SWAHA

Grand Canyon University (GCU) students are taking the initiative to encourage active living and share research at the Southwest Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) this October.

GCU’s Performance Optimization, Wellness and Exercise Research (POWER) lab and the Student Health and Wellness Association (SWAHA) encourage students to live healthier lives through exercise.

The student-led club SWAHA and the faculty-supervised POWER Lab hold the philosophy “exercise is medicine.” Student Wesley Stergious, a SWAHA officer and event coordinator for the club, states that exercise can improve students' health in more ways than one.

According to the CDC, exercise has short and long-term benefits, including improved well-being and weight management.

“Exercise, from what our research shows, really is the ultimate polypill,” reported Stergious.

The ACSM is the world's largest sports medicine and exercise organization, with almost 50,000 members and certified fitness professionals. Its vision is to extend and enrich lives through exercise; its mission is to “educate and empower professionals to advance the science and practice of health and human performance.”

The Southwest region of the ACSM is holding its annual meeting on Oct. 25-26 in Costa Mesa. Attendees can share their undergraduate research at the event to collaborate and receive feedback.

Kaitlyn Wabakken is SWAHA’s lab manager and a club officer. Experienced with the event, Wabakken shares the opportunities the annual meeting presents regarding post-graduation opportunities.

“You get an opportunity to talk to these schools about what they’re looking for, get connections and apply to those grad schools,” said Wabakken, sharing that a former SWAHA member found his grad school by attending the event.

As a club, SWAHA has four main divisions: club activities, research studies, Health

Information Programs (HIPs) and club sports training and testing.

The POWER lab is GCU’s exercise science research lab, run by SWAHA members and lab advisors. It conducts testing, HIPs and research.

Students can participate in research projects to be a part of a published study. Multiple projects are conducted each semester, with members running tests, collecting data and finding research volunteers for each test.

One of the current studies is the Nonresponder study, which will be presented at the ACSM annual meeting. This study investigates individuals who do not have the standard response to exercise (nonresponders)—the typical response to exercise resulting in lowered blood pressure for the next 24 hours.

Grace Rauser, a POWER lab researcher and SWAHA member, is a researcher for the Nonresponder study. Rauser hopes that by identifying nonresponder students at GCU, greater awareness can spread about their condition.

“I should hope that a treatment comes out and soon so that they can actually lower their blood pressure since they do not get to do it through regular exercise,” stated Rauser.

By finding nonresponders, the studies will test different exercises and intensities to lower nonresponders' blood pressures.

As a club, SWAHA holds meetings for both regular students and club members to promote the club and the mission of “exercise is medicine.” One of the club’s most recent events was a softball game open to all students.

POWER Lab-affiliated researchers Dr. Zachary Zeigler and Dr. Eddie Smith split players into two teams to compete in a softball game. The game included costumes, music and challenges to keep the game entertaining for both players and spectators.

Many of the club’s events and tabling will feature physical activities to promote exercise.

SWAHA’s most recent tabling event challenged students to compete for the most pull-ups.

Wabakken states that it is essential that club activities be open to non-members.

“We do like to open it up to everyone in hopes that they will enjoy our club,” stated

Wabakken.

Exercise and its benefits are SWAHA’s most significant message to GCU students. The club stresses that exercise comes in many forms.

Rasuer states, “There are so many different kinds of exercise. It’s not just pumping irons,” mentioning the various forms of exercise from pilates to hiking.

One of the benefits is improved mental health, which is an issue prevalent among college students.

Wabakken states, “One of the great ways to reduce that is exercise and movement,” in response to mental health in college. According to the National Library of Medicine, exercise can improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative mood, boosting self-esteem and alleviating social withdrawal.

With the many benefits of exercise, the club can easily promote exercise as medicine to students. Through events and outreach, the club hopes to enrich students' lives by encouraging physical movement as a lifestyle while in college to improve the quality of life in later years.

“Taking care of our bodies and our minds now is essential so they do not feel the effects

later,” stated Stergious.