UA News

Live Fit works just as a personal trainer or nutritionist would, providing UA students, faculty and staff with customized information based on an individual's personal health-related desires and needs.

Between attending class, studying, working and finding time for family and friends, it can be difficult for students to make taking care of their health a priority.

For those looking for an easy, reliable source of information on how to get and stay fit, a new Web-based program – Live Fit on Campus – is now being offered by the University of Arizona's Campus Health Service.

“It’s kind ofo like having an online personal trainer and nutrition adviser that’s available to you 24/7,” said David Salafsky, who directs health promotion and prevention services.

"It’s a great health resource that’s out there for students," Salafsky added. 

Salafsky said the site exists to help not only students but everyone affiliated with the UA who wants to determine how to eat better and be physically active.

Originally began as a study by the Klein Buendel and funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Web-based program is designed to promote, encourage and help students to live healthy, active lives and avoid the infamous “Freshman 15."

“As a freshman, students are expected to make decisions about their eating habits and physical activity that they may not have been responsible for while living at home,” said Erika Edwards, Klein Buendel's project coordinator.

“At the same time, they can be surrounded by round-the-clock pizza delivery, long hours of studying and all-you-can-eat dining halls," Edwards said.

The goal was to make easier the transition from living at home – where parents may control what and when students eat – to college life where much of that freedom belongs to them more the first time.

The program was then tested on 800 students from four universities. As one of the original pilot schools that participated in the study and developed the site, the UA was given the site and the program for free.

“After the study was finished, the schools who participated in the study were able to use the site as they wished," Edwards said.

Other schools using the program include Colorado State University, the University of Nevada and San Diego State University.

"The student affairs group at UA decided that it would fit in nicely with their goals, so the site was personalized for the UA login system and made available to all students,”  Edwards added. 

At the UA, anyone with a UA net identification and password can log on it Live Fit at any time. Though the site is designed to cater to the college student environment and lifestyle, the site also is open to faculty and staff.

The site provides information on nutritious recipes that can be made in residence halls without the need for refrigerators, stoves or kitchens. 

Local Zone, a part of Live Fit, contacts users with information about healthy places to eat on or near campus. The zone also provides information about workout opportunities and announcements on events and activities around campus and in the Tucson area.

“We’ve got a great environment that fosters health here at the UA – not just through Campus Health,” Salafsky said, noting that the region's environment is ideal for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities.

Other “personal trainer” aspects of the site include online trackers and graphs where users can plug in their personal information and keep a steady track of their weight loss, Body Mass Index, or BMI, and how many fruits and vegetables their eating.    

The site also includes descriptions of different kinds of gym equipment and how to use them, including standard workout machines found in most gyms, yoga mats and stability balls. 

“There’s also a very deep library,” said Gale S. Welter, the nutrition services coordinator at the Campus Health Service.

Welter said the site maintains quizzes that tie into other parts of the site. "You can keep clicking and going a little deeper,” she said, noting that the library includes information on nutrition and ways to figure out the health benefits of a vegetable based on its color.

Both Welter and Salafsky expressed hopes that the site may one day but used to do research on students and health, but for now it is a free health and fitness resource for students.

“This is a great resource,” said Salafsky, “and it’s available now so students should get online and check it out.”