The Student Fitness Center is ready to help everyone accomplish their fitness-related new year's resolutions, starting with an open house today and Thursday.
From 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day, the BYU Athletic Department is hosting the open house in Room 293 of the Smith Fieldhouse. The Women's Health Center as well as Y Be Fit will be at the event. Rebecca Carlson, student activity student wellness secretary, will provide free smoothie samples along with the recipes.
Larry Hall, a professor in the Department of Athletics, stresses this new fitness center is entirely for the students.
'The most exciting fact is that students are being so well served with more flexibility and opportunities to work out when they want to,' Hall said. 'It is nice to have it on campus when they want to come and work out.'
The fitness center will provide fitness trainers who are students in the exercise and wellness program, completing their internships. Fitness trainers will be available 50 hours a week to help students with workout routines. The best part is it is completely free.
The fitness center employees hope all students will use the center for their benefit. They believe a healthy lifestyle needs to be developed now for these habits to be used for the rest of students' lives.
Kim Rawson, 20, a sophomore from Rock Springs, Wyo., shares her hopes on how students will use the center.
'I hope students will use it to get more attractive,' Rawson said. ' If they get more attractive then we will see more people getting married.'
The Athletic Department has had two weight rooms shared with classes that had occasional free workout time for students. The new center was once one of the weight rooms that has been expanded 100 percent. It is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. The Athletic Department has purchased all new equipment, from cardio workouts to weightlifting.
Kenny Baldwin, 22, a junior studying public relations, is excited about the availability of the center.
'I love to stay fit but I have a full load at school and a job,' Baldwin said. ' I'm glad that the gym's hours go beyond the workday now so it doesn't have to compete with other commitments.'