“Live it, Play it, REC it!” That is the motto seen around just about every corner at San Jacinto College Central Campus this spring promoting Campus Recreation’s (Rec) first Recreational Sports and Fitness Day Feb. 20 in the Francis G. “Frenchie” Anders Physical Education Building.

Campus Rec sponsors year-round events promoting student participation in lifetime physical fitness activities. The activities offered are either free, or at a substantial discount. This spring, the the San Jac group joined with the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) to deliver a completely new opening for students and faculty to socialize while increasing their heart rates.

“We are trying to get the FUN back into FITNESS! We are branching outside our team sports horizons to offer more fitness elements for students,” Campus Rec Staff Assistant Mary Shelley said.

Over 60 years ago, NIRSA founded a network of students and professionals who aspired to become community leaders in collegiate recreation. Today, the organization continues to support the efforts of San Jac’s recreation team.

“NIRSA benefits the College with discounts on sports goods and equipment. (Also), when we travel with Campus Rec teams to regional tournaments,” Shelley said.

She explained the sessions available to students are ”what they want,” and emphasized the program will add many more in-demand activities going forward.

Meanwhile, Central campus’s event coincided with National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day Feb. 22. San Jac students celebrated the spirit of competition two days prior in the Auxiliary Gym. Campus Rec kicked off the morning with a tranquil Yoga session, later featuring a vigorous Kickball game, dynamic Dodgeball battle, and lastly added by popular request, Zumba dance fitness.

“The first event that I attended was Yoga. I’m not really a flexible person and was so anxious at first, but after a while, I got to relax and had fun,” first- year student Mary Carmen Arredondo said.

As a result of the College’s recent decision to eliminate the Physical Education requirement from the core curriculum, health-minded faculty and staff are reminding students that maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is still very much a necessity.

“Fitness is a very important component of one’s life,” Shelley said. ”It must be taken seriously. Therefore, it is important to find something you like/enjoy to stay active,”

With midterms quickly approaching, New Year’s resolutions long-forgotten, and Spring Break springing up, Shelley leaves students with a few tips to kick those common yet corrupt cramming cravings.

“We all need to splurge here and there but stay faithful to your resolutions and good things will come,” she said. “Only you can control your diet and exercise, so take control and take care of yourself. You might be able to influence someone else by your actions.”