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Running club boosts fitness success Stop by Health 1st’s Wellness Wednesday table in the Children’s Hospital lobby between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. July 23 for information on the MUSC Running Club. by Billy Grimes MUSC Running Club For people whose new year’s resolution lasted only month: Do you plan to work out after work or class, but end up blowing it off, because you’re tired from a long day? Does it take two days to get to the point where you can move without pain when you do work out? Or, have you never exercised consistently and don’t know where to begin?   Most of these questions can be answered in the affirmative by people who may be having a tough time getting into shape, and need a game plan that will increase motivation and success.   One easy solution would be to join the MUSC Running Club. The running club may provide a key motivating factor, which are other people, many just like you, who also can help hold you accountable to your fitness regimen.   As president of the running club, it may seem odd that I also struggle with the same difficulties as the average person.   I had a fairly successful running career in high school, but I did not run competitively in college. While I didn’t gain the “freshman 15” pounds, I did become very lazy. Sophomore year rolled around and, one day, I realized my fitness was quickly going down the tube. I decided to strap on my running shoes and set off very arrogantly for an ‘easy’ five-miler around campus. I just about died. This story repeated itself for the next two years. I would get motivated for short periods of time and then get sore, discouraged and lazy. It was roller-coaster ride of exercise.   During my senior year, I found what had been missing from my exercise program. It had nothing to do with what, when or where I did my exercise but rather with whom I did it. I was fortunate enough to be able to help coach cross country at a local high school, and it was there that I found the motivation that I had been lacking for three years. I discovered that by simply having someone else to run with was all I needed to help me keep focused and stick with it.   The MUSC Running Club is meant to be a place where people can find others to exercise with. We are dedicated to providing the MUSC running community a friendly, relaxed environment in which they can participate in group runs of all skill levels; train for upcoming races and events; and expand their knowledge of health and fitness. Whether you want to run a mile or train for 26.2, you can find someone to run beside. For those who burn with competition, the club participates in local races throughout the year. Other Health 1st events For information on the following Health 1st events, call 792-9959 or 792-1245: Worksite screening: subscribers of the State Health Plan can receive this thorough preventive health screening at work. This screening, valued at $200, is available for $15 (spouses can participate for $15 and dependents for $38). Employees without the SHP insurance can participate for $38. This screening includes height, weight, blood pressure and a blood draw for blood chemistry profile, hemogram, and a blood lipid profile. Screening dates are July 24 at the main hospital and Aug. 21 at ART. Work It Off: Learn to lose weight the healthy way, and do it during lunch. Sign up for the new 10-week Worksite Weight Loss Program for MUSC Employees designed by MUSC’s Weight Management Center. The cost is $98. Classes will be offered from noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 19 on the main campus and Aug. 20 at ART. Wellness Teams Competition: The only requirement is to join or create a team (with no more than 10 employees) and start walking. Health 1st will supply each walker with a pedometer and log book. This event will kickoff soon and continue for three months. The team that logs the most steps wins a prize. Friday, July 18, 2008 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.