Baie: Trevor Doré ions editor semester. It’s so easy to get caught up with assignments and studying for tests and totally forget about a workout routine. Given this, it is important to find ways to facilitate the incorporation of physical activity into your daily life. There are countless options out there for ways to keep fit and have fun. Local community centres usually offer weight rooms, pool facilities and public fitness programs. There are also private gyms. Trevor Linden just opened his own private gym, joining the likes of Steve Nash and many other franchises. While these gyms offer state of the art equipment and facilities, membership often costs an arm and a leg. The same can be said for yoga studios and cardio boot camps. The good news is, if you’re a student a Douglas College, you can get involved and stay fit, often times for free. The Centre for Campus Life offers multiple programs to help keep students healthy and active. Basic Step, Hip Hop, Yoga, Cardio Camp, Kick Boxing, Step Aerobics and Core Strength are just some of the programs offered. The fee is included in activity fees, which all Douglas College students pay for along with tuition. If you already pay for it, why not take advantage of it? Multiple activities also take place over the course of the year. Such things as beach volley ball tournaments, dodge ball and participation in the Vancouver Sun Run. If you’re interested in playing a sport but cannot commit to a full-time team, show up for intramurals. There are soccer and basketball intramurals at New West and soccer, basketball, volleyball and badminton at David Lamb. Be sure to check out a detailed schedule on the recreation home page. For those who are simply interested in hitting the gym, check out the fitness centres at both campuses. Once again, admission to these XM 16 |: important to stay fit during the - Gomme ios ——_—. Save your money and get fit at Douglas facilities is covered in your Douglas College student fees. If you don’t mind spending a little bit of change, the gym also offers personal training sessions. Finally, a big part of staying healthy is taking a holistic approach to the whole thing. If you want to get more involved on campus along with learning how to live a healthier life, get involved with the Student Wellness Awareness Team (SWAT). Help make the college experience for yourself and other that much better along with gaining skills in leadership, working in groups, administration and more. The wellness centre also offers chiropractic and naturopathic services, all of which are covered under Student Green Shield health plans. Overall, there is no doubt countless opportunities and avenues out there to improve your health and well-being. However, take a closer look and you will find that there are also many ways to stay fit and have fun right here on campus. Better yet, most of the things on campus are already paid for. If you’re looking for ways to slim your waist and not your wallet, be sure to check out the centre for campus life for more information and details. So many options at Douglas and the importance of setting goals By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor 0 you came to Douglas S straight out of high school because you didn’t know what else to do. Some might say that you have come to the right institution. Douglas is a great place to explore your options and take a diversity of classes in a multitude of subjects. Class sizes are smaller and courses cost less. Honestly, if there wasn’t the need to make money, I could easily see myself spending countless years of my life learning about anything and everything. Unfortunately, we eventually have to move on. Many certificates and diplomas along with a handful of Bachelor Degree programs are available right here at Douglas. These programs are great because you don’t have to worry about going somewhere else to complete your degree. However, I imagine many students at Douglas are also enrolled in University Transfer Programs. The UT program provides students with many benefits. Upon completion of 60 credits, students are awarded an Associates Degree and preferential acceptance to many BC Universities. Some move along, others decided to take their Associates Degree and try to find a job. : With so many options at Douglas, it is important to set some goals for yourself. As great as the notion of a career student might sound, setting some goals paves the way to further and future success. So first of all, it helps to-set an end goal. Ask yourself, what is it that you want out of your time here at Douglas? Are you going for the Bachelors Degree or headed for a certificate? If you’re planning on transferring to a university, what do you want out of that experience? You’ve always got to be looking ahead. Once you have set this end goal, you can go about setting small goals along the way in order to successfully reach this destination. It helps to write them down. Fleshing things out in pen and paper helps you truly realize what it is that you are aspiring towards. Once you have set some smaller interim goals, identify your weaknesses. What might prevent you from reaching these goals? If you don’t identify your weaknesses, it’s impossible to fix or change your situation. When identifying strengths and weaknesses, it’s important to be true to yourself, because lets face it, the only person you’re going to be hurting is yourself. Once you have identified your weaknesses, you can set out to conquer your goals. Use your planner. It is vital to keep track of important dates and stay on top of your schedule. Once you fall behind, you’re up against a tidal wave to catch up. Going up against a tidal wave is no doubt daunting and could cause you to loose sight of your end goal. If you haven’t yet set any goals, it’s time to buckle down. After a couple weeks of classes, you have a general idea of what to expect in every class, so why not plan for success? If you’ re planning on transferring to a University why not look into that as well? Set an end goal and do what you’ ve got to do to achieve it.