By LAURIE FISHER
Walking up all fourteen flights of stairs in the Spencer W. Kimball Tower is just one of the creative ways BYU students get their exercise in the winter months.
BYU students seek refuge from the rain, snow and mud that accompany winter exercise by going to the Smith Fieldhouse track and other indoor gyms. Many regular exercisers say it is too cold to run, walk and play sports outside in the winter.
'I can't play tennis outside now. I have a bad knee, bruised ribs and cut hand from ice skating, so I don't want to risk falling again and getting hurt worse,' said Jimmy Mo, a sophomore from Wilmington, Del., majoring in accounting.
Students say they use the SFH weight rooms and track more often. They also join intramural teams to stay active. However, the SFH becomes very crowded.
'Because it's so cold it hurts to breathe in frigid air, I don't want to get sick. So I run on the SFH track. I have to weave in and out of the thousands of walkers,' said Grant Beckwith, a junior from St. George, majoring in accounting.
Linda Eager, a junior from Belmont, Mass., majoring in human development, found a way around the crowding problem when the track was closed one Friday night for a wrestling meet.
She and three friends climbed fourteen flights of stairs in the SWKT three times that night to replace the walk they had planned to do on the track.
'My body craves exercise and sometimes in the winter it drives me to do crazy things like run up and down the SWKT stairs. It's certainly better than going outside, but it was rather stuffy in the stairwell,' Eager said.
However, Eager does not recommend the SWKT for indoor running because the stairs are steep, but she's open to any creative alternatives to walking outside when the temperature is 20 degrees.
Other avid exercisers renew their gym memberships to get their daily exercise.
Obviously the first of the year is the biggest time for gym membership because of New Year's resolutions. About 40 percent of memberships are made in January, February and March because of winter weather, said Troy Peterson, manager at Gold's Gym in Provo.
Despite the gyms and tracks that are available, exercisers can rough the outdoor elements if they wear appropriate clothing.
'Clearly, the weather becomes a big issue. One thing to remember for running when it's cold is you have a choice. You can always layer,' said Patrick Shane, BYU women's cross country coach.
Hot weather is more difficult to deal with because you can only take off so many layers of clothing to cool down, Shane said. However, you can wear several layers and protect your skin from frostbite unless temperatures get extremely cold. Even on cold days your body can generate enough heat to sweat, Shane said.
Proper exercise apparel for cold weather includes gloves, tights, long sleeve shirts, hat and tube to cover the face and ears. Layers of clothing should be worn so they can be taken off to adjust to the temperature during exercise, Shane said.
'The main reason I run is to enjoy the scenery and get away from school, so the track doesn't really do anything for me. I can exercise in the snow as long as I have on a hat and gloves,' said Jonathon Feldman, a senior from Tremonton, majoring in Russian.
Hats are a necessary item because most body heat escapes off the head. Protect ears, nose and fingers so you don't get frostbite, Shane said.
The important part of dressing for weather is to wear the right kind of material. A light weight, high-tech material made by brands such as Cool Max, Thermax and Duofold are best because they wick away moisture from the skin so that it can evaporate, Shane said.
Although it is commonly worn by runners, cotton is the worst material to wear because it absorbs moisture rather than wicking it away.