Forced to choose between painful surgery and a rigorous program of physical therapy, Ferrone chose the latter and has been visiting the Fitness Center four times a week since returning to work. She exercises for 45 minutes on various weight training equipment, working to condition and strengthen one half of her body one day, the other half the next.
"For me, looking better is a side benefit of exercise," Ferrone said. "I stay in shape so I can take care of my kids, tend to my garden and lead a normal, pain-free life."
While Ferrone may have a stronger motivation for regular exercise, she is one of several Hamilton employees who head to the gym over their lunch hour. They find that, in a relatively short period of time, they can achieve results that make them look and feel better.
Two-and-a-half years ago, Cindy Stern (left) started walking five miles every morning before coming to work as serials assistant in the library. At lunch, she and colleague Ginny Davis walk another two miles around campus or on the Field House track. The result — Stern lost 30 pounds and has kept the weight off.
"I had put on weight over the years that stayed with me for a long time," said Stern, who combined exercise with the Weight Watchers program. "I'm getting older, and as women approach menopause they tend to put on more weight. I didn't want to do that."
Stern and Davis are not alone in supporting each other in the quest to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
"When you have an obligation to someone else, it's more difficult to say, 'Oh, it's too cold to walk over to exercise today.' We definitely motivate each other," said Sharon Williams, director of the Writing Center, who meets Betsy Jensen, professor of economics, three times a week to swim at the pool.
Williams decided to give swimming a try 14 years ago when the pool opened and she was struck by the beauty of the new facility. Now she swims 24 lengths during her lunch hour — "enough to keep me feeling I've accomplished something" — and finds the experience both physically challenging and mentally relaxing.
Robin Kinnel, Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry, also enjoys swimming a few times a week, but his passion for the sport came in a roundabout way — he needed to learn to scuba dive. In 1978, Kinnel was preparing for a sabbatical leave in Hawaii. Since collecting underwater samples for his research would require him to scuba dive, he thought becoming a proficient swimmer might be a good idea.
Another reason to take to the pool came when other modes of exercise became too taxing on his back. "Swimming is very good aerobic exercise and known to increase flexibility," Kinnel said. "It was great for me when my parts began to give out!"
Like Williams, Sharon Britton, director of public services in the library, was a novice at her sport, running, before starting a noontime exercise program at Hamilton five years ago. Together with Patti Hartnett, business office assistant, she runs every day either through campus or on the Field House track.
"I had always been thin, but over the years put on as much as 25 pounds. When I first started (running), I couldn't get around the track once. Now we run two or three miles," said Britton, who ran the 5K Heart Run with Hartnett last February. "After we run, we eat lunch together. Not only do I exercise to keep my weight and cholesterol level down, it's also a nice break."
David Paris, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, seconds the idea that his time out of the office for exercise makes him more productive (or, as he said, "keeps me from falling asleep by 1:30 p.m.") in the afternoon. An avid exerciser since he suffered a back injury in the late 1970s, Paris can be found somewhere in or around the gym every noon playing basketball, running, swimming or engaging in a game of squash.
Another veteran athlete is Dave Thompson, associate director of physical education and head swimming and diving coach. What started 10 years ago with Thompson and one or two other runners has expanded to a regular group of two dozen, half of whom meet regularly at noon on any given day. Thompson sends occasional e-mail messages to the group announcing the "rave run of the week," a route which usually goes off-road, winding through the various glens on campus.
"What's great about the noon runners group is that it brings people together from all corners of campus," Thompson said. "It's very social, not competitive, and most people who try off-road running really enjoy the beautiful scenery."
For those who crave the thrill of victory, a lively game of pick-up basketball (a.k.a. "noon-time hoops") fills the Alumni Gym each Tuesday and Thursday. Among the regulars is Alex Egresits, a painter in Physical Plant, who alternates between basketball and the Fitness Center.Egresits, who played basketball in high school, also participates in a Saturday-night basketball league in Utica. Not only does he enjoy the competition, exercise allows him to "mentally clear my head and stay fit for my job" which routinely requires lifting. He also stays fit to keep active with his kids.
Amy James, coordinator of the Associated Colleges in China Program, is among those employees who find the Fitness Center a convenient way to stick with an exercise program. She uses the treadmill and weights three or four times a week so she has the energy to chase her two children and the nine teenage boys who live at the ABC House where James and her husband serve as resident directors.
"This is the first time in my life that I exercise to feel better rather than to look better," she said. "Now that I'm back to work, I have a lunch-hour again. And I'm better than I used to be at sticking with exercise because of the Fitness Center."
When James is interested in trying a new piece of equipment, she asks someone using a machine. Also on-hand to offer assistance is Linda Hallberg, assistant volleyball coach. Hallberg, who holds a degree in exercise and sports science from Tulane University, works in the Fitness Center from noon-1 p.m., and is happy to help new and experienced exercisers develop a personalized program.
"Too many times people don't know how to use a machine so they overload, are sore the next day, and then never come back," said Hallberg, who can offer insight into how to tone specific areas of the body and how to develop a program that progresses slowly. "Exercise offers something for everyone and keeps you going for the rest of the day, especially now that the winter months are coming."
