Dressed in blue basketball shorts and a gray t-shirt, Christopher Brown begins to bench press a 135-pound weight, almost effortlessly. Typically, Brown says he can bench press more than 315 pounds.
Brown has used every piece of machinery that the Georgia State recreational center has-and he’s there seven days a week, two to three hours per session. The accounting major manages to work out in between classes, as well as on his job at the equipment checkout and return desk in the Recreational Center.
And Brown isn’t alone when it comes to working out.
Melissa Buchheit, associate director of programs with recreational services, estimated 30 to 35 percent of students utilize the recreational center on a regular basis.
“That’s probably better statistically than the American population are working out,” Buchheit said.
But the odds seem to be stacked against college students, particularly students entering college for the first time.
According to a study published by the American Journal of Health Behavior, researchers found that because so many of these first-year college students are making independent decisions for the first time, “new environmental factors may emerge…[and may] have a greater influence on their behavior.”
In light of this research, Buchheit does note that because the Recreational Center has treated only a fraction of the population at Georgia State, she can’t exactly say how healthy students really are.
However, Brown may have had a one up on his peers in high school – he worked out three days a week before he went off to college, which included weight lifting and cardio, but mostly basketball.
Even his current diet, which consists of grilled chicken, no fast foods, and vegetables, didn’t get its start until recently.
“I’ve always tried to eat healthy, but I’m just now getting more strict with it,” Christopher said.
While certain activities may not immediately affect the health of a typical college student in the beginning – drinking alcohol, eating greasy foods, and staying up all night – it can lead to problems later in life, explained Terrence Nichols, a former graduate assistant at the recreational center.
“Your health is going to get worse if you keep doing the same things you’ve been doing,” Nichols said.
Heart attacks and strokes are among some of the common health risks that may plague a student who continues this lifestyle long after college, Nichols explained.
Although Brown admits that he wasn’t always concerned about eating unhealthy foods, things are quite different these days.
Brown’s current workout schedule is one to be reckoned with: Monday is aimed towards toning his chest; Tuesday he’ll work on his legs; Wednesday is for his back and biceps; and Thursday he focuses on his legs again.
“I really want to keep my legs strong, since I still play basketball,” he explained.
That’s not all, of course. He also runs a few laps around the track.
“Sometimes I run outside to change the scenery… to make it less boring,” Brown said.
While Brown takes advantage of everything the recreational center has to offer, Jennifer Lehigh, a part-time personal trainer at the recreational center, said many students come to the Recreational Center hoping for a quick fix.
“They want to come in and walk out looking great in a bikini…it’s a lifestyle choice and behavior modification is a big thing,” Lehigh said.
But Buchheit said she has noticed more students are becoming concerned about their health.
“It’s not necessarily to lose weight,” Buchheit said. “It’s just to keep things in check.”
While students like Brown keep things in check with his daily regime, he does it because he wanted to get more defined for basketball.
“I hate to admit it, but I don’t really like working out, I just feel like I have to work out,” Brown said.
But exercising didn’t always come easy for Brown.
Growing up, he never knew he was fat.
“Every once and while somebody would call me ‘fatboy,’ but it was never anything serious,” Brown said.
Yet it’s the skinny-is-healthy misconception that can be just as harmful.
A high body fat composition can lead to cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol, Lehigh explained.
“You get a thin person who says, ‘I look good,’ [you] do their body composition, and it’s actually really high,” Lehigh said.
It wasn’t until Brown’s freshman year of college that he upped the fitness ante. Aided by the motivation of a friend, he started working out more often.
While Lehigh wishes that more students like Brown would understand how important it is for them to care more about their health she does believe a lot of it has to do with lack of fitness education.
“It’s not that I don’t think people care,” Lehigh said. “I think they don’t understand how dangerous it is to walk around with high blood pressure at [age] 22.”
Whatever the case may be from student to student at Georgia State, Brown understands the importance of fitness, and the hard work seems to be paying off.
“I’ve noticed I’m getting more buff,” Brown said. “I can’t fit medium shirts anymore.”
