, improves both physical and mental health. An easy way to remember this is 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.

Don’t have 30 minutes? That's ok, it doesn't have to be done all at once. You can break down your activity into as little as three 10-minute periods of activity which is just as beneficial to your overall fitness as one 30-minute session. This is achievable and SPARTANfit is here to help you!

The benefits of physical activity include:

• Improved energy and decreased fatigue
• Better sleep
• Reduced symptoms of depression, tension, anxiety, and stress
• Opportunities to meet and connect with new people
• Improved mood and self-esteem
• Improved cardiovascular fitness
• Increased muscle strength and endurance
• Increased metabolism and s ability to maintain weight
• Reduced risk for chronic disease and other adverse health outcomes

Note: Although physical activity is safe for most people, health experts suggest that you talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program.

Cardiovascular (Aerobic) Activity

Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise keeps our heart and blood vessels healthy. The heart is a muscle, and just like other muscles, it needs to be properly trained to stay strong. Physical activity that gets the heart pumping and blood flowing is also great for the rest of your body, including your digestion and brain health.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following aerobic activity for substantial health benefits for adults:

• 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (such as brisk walking, riding a bike, or playing tennis or pickleball with friends).
• One way to gauge if the activity is moderate is that you can talk while doing the activity, but you would not be able to sing.

OR

• 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) each week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (such as running or swimming laps).
• One way to gauge if the activity is vigorous is that you will likely be unable to talk during and right after the activity.

OR

• A combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity

Safety Check:

• Gradually progress your exercise time, frequency, and intensity   
• Start with what you can do – even a few minutes of physical activity per day adds up until you are comfortable with 30 or more minutes at a time.

What is the difference between Moderate-intensity and Vigorous-intensity Physical Activity?

Intensity refers to the level of the effort required to perform an activity or exercise. It can be thought of as "How hard a person works to do the activity".

The intensity of different forms of physical activity varies between people and depends on an individual’s previous exercise experience and their relative level of fitness. 

Muscular Strength and Muscular Endurance Training 

Muscular strength (how much you can lift) is the maximum amount of force a muscle can produce in a single effort. Muscular endurance (how long you can lift) is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without fatigue.  Working our muscles is important to achieve a variety of activities like pulling, pushing, stretching, extending and flexing different joints of the body. Muscular strength and endurance training are synonymous with other common terms such as strength training, weightlifting, and resistance training.

The benefits of muscular strength and endurance training include:

• Increased muscle mass
• Improved bone density
• Increased energy levels
• Maintaining correct posture
• Increased metabolism and improved weight stabilization
• Improved ability to perform everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, doing housework, and lifting objects
• Reduced risks of injury
• Increased tendon and ligament strength
   

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following Resistance Training for substantial health benefits for adults:

• Adults should train each major muscle group two or three days each week using a variety of exercises and equipment. Examples include upper body muscles groups that push or pull, lower body muscle groups, and core muscle groups including abdomen and back muscles
• Two to four sets of each exercise will help adults improve their strength.
• For each exercise, 8-12 repetitions improve strength and power, and 15-20 repetitions improve muscular endurance.

Safety Check:

• Very light or light intensity is best for older persons or previously sedentary adults starting to exercise. Start with body weight or a light weight and 8-15 repetitions; increase the weight when it starts feeling easy.
• Adults should rest at least 48 hours between muscle groups that are trained during their resistance training sessions to allow the muscles to fully recover.

Benefits of Flexibility Training

Flexibility is needed to perform everyday activities with relative ease. Flexibility is primarily due to one’s genetics, gender, age, body shape and level of physical activity. As people grow older, they tend to lose flexibility. This is usually a result of inactivity but is partially due to the aging process itself. The less active you are, the less flexible you are likely to be. As with cardiovascular activity and muscle strength and endurance training, flexibility will improve with regular training.

The benefits of flexibility training include:

• Greater freedom of movement and improved posture
• Increased physical and mental relaxation
• Released muscle tension and soreness
• Reduced risk of injury

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following Flexibility Exercise for substantial health benefits for adults:

• Adults should do flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week to improve their range of motion.
• Each stretch should be held for 10-30 seconds to the point of tightness or slight discomfort.
• Repeat each stretch two to four times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.
• Static and dynamic, stretches are both effective in increasing flexibility.
  • Dynamic stretches are stretching while moving through a range of motion. They are helpful when warming up for an activity.
  • Static stretches are stretches where you hold the stretch for a period of time. They are helpful for improving long term flexibility after an activity or after warming up.
  • Both can provide relief for tight or sore muscles, improve ease of daily activities, and prevent injury.

Safety Check

• Flexibility exercise is most effective when the muscle is warm. Try a light aerobic activity or a hot bath to warm the muscles before stretching, especially static stretching. Learn about monitoring aerobic exercise intensity.