The Student Government Association has been implementing their Be Fit program, a campus-wide initiative to promote healthy eating, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. They have allocated $8,000 to the initiative.
Among the many activities the past two weeks, they have had a table promoting fruit and vegetable juicing and a healthy vegetable cooking demonstration.
The fruit display was run by Nick Acosta of the Renegade Pantry and student worker Jennifer Wood, and included the Lunch in a Glass made up of celery, carrot, tomato, and lemon juice and the Jack’s Fruity Four, a combination of orange, lime, pineapple, and strawberry juice. Recipes were available and free samples were handed out in the campus center.
The vegetable cooking display included a free sample and a recipe for Almond Green Beans, a quick and healthy, hot dish.
Tamara Tomaschow, the Be Fit coordinator and person running the display, said, “the idea is to show students and staff how easy it is to live a healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t take a lot of time.”
“We are here for the long haul,” she said, mentioning the other activities the Be Fit program is planning or has underway.
There is also a schedule of walks for every class day with one mile, three-quarter mile, and half mile routes, starting at the gym.
Students who sign up get pedometers and sign a contract. They will then be entered into a raffle for prizes after completing a benchmark number of walks.
The Renegade Riders will be a program of bike rides every second and fourth Saturday, starting on Oct. 8 at 7 a.m., and participating students will be eligible for raffle prizes related to biking.
There will be beginners and advanced groups for the rides, and the SGA is looking for more faculty members to lead rides.
The Fireside Room has also been hosting Pilates twice a week, and going into October the activity will be changed to Zumba, a style of exercise that combines Latin and International music with exercise.
A Life Choices forum will be held on Oct. 4 that ties in the New York Times bestselling book “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore with local ex-convicts and other reformed people.
They will tie in their experiences with lessons from the book and highlight how single decisions can affect the course of your life. The event was created in cooperation with Sgt. Mary Degeare of the Bakersfield Police Department.
Tawntannisha Thompson, SGA president, said about the event, “I want all the students and faculty to be healthy (mind, body, and spirit).”
Also on the schedule for the next few weeks are visits by a nutritionist, PS3 exercise games to be played on campus, depression testing, Weight Watchers, and various other events will be announced as they are scheduled.
PS3 gaming will happen in the Fireside Room every Monday at 2:30 p.m. and every Wednesday at 4 p.m. It will be held for an hour each time.
For information about upcoming events, check the Campus Center boards for posted schedules.