BY CORRIN DONAHUE // MARCH 21, 2013 //

Who knew going to the gym could be a competition? The Curry College Fitness Center recently concluded its five-week “Back to the Beach” fitness challenge, in which students competed to log the most minutes working out.

Sophomore community health major Gabrielle Delmonte captured first place with 2,588 minutes, or 43.1 hours. Sophomore criminal justice major Jamison Etting finished second with 2,368 minutes, while freshman visual arts major Emily Aronica took third with 2,245 minutes. Junior nursing major Liz Smith (2,176 minutes) and freshman nursing major Ana Pearson (1,898 minutes) rounded out the top five. These students each received a Visa gift card and a prize pack filled with goodies for the summer. In all, 80 students participated in the competition.

The purpose of the program, which ended March 8, was to motivate students to make fitness a routine in their lives, with the end goal of looking and feeling good entering spring break, said Kerry Antunes, associate director of fitness and recreation at Curry. “By organizing an event like “Back to the Beach”…as well as having staff buy-in creates a recipe for success,” she added.

Per contest rules, students could receive no more than 90 minutes of workout credit per day. Students received additional “credit” by participating in group exercise classes such as Ab Lab, Cardio Dance, or Zumba. Students could also receive credit for running outside, but they had to first check in at the Fitness Center front desk.

“This program helped motivate me to attend more classes at the Fitness Center and to stay active as possible,” said Pearson, a native of Westerly, R.I., who noted that her New Year’s resolution was to start eating healthier and go to the gym every day.

Students were emailed weekly results with average minutes, and the top 20 contenders were listed in the Fitness Center each week. Twenty-three students achieved the American College of Sports Medicine’s standard physical activity goal of 180 minutes, or three hours, a week, and received a free dry-fit shirt that says Curry College Fitness & Recreation.

Antunes said she drew people into the program by word of mouth, and got the word out through RA’s and community directors.

The challenge moving forward, according to Antunes, is in helping students stay motivated to continue their fitness routines.

Corrin Donahue participated in the “Back to the Beach” contest, and was one of the 23 students who achieved the American College of Sports Medicine’s standard physical activity goal.