Located on the first floor of the SCAD Atlanta main building, the gym is a different kind of hub. While the hub is full of student chatter and the clatter of forks and knives, the gym is a serene environment made alive with clanging weights, feet on treadmills, sweaty bodies, heavy breathing and the kind of music that makes your head bob.
It’s no surprise that most students do not frequent this part of SCAD. Exercise is not a mandatory requirement and has never been a popular past time. People who work out on a weekly basis are often deemed junkies or freaks.Though the importance of exercise has been amplified due to the soaring statistics of obesity and diseases that result from it, it’s still seen mostly as unnecessary physical overexertion that requires commitment. As opposed to eating out, shopping or watching a movie which are gratifying and easy to do.
However not only does exercise have great health benefits, it can be fun and easy too. Activities such as walking, hiking, dancing or playing tennis or other sports are exercise. The SCAD Fitness department also offers enjoyable community-based forms of physical activity.
Personal trainers and a weekly aerobics schedule, which includes Zumba, are available for sign up through SCAD Atlanta Fitness. Inter-mural sports & tournaments such as volleyball, softball, tennis, soccer, badminton, basketball, ping-pong, ultimate frisbee, and bowling are on offer free of charge. For outdoor recreational activities such as zip lining and paint balling, minimal costs are required and transportation is provided. Kendall Reid Director of Fitness and Recreation encourages people to take part in these extracurricular activities.‘’It’s been proven that if you make time for exercise and if you’re healthier in college you perform better,” said Reid.
For students looking for a more traditional way of staying in shape, going to the gym has become more than just a weekly routine. “I go to the gym nearly everyday, and it gets my mind off things,” said Alex Duncan, first-year motion media student. First-year photography major Quincy Freeman sees fitness as a way to burn off the calories he enjoys taking in. “I eat a lot, so I try to work out as much as I can,” Freeman said. For others the motives are purely physical: “I do upper body lifting just because I want to get my upper body more toned,” said Jacob Tatum, first-year animation major.
SCAD Atlanta Fitness also stresses the importance of having a balanced view of fitness. Through wellness programs and Lunch and Learns, students are provided a platform to interact with health professionals including doctors, chiropractors and nutritionists on health and wellness issues. For more information on events and services offered through SCAD Atlanta Fitness, email atlfitness@scad.edu.