“On Your PATH to 30” challenge gets Flyers active to earn PATH points

Photo of the University of Dayton’s RecPlex courtesy of UD Campus Recreation’s Twitter Account.

Zoë Hill | News Editor

UD Campus Recreation aims to get Flyers active for half an hour each day with its latest program, On Your PATH to 30.

The program motivates students to work out at the RecPlex for at least four days a week over the next month. Students who complete the challenge can receive four PATH points– one for each week logged– due to Campus Recreation’s partnership with AVIATE. 

“On Your PATH to 30 looks to increase your awareness of how 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily exercise can impact your overall health and wellbeing, while also debunking the barriers and encouraging the benefits of exercise to promote healthy lifestyles,” the program’s website said. 

Each week is themed around a different fitness initiative. The first week, which began Monday, centers around the significance of 30 minutes of exercise. According to the ​​American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults need at least a half-hour of physical activity every day. The “You’ve Got Time for 30” week highlights the importance of fitting moderate to vigorous activity into a student’s daily routine.

The remaining weeks center around restarting routines abandoned during quarantine, the relationship between physical health and mental health and sources of motivation for exercising. 

Kaela Offstein, a junior health science major, signed up for On Your PATH to 30 after learning that she could score a few PATH points towards her senior-year housing. She also said how the structure of the themed weeks will help keep her motivated and push her towards her fitness goals. 

“I think it is a really good idea,” Offstein said. “Everyone wants to get PATH points, and getting people to workout and be more active is a really good idea. I think it will help me go to the gym four days a week. I think it will keep me accountable.”

Flyers who stick with the program and workout 16 of the 29 days will get a t-shirt to commemorate their efforts to be more active. Students are required to submit a reflection for each week on how the program affected their physical and mental wellbeing, according to the rules. 

Emma Feldman, also a junior health science major, goes to the RecPlex every day to run in between classes and work. When she heard about the new partnership with AVIATE and Campus Recreation, she signed up to earn PATH points and a t-shirt for physical activity she already intended to do. She said the brief reflection due each week “seemed worth it.” 

“I typically am at the RecPlex for the minimum amount of time to get credit, so I figured I might as well get PATH points while I’m there,” Felman said. 

Feldman explained how exercising has helped her destress from a busy week. Going to the RecPlex makes her feel like she accomplished something that day, she said. She is a strong believer in the relationship between physical wellness and mental health.

“One of the reasons I go to the RecPlex is for stress relief,” Feldman said. “Working out, for me, is a healthy distraction that helps me forget all of the day’s worries. It calms me down.” 

On Your PATH to 30 runs from Aug. 30 to Oct. 17, and students can register at the RecPlex Welcome Desk or on the program’s website to start earning PATH credit for physical activity.

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