Walking trail on campus established for HKC's campus wellness efforts, to whittle waistlines
Nikki Prescott
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Campus News
Spring will soon be sprung, and in honor of this, the University Wellness Committee has sponsored a walking path through campus to encourage the physical activity of students, faculty and staff.
The University Wellness Committee is a division of SHSU devoted to the health of Sam Houston State University faculty and staff, but the walking route is open to all. Some fitness groups at the Health and Kinesiology Center have started using the route regularly and use certain signs along the way as checkpoints for more rigorous aerobic activities.
The campus walking route passes through 1.5 miles of the campus and is marked by stand-alone and piggybacking route signs, along with a large map between the Coliseum and the HKC detailing the route.
Mindy Oden, assistant director of wellness at SHSU, encourages students to take advantage of the new outdoor path and the beauty of the campus in spring.
"The campus walking route will create awareness to the Bearkat community that there are opportunities outdoors to be active," she said.
Oden said that treadmills are great for working out but expressed that there are many walkable distances all over Huntsville. The walk from the HKC to five loaves deli, for example, is only one mile, and the walk from the HKC to Subway is equally accessible to the occasional walker. Oden goes on foot for lunch often and looks for little opportunities during the day to take a walk.
"Five minutes [here or there] really adds up" Oden said.
The walking path may serve as not only a scenic exercise trail, but a tour for those unfamiliar with the campus as well, giving a view of Bowers Stadium, the intramural fields, the Newton Gresham Library, the Performing Arts and Criminal Justice buildings, the "duck pond" at the Sam Houston Museum, and many other local amenities.
Almost all of the designated walking route is shaded and is near restaurants and water fountains. Oden hopes that the new route will "encourage people to get moving," as part of a more active lifestyle.
The University Wellness Committee is a division of SHSU devoted to the health of Sam Houston State University faculty and staff, but the walking route is open to all. Some fitness groups at the Health and Kinesiology Center have started using the route regularly and use certain signs along the way as checkpoints for more rigorous aerobic activities.
The campus walking route passes through 1.5 miles of the campus and is marked by stand-alone and piggybacking route signs, along with a large map between the Coliseum and the HKC detailing the route.
Mindy Oden, assistant director of wellness at SHSU, encourages students to take advantage of the new outdoor path and the beauty of the campus in spring.
"The campus walking route will create awareness to the Bearkat community that there are opportunities outdoors to be active," she said.
Oden said that treadmills are great for working out but expressed that there are many walkable distances all over Huntsville. The walk from the HKC to five loaves deli, for example, is only one mile, and the walk from the HKC to Subway is equally accessible to the occasional walker. Oden goes on foot for lunch often and looks for little opportunities during the day to take a walk.
"Five minutes [here or there] really adds up" Oden said.
The walking path may serve as not only a scenic exercise trail, but a tour for those unfamiliar with the campus as well, giving a view of Bowers Stadium, the intramural fields, the Newton Gresham Library, the Performing Arts and Criminal Justice buildings, the "duck pond" at the Sam Houston Museum, and many other local amenities.
Almost all of the designated walking route is shaded and is near restaurants and water fountains. Oden hopes that the new route will "encourage people to get moving," as part of a more active lifestyle.
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