Michelle Peterson/Winonan

Last week’s Fit Stop gave students and faculty the opportunity to measure their body composition on campus.

Body composition measures body mass index and fat percentage. Both are good determiners of health. An unhealthy body composition means more susceptibility to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The body composition test only takes a couple of minutes. Participants give their activity level, height, weight, age and gender. Then they hold on to electrodes for a few seconds to see the results.

Fit Stop used a bioelectrical impedance analysis to measure body composition, which gives an estimate of body composition.

“You’re not always as healthy as you look,” Zach Schossow, an exercise science student who promotes the Fit Stop events, said, “It opens your eyes to different health risks.”

With the prevalence of heart disease and obesity in America and a current shift toward healthier lifestyles, knowing body composition gives us a baseline to put our health in perspective, Schossow said.

“If you feel unhealthy, there are things you can do about it,” he said.

For people who have an unhealthy body composition, Schossow recommends talking to a registered nutritionist and starting an exercise plan.

Winona State University offers workout buddies for free and personal trainers for as low as $10 per session. Students can stop by the front desk in the Integrated Wellness Complex for more information.

Fit Stop events are every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in IWC Room 138. The events are set up for students on the go. They take only a few minutes to participate and offer valuable information for overall health.

This month’s Fit Stop tables will be Feel A Boobies, Volunteering in the Community, and Blood Pressure.

So far the Fit Stop events have had about 25 people participate or stop by each week, but this week it seemed students were too busy to stop.

Karin Gray, a junior walking by the Fit Stop table, said knowing her body composition does interest her, but she’s too busy to stop right now.

The Fit Stop tables are new this semester, and Schossow said he knows timing is a big issue for students. Perhaps in the future Fit Stop could have an event during the day and another one at night, Schossow said.

Contact Michelle at [email protected]