Davis students and faculty maintain fitness over summer

By Summer Tran, Vera Resendez and Maggie Warren,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Fit faculty: Davis teachers share their health habits

Grading papers is not the only work teachers do; some also work out their bodies. Teachers throughout Davis exercise for various reasons that their students could take notes on.

“[I exercise] for health, mainly, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t to maintain my weight,” Davis High English teacher Ashley Hamrick said.

Hamrick uses a combination of free weights and machines, and follows a routine she’s memorized for over five years.

Despite the overwhelming last weeks of school, Hamrick makes sure she leaves school no later than 3:30 p.m. for the gym every weekday.

Other teachers, including UC Davis’ head men’s soccer coach Dwayne Shaffer and head women’s tennis coach William Maze, work out in the early morning before work. Their cardio favorites consist of running and using a stationary bike.

Jim Les, the head of the UCD men’s basketball team, says his first goal of the day is to exercise, but he sometimes hits the elliptical machine at night due to busy times of the year.

“I feel it is important to set a good example for my players and students to stay fit, eat well and lead a healthy lifestyle,” Les said.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of Americans from age 12 to 21 do not participate in vigorous physical activities on a daily basis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that adolescents spend at least seven hours on electronic devices every day, resulting in laziness.

The decrease in the motivation to become and stay fit continues to decline as years pass and can result in health problems. The CDC suggests that teenagers should be getting an hour of exercise each day.

Davis instructors have their own advice.

“Most people who start an exercise program go gung-ho and can’t keep it up,” UCD P.E. teacher Gregory Chapla said.

Chapla recommends beginning with workouts twice a week and gradually adding on.

Making a lifestyle change can be difficult. DHS Spanish teacher Gabrielle Tabor suggests for people to find enjoyable ways to stay fit.

“If you want to get fit, do an activity that you love,” Tabor said.

Whether it is strength, cardio or endurance workouts, a healthy lifestyle is not complete without eating clean.

“Change your diet. That’s the first step,” Hamrick said.

The grind doesn’t stop over summer for college-bound athletes

For most students, summer means relaxation, travel and a break from academics. For athletes, however, summer vacation is all about training.

“As I move to a collegiate sport, I am working as hard as I can on practicing my skill set,” sophomore Brittany Steenbergen said.

Steenbergen committed to the University of Concordia Irvine for softball this past fall.

“My workout regimen for this summer is to run or pitch every day when I don’t have practice or a tournament,” Steenbergen said.

Like Steenbergen, senior and field hockey athlete Cara Satre will be putting in work in the coming months. This summer is especially important for Satre, as she will be attending Central Michigan University and needs to complete the workouts sent to her by her coach.

“I have to focus more on specific training like agility. The biggest difference is probably that my workouts are more structured,” Satre said.

It’s no secret that DHS is a factory for college athletes. That said, participation in a collegiate sport is not the only route to leading a healthy life. There are many options for students looking to get in shape, especially over summer.

Experts at WebMD suggest cardiovascular training for those wanting to get in shape. The WebMD website offers four cardio workouts that don’t include running.

Athletic Director Jeff Lorenson explains that DHS “supports all athletes in their aspirations whether this is playing at the college level, club level or just while in high school.” Being active comes in many forms, and not all of them lead to collegiate sports.

Lorenson’s advice for anyone looking to stay active is simple.

“Get involved with any program that will lead to being ready for the next level of play,” Lorenson said.

Watch the video below to see how DHS sophomore Phoebe Levine prepares three of her favorite healthy recipes: a veggie omelette, whole wheat pesto pasta and peach frozen yogurt: