On April 1, the Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Recreation Complex (RecPlex) kicked off their fourth annual Stags Go Move Challenge, in an attempt to encourage physical activity amongst college students. The challenge will be taking place until April 30 and gives undergraduates the opportunity to log their minutes of activity to be entered into raffles for weekly prizes.
This comes at a time when studies have found that university students, specifically first-years, are at risk for developing an unhealthy lifestyle. While the “Freshman 15” – the belief that college students frequently gain 15 pounds during their first year – has largely been deemed a myth, students are given more autonomy in college compared to high school, and for some, physical activity may not be a priority.
A study done by Western Kentucky University cites some of the benefits college students can find in working out. These benefits include improved memory retention, a boosted mood and an outlet to relieve stress.
The Stags Go Move Challenge gives students an opportunity to reap the benefits of working out while also offering prizes. Students are encouraged to create an account on the Stags Go Move website with their university email and participate in the challenge as an individual or with their friends as a team. Students have a higher chance of winning Stag Bucks when they create or join a team.
Other prizes offered to challenge participants this year include Oculus VR Headsets, spikeball nets, gift cards, t-shirts, hoodies, and more! Prizes are not based on the total number of minutes spent working out.
As someone who is participating in the challenge for the first time, Junior Alexander White expressed excitement over the opportunity to win prizes while staying active: “The Stags Go Move challenge is a great way for Fairfield students to get up and active. The inclusion of prizes and the friendly competition really drives the challenge and allows it to be a main staple of the RecPlex and something for members of the gym to look forward to year around. While I have worked at the RecPlex for a few years now, this will be my first time fully participating, and I plan on being in the gym everyday. It’s a fun challenge which I think everyone should participate in; and this year hopefully you’ll see my name on the leaderboards!”
Participants in the challenge are instructed to track their minutes of movement directly on the website. The FAQ section of the website states that “movement is defined as any intentional exercise that causes at least a small increase in breathing or heart rate. This includes cardio, strength/resistance, mind/body, and sports/fitness.”
When participants log their workout, they are prompted to indicate the type of exercise performed and its duration. There is no limit to the amount of movement or daily number of minutes a participant can log.
The workouts that are logged can only be seen by the individual logging them and Fairfield’s challenge administrator. To encourage some friendly competition, the website also divides the participants by class year, displaying the number of minutes logged from each grade level, as well as graduate students. As of April 2, the Class of 2024 was leading the challenge with a total of 926 minutes logged.
In addition to hosting the Stags Go Move Challenge, the RecPlex is also offering a number of other fun activities throughout the month of April. These include a trip to the Yankee Game on April 7, a Student Smash Away as a stress reliever before finals on April 30 and a number of workout classes – including Yoga on the Library Lawn on May 1.
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