Northwest joins Exercise is Medicine campaign with goal of increasing physical activity

Northwest Missouri State University on Monday joined a growing number of higher education institutions that are promoting physical activity as a vital piece of healthy living with the signing of a proclamation to signal its adoption of Exercise is Medicine On Campus.

By encouraging faculty, staff and students to work together to improve health and well-being in their campus communities, the Exercise is Medicine initiative seeks to make movement a part of the daily campus culture, assess physical activity at every student health visit, provide students with tools to strengthen healthy physical activity habits and connect health care providers with health fitness specialists to offer a referral system for exercise prescription. 

With the backdrop of students exercising inside the Robert and Virginia Foster Fitness Center, Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum signed the proclamation and called it the perfect setting to join the movement.

By signing the proclamation, Northwest joined about 200 colleges and universities throughout the world as a registered Exercise is Medicine campus.

“It’s important to challenge our colleagues and to educate our colleagues on the importance of exercise and what it can do for us day in and day out,” Tatum said. “So I’m very pleased to put my signature to the proclamation because I think of this as something that we should really get behind. Participating in exercise is something that not only just improves your general outlook on life, but it also has a great impact on how you feel and what we do to stay active through our daily life.”

Dr. Tina Pulley, a Northwest alumna who joined the School of Health Science and Wellness faculty last year, has been associated with Exercise is Medicine almost since the American College of Sports Medicine established it in 2007 to inform and educate physicians and other health care providers about exercise. The initiative, she said, aligns well with Northwest’s mission of focusing on student success – every student, every day – and helping students develop knowledge and skills through profession-based learning.

“We get to activate Exercise is Medicine in our own unique ways, so it looks different on every single college campus,” Pulley said, adding that one of the goals at Northwest is to help students graduate in better health than when they arrived at the University and help them become knowledgeable, passionate advocates for regular physical activity.

In addition to providing students with training and mentorship that connects them to research and career opportunities, Exercise is Medicine fosters collaboration and leadership to support exercise and health goals.

Joining Pulley at Northwest, School of Health Science and Wellness faculty Dr. Rhonda Beemer and Dr. Brooke McAtee comprise the Exercise is Medicine campus leadership advisory board in collaboration with student leaders Brooke Katen, Reese McGlasson, Dawson Parks and Ginni Lyman.

To be considered for membership on the leadership board, each student submitted a letter of intent and a résumé, and new members will be considered annually. In addition, Lyman is applying her independent study to developing Exercise is Medicine on the Northwest campus.

Further, Dr. Terry Long, director of the School of Health Science and Wellness, noted that Exercise is Medicine aligns with other work taking place at Northwest to build a culture of well-being. Additionally, the University is securing support for a complete renovation of Martindale Hall to enhance health science and wellness programs.

“The lifeblood of culture really comes from a shared commitment to certain values and traditions,” Long said. “Sometimes they’re building new traditions and then committing to those values as a group, making it part of our culture at the way we think and the way we connect to one another. The support and enthusiasm that I’ve seen for the Exercise is Medicine On Campus initiative is a sign of how that culture is growing and coming to fruition more and more on a daily basis.”

Upcoming Exercise is Medicine activities

As part of the initiative, Northwest Exercise is Medicine leaders are planning several upcoming activities, including “Walk with a Doc,” a one-mile walk that begins at noon Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Colden Pond.

From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, the campus community is invited to an Exercise Testing and Resource Fair in the J.W. Jones Student Union. Attendees may opt for exercising testing for heart rate, blood pressure, bone density, body composition and movement in addition to meeting with an Exercise is Medicine leader for test interpretation and personalized exercise prescriptions.

From Oct. 19 through Oct. 25, the campus community also is invited to participate in voting for Exercise is Medicine’s Mascot Challenge. A web link for voting will be shared at a later date.

Additional Exercise is Medicine activities are being planned next spring.

“The point here is not just to sign the proclamation but to show some activity, to get engaged and to get involved,” Tatum said. “When I talk to physical educators about this, it’s kind of like preaching to the choir; they’re usually fairly active in what they do day in, day out. So I’m really speaking to those of us who spend a lot of our time sitting behind a desk, watching a computer screen, and answering emails or speaking to groups. It’s important for us to go ahead and begin to take the action that we need to be active.”

For more information about Exercise is Medicine at Northwest, contact Pulley at tpulley@nwmissouri.edu or Lynam at S538998@nwmissouri.edu, or visit www.exerciseismedicine.org/eim-in-action/eim-on-campus/.