By Jessica Vargas/reporter

Have a New Year’s resolution to lose weight?

With the holidays over, it is time to get back on track with health and fitness. TCC offers programs to help students achieve their fitness and weight-loss goals.

NW health services department sponsors two groups that focus on health and wellness, Carb Counters, whose name has changed to Mindful Eating this semester, and NW Walkers.

As coordinator of Mindful Eating, Carol Housewright, NW Campus nurse, helps students and staff with support and information on many health concerns including nutrition, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart health.

“To lose weight is the number one health concern, and health benefits are the by-product of this,” she said.

The group includes a variety of students, staff, faculty and administrators.

In the fall, 27 people participated, and Housewright expects more this semester because of New Year’s resolutions.

Mindful Eating started two years ago and has had success with students losing anywhere from 10 to 70 pounds, Housewright said.

The group will continue to meet Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. this semester in the NW Student Center. 

Another health and fitness group, NW Walkers, started this past semester. Coordinated by Heather Bailey, campus nurse, NW Walkers meet three times a week to walk one mile along a designated path on campus.

“Walking is a great, natural way to achieve daily physical activity and perhaps control weight or lose some,” she said.

Although the group has a designated time to walk, participants who choose to walk on their own can do so, Bailey said.

“For those who cannot make the designated times or dates, I ask that they walk at home or in a gym and then e-mail me or come by my office to mark their name off that they walked,” she said.

Bailey has devised several ways to keep students interested in continuing walking with NW Walkers.

“We draw monthly for gift cards and have passed out many goodies such as T-shirts, water bottles, pedometers and such things to keep motivation going,” she said.

Bailey also sends out newsletters to the walkers via e-mail that includes information on the benefits of walking and other health and fitness tips. NW Walkers will continue walking Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 p.m. this semester.

Each campus offers support for students and faculty members in need of guidance in fitness and weight loss as part of the health and physical education department.

SE Campus HPE department sponsors a semester-long Fitness Challenge for current students and staff, Jason Wooten, assistant professor of physical education, said.

NE Campus provides students a fun way to get active through a wide variety of sporting events.

The campus offers intramural basketball and flag football as well as cycling, jogging and tennis clubs. The HPE department joined with health services to create the NE Wellness (NEW) games. The program, which meets every other Friday, features different competitive sports activities each time.

Students can compete in everything from dodgeball in the gym to bowling at Showplace Lanes, and the activity is always free.

Kevin Harper, HPE instructor and adviser to the program, would like to see more students become involved with the program.

“It’s good in a lot of ways,” he said. “Not only just being active, but it’s good for stress relief and also developing a sense of camaraderie with fellow students.”

For a complete schedule of the NEW games and other fitness-related activities on NE Campus, check the second floor bulletin board in the NHPE building or contact Harper at 817-515-6621.

Timothy Johnson, South HPE department chair, said South Campus offers help to individuals.

“The program is specific for the individual, on a one-on-one basis because each student’s needs are different,” he said.

As with any new fitness and nutritional program, participants should talk to their doctors before starting. Johnson said it is important to get help from specialists.

“Exercising can be dangerous,” he said.

“You can injure yourself if you do not know what you are doing.”

For more information on Mindful Eating or NW Walkers, contact NW health services at 817-515-7790. For other campuses, contact the HPE department.