Story 4 News Feature

In an economic decline, many people have begun focusing more on their health and fitness as something they can control in a world of financial unknowns.
Washington State University has brought a new program to their students through the university recreational center to help students monitor and have even more control over their daily fitness. The program is known as the Star Trac eFitness System which according to the recreation center website, allows exercisers “to use a flash drive to download the data from your workout into an online system that can track and compare your activity.” This enables students to be intimately involved with their fitness routines inside and outside of the rec center.
“I found out about the eFitness system through the rec’s iPlay email. They texted me and told me to bring my iPlay button to the rec to receive a free gift and that’s where they had tables set up with computers and these convenient little flash-drives,” 20 year old, Daniel Taibleson said.
The Rec Center staff then helped Taibleson to sign up, understand and use the eFitness online system. By having these tables set up as you walk into the rec it makes it easy for students to register. The system has changed the way that Taibelson approaches his daily workouts.
“I’ve recently started training for the Blooms day run in Spokane, and instead of having to carry around a log journal and making sure I’m keeping track of my times at the gym, I just plug in this little guy and he does the work for me. It takes care of paperwork so I don’t have to worry about it and allows me to make sure I am making my workouts as efficient as possible,” Taibleson said.
The system updates and tracks your workout every 15 seconds to ensure accuracy. Although the eFitness boxes are only attached to the cardio equipment, the online system allows you to manually input other activity such as weight lifting, abdominal work and any other exercises the rec has to offer. It’s a great way for students see where their hard work ranks in association with their goals.
“I would recommend it for any student who is serious about their workout regimen and wants to see their results. It helps because you can see the steps you are making toward your goal on paper essentially,” Taibleson said.
Although students have found a way to stay in school and afford tuition, their access to funds for entertainment has dwindled. The Rec center has provided not only a way to track your fitness, but also classes and sport courts which provide a free haven of entertainment.
“I think it’s great what the rec has done with this eFitness system, it has helped a lot of people with their workout, and brought in more people daily,” said 21 year old, Josh White. “I think part of the reason so many people are at the rec lately is because it’s a cool place to come hangout and there are tons of classes and activities to do. It’s the new place to be.”
“I definitely think there’s a correlation between the increase in number of people using the rec center and the economic down turn. It is a means of free entertainment, having everything from pool tables to racquet ball courts to a large hot tub and pool. People are finding the rec to be a new outlet for relaxation and entertainment,” Taibleson said. “People are finding ways to have fun without spending money.”

Daniel Taibleson 425.248.5788 dtaibleson@hotmail.com
Josh P. White 509.954.3032 joshwhite41@yahoo.com
University Recreation http://urec.wsu.edu/