Run with running thoughts to keep healthy
Kimberly Berkey, CT Features Staff
April 19, 2007
With so much racing through a person's head in the aftermath of Monday's events, how does one stay on track with coping? In the process of letting go and the grief process taking over, many people tend to additionally let their bodies go--not realizing that keeping up with nutrition, sleep and exercise can help ease this difficult process.
"During this time, people are going to be eating the wrong things and having trouble sleeping. By letting themselves go, it creates more stress on their bodies," said Ali Arner, fitness coordinator for department of recreational sports, a division of student affairs.
"I worry that a lot of students think they are being selfish or insensitive of the events that happened if they go to the gym. But the thing is, a student can't expect to take care of other people if they don't take care of themselves... we are trying to encourage students to implement exercise while all of this is going on... to get people together to play basketball or go with a small group of students for some cardio."
Arner and others are encouraging students to get out and get active for many reasons.
"Emotionally and psychology it's going to help them a lot. A person's change in body temperature after any kind of aerobic exercise such as cycling, walking or running has a calming effect and can sometimes help as a sleep aid. It also increases endorphins. It has been shown in statistics that exercise helps in coping with depression and anxiety--exercise really does help on its own."
Facilities at Tech are doing their best to encourage a type of routine during this emotional period.
"Right now we have both of our facilities open for people to stay mentally and physically healthy (hours may vary)," said Cathy Kropff, Marketing Manager for the Department of Recreational Sports.
Despite their efforts of keeping all aspects of the faculties up and running, some adjustments have been made to accommodate student workers who need emotional time off or left town to be with their families.
"We have canceled most group exercise classes because many students run them. We are trying to make a balance work by accommodating students who want to come in and exercise and not overtaxing the students who work for us. Right now we have limited staff and a few students who did want to work during this time. We don't want to put a toll on any of our students by asking them to come into work of the do not want to. We will return back to regular hours on Sunday," Kropff said.
"We just want to let students know we are available for them if they want to talk or walk," she said.
By being active, one can actively aid in the coping process. "Many people exercise as an active form of treatment instead of taking a passive one," Arner said.