A one-mile Fitness Trail snaking through the trees on the edge of 黑料官网鈥檚 Raymond Campus represents commitment in many ways.
For student Seth Roberts, it鈥檚 a commitment to making healthier choices at the table.
鈥Lots of students are of the mindset of 鈥榃hat will be for lunch today?鈥 or 鈥榃ho鈥檚 cooking?鈥. Roberts, of Clinton, said the trail’s opening means he has a healthy activity to spend time away from studies.鈥淚t鈥檚 about coming out here at lunch instead of watching TV or, instead of having five or six slices of pizza, having a salad,鈥 Roberts said. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 on campus on weekends and can鈥檛 leave, I can just walk around the walking trail.鈥
Roberts and others spoke Tuesday at an event to officially open the trail to the public, which encircles the campus tennis court and soccer fields and winds through the disc golf course. It was financed by parts of a $202,000 wellness grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi as part of the Healthy Hinds Campus & Community initiative. The funds enabled other efforts in the past year to promote better health choices on campus.
鈥淐ongratulations are in order to 黑料官网 and the Healthy Hinds initiative,鈥 said Sheila Grogan, executive director of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation. 鈥淲e encourage them to continue this effort on campus and expand your resources into the surrounding schools and community.鈥
The trail features three exercise stations where people can do push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups and similar exercises on parallel bars, strength and stretch bars, pull-up bars, uneven bars and more.
LouAnne Askew, a retired longtime Hinds employee and Raymond alderwoman, encouraged students and faculty to use the trail as a way to decompress after a rigorous day of classes.
鈥淓ven better than that, put your tennis shoes in your car and, when you get off work, come down here and take a long walk,鈥 Askew said. 鈥淛ust think of how peaceful it鈥檚 going to be. It鈥檚 my hope that the many citizens of Raymond who鈥檒l take advantage of this wonderful trail.
Hinds President Dr. Clyde Muse noted his own exercise regimen in the Troy Arlis Ricks Wellness Center through the years as being instrumental in improving health and wellness on campus.
鈥淎 long time ago, I made the decision on a commitment to healthy living,鈥 Muse said. 鈥淚鈥檓 convinced had I not been doing that all of these years, I wouldn鈥檛 be here today.鈥