As your mind and body age, it is more important than ever to maintain a healthy lifestyle. One key ingredient to staying healthy is having an exercise regimen that meets your physical needs and that allows for mental relaxation.

UC Davis provides several ways for faculty and staff to get in shape, add some muscle or just deal with stress throughout the year.

Paul Dorn, assistant director for marketing at Campus Recreation, said the Activities and Recreation Center offers fitness memberships to faculty and staff at a cost indexed to the fees paid by students.

An annual membership to the ARC is $340 per year, and university employees may elect the payroll deduction option, which makes the cost $28.33 per month.

“ARC membership basically grants faculty and staff complete access to the programming offered by the department,” Dorn said.

ARC members also may enjoy other Campus Recreation programs such as personal training, lap swimming at Hickey Pool, free admission to Recreation Pool, and discounts on resources like the Craft Center and Outdoor Adventures.

“The whole purpose of Campus Recreation is to provide destress time away from the classroom or the office,” Dorn said. “We offer a range of programming for people to develop their physical and mental abilities.”

The ARC offers many mind and body wellness classes each quarter, including yoga and pilates, he said. The broad range of programming provides a way for faculty, staff and students to relax, improve their fitness and spend time with friends.

“The ARC allows convenient, full-service fitness opportunities for faculty and staff,” Dorn said.

Several faculty and staff members have already discovered the benefits of personal exercise regimes.

Working out can be a great way to unwind and decompress after a long day of work.

Facilities Management staff member Frank Bizarro has been an ARC member for more than a year, and also believes it to be an effective way to exercise.

“It’s great!” Bizarro said.

Though he usually works nights and completes his individual workouts at the ARC in the afternoon, Bizarro took the night off to come try out the free group exercise class.

Exercise is also something done well with companions. The ARC offers multiple group exercise classes that are available to all ARC members, including staff and faculty.

“We did in the past have exclusive faculty and staff group fitness programs,” said Elisabeth Marsh, coordinator for the wellness center in Campus Recreation.

However, she added, faculty and staff members expressed that they would prefer to be integrated with the rest of the ARC members. And so, the exclusive classes were dropped this academic year.

Marsh said the ARC tries to maintain participants’ enthusiasm by offering new classes. For the winter quarter, the ARC plans to offer several new group exercise classes, including 18-20, a drill-oriented class featuring 18 exercises in repetitions of 20; and BRIX, an acronym for biking, running, interval and cross-training.

“Endurance- and interval-based classes will also be implemented this winter,” Marsh said. The endurance classes are open to all levels, while the interval classes are geared toward intermediate or advanced exercisers.

Campus Recreation’s Fitness and Wellness team held a Fitness Frenzy on Dec. 3 — a free sampler event. About 75 people turned out, and many of them took advantage of the event’s free body composition and blood pressure testing.

Among those who attended was Melanie Greenleaf, a staff member in the plant sciences department, who said she would purchase a group exercise pass — sold at a discount during the Fitness Frenzy.

Like many other staff members, Greenleaf said she uses the ARC for personal workouts as well as group exercise classes. “It’s a good place to come.”

Lisa Wells, a senior graphic designer in University Communications, for one, is a member of the Golden Valley Harriers Running Group and recently ran in the California International Marathon in Sacramento.

Exercise is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle, Wells said. For example, it helps you cope with the stresses of everyday life.

“Exercise is a healthy balance,” she said. “Even when you’re tired and you don’t want to do it, that’s when you should do it. When I exercise regularly, I feel better about myself.”

Running is something that is easy and flexible, you can do it anywhere and on your own schedule, she said. It is a great way to stay in shape and get some exercise, even if you are traveling or don’t have the time to go all the way to the gym.

“Running is meditative in a way — your thoughts run clear — it’s something you can do forever and it is adaptable to your life,” Wells said.

Marsh said that as the New Year approaches, the ARC is a great way to get in shape and stay in shape.

Caitlin Cobb is a Dateline intern.

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