PHOTO: Peter Snyder
Best friends, but not sisters, Kathleen Weber (freshman-nutrition), left, and Casey Weber (freshman-kinesiology and nutrition) work out at the Fit Stop in White Building.

By MARY JORDAN
Collegian Staff Writer

As spring break nears, some students are making last-minute efforts to look their best on the beach, which means crowds at the gym.

"Before spring break, everyone realizes they're not in shape, so they come (to the gym)," said Jade Eckenrode, Fit Stop employee at the White Building.

But the question then arises if working out a week or two before break will result in any real benefits. Shannon Mihalko, kinesiology professor in exercise psychology, said the answer is, unfortunately, no.

Mihalko said students won't see any real changes unless they regularly exercise and eat well.

"You're not going to see hardcore physiological changes in a week," she said.

Chip Harrison, Penn State strength and conditioning coach, made the same assessment.

"The amount of fitness changes that occur in a week are pretty small," he said, adding students who think otherwise are "fooling themselves."

Although the thought to work out, at least for a short time, may be good, excessive exercising before spring break can actually make some students feel worse.

Mihalko said while exercising may make someone feel better about themselves, the effects actually can become negative because a student will not see any real results.

According to Mihalko, one reason students may work out so much before hitting the beach is because of poor body image.

The media portrays an image of students going to the beach and having hard, thin bodies. As a result, students excessively exercise or starve themselves to try to achieve that image.

"There's a real strong push to look like the people in the magazines," Mihalko said.

No matter what the reason to excessively work out before spring break, students should be aware that some discomfort and minor damage could result.

Bob Ricketts, undergraduate programs coordinator in kinesiology, said students who regularly don't work out may experience soreness, muscle strains or sprains. But most healthy college students should not experience any serious side effects.

He added, however, he would not recommend students who regularly are not active to push themselves too hard.

"Any time you overindulge," Ricketts said, "it's not good."

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