The 21 students who just completed Tammy Butler’s Lifetime Physical Fitness class (Exercise 101) at USC Salkehatchie left with a few important lessons—most importantly, never doubt the impact of a few extra steps.
The class, called “the walking class” by most of the students and community, was the first of its sort at the university. The 8-week class was designed and taught by Butler, a health educator who is also employed by the Allendale County School District. It focused on walking as a form of exercise and health improvement, as well as basic nutrition, weight loss, and disease prevention.
“The focus of the course was to encourage students to adopt a healthier lifestyle,” said Butler. “We talked about the benefits of walking, and the ways to get more steps in a day.”
Some of those “tricks” to increase your daily activity include parking further away from a building, walking into a restaurant instead of using a drive-thru, walking around your house during television commercials, and carrying only a few bags of groceries in at a time, increasing the number of trips from the car to the house.
“This type of education is important because we are facing so many health disparities as a country today, and a lot of them are directly related to obesity,” said Butler. “We have become such a sedentary society as a whole. Simply walking can make a major difference in your health. It’s an easy, free fitness activity you can do, and it helps address obesity, diabetes and stroke, and walking even helps cancer rates go down.”
Her students were enthusiastic about the class, and said they were sad their final day had come.
“We would like to have another class, a higher level,” said Myrna Youmans of Hampton. “We’re ready to come back, but we can’t come back for Exercise 101 again. The class was absolutely great, and we just received so much beneficial information.”
In addition to learning, students set health goals for themselves, and established their own personal walking plan. Progress was reported daily and weekly in a journal. They either kept count of steps per day, distance walked, or time spent walking. Students received a pedometer at the start of the semester to help with their record-keeping.
A number of students reported tangible benefits from taking the class. Several lost weight, and one woman lost more than 11 pounds. Others reported improved breathing, stronger heartbeats, disappearance of lingering pains, and feeling better overall.
“The class helps you get in better shape,” said Parks Coble. “I had to get in better shape; I couldn’t even walk the loop here without stopping.”
Another student reported a drop in his calorie intake simply because he cut out regular soft drinks, choosing after the nutrition component to drink some diet drinks and more water instead.
“It’s just been so amazing for me to see,” said Butler. “I was just so happy to see what they’re doing and how seriously they have taken it all.”
She said the idea for the class came after she approached USC Salkehatchie Dean Ann Carmichael about teaching a general health education class at the university. Carmichael had noticed all of the people, especially senior citizens, using the campus walking trail regularly, and thought a walking-based class might address a community need and interest.
Butler says she considers the first class a success and will be teaching it again beginning in January. In fact, she says she is working to put together a program so it can be taken as an independent study course, a request that was made several times this semester. She and her students say the class offers something for everyone—from people who never exercise, to those already involved in fitness routines.
Ruth Williams, who has been an avid walker for years, took the class and says she learned some surprising things.
“I wasn’t walking fast enough, and I wasn’t walking long enough,” she said. “And besides the fact that the teacher was so good, the input from the rest of the class was excellent. We all appreciate USC Salkehatchie letting us have the class, and providing somewhere here in town we could come and take it.”
For more information on the course, call USC Salkehatchie at 803-584-3446, or toll-free at l-800-922-5500, and ask for Kathy West.
12/04
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