Burn calories, not electricity: Take the stairs

The next time you find yourself in the parking garage waiting on an elevator, think about taking the stairs.

That’s the advice of the college’s Wellness Committee.

The committee has started an initiative to “Burn Calories, Not Electricity. Take The Stairs!”

Wellness Coordinator Chris Dillon said about half of the campus is dotted with signs informing students about this initiative.

The signs read:
“Did you know the average person burns 10 calories per minute while climbing the stairs?
“Just walking the stairs for 2 minutes a day will lead to good heart health, something we take for granted in our youth but will have our full attention as we age.”

About 150 signs have been placed in the parking garage, Oppenheimer Academic Center, nursing complex, student success center, Nail Technical Center, chemistry and geology, and Chance Academic Center.

He hopes that within a year the rest of the campus also will have these signs.

Signs have been color-coordinated with the same red, white, and blue scheme of the college’s signs providing directions.

Feedback from this initiative has come in emails from college employees letting Dillion know that taking the stairs has already increased their stamina and has made them feel better.

He said he has heard positive comments from individuals forced to take the stairs in Moody Learning Center because the escalators are not operational during remodeling.

Dillion said, “Healthier students equal students being more productive in the classroom.”

Something as simple as taking the stairs may give students the edge they need to become better students, he said.

For more information, visit the Facebook page of the kinesiology and dance department at https://www.facebook.com/sackinesiology.