Written by Shambhu Sharan, Contributor to The Shorthorn   

Wednesday, 11 March 2009 07:44 PM

College of Education staff are getting fit thanks to a pilot program combining technology and exercise.

This semester, kinesiology assistant professor Christopher Ray started a wellness project involving an accelerometer, a device that measures the acceleration and gravity to tell how something is moving. Apple uses accelerometers in iPhones to tell which way the phone is oriented, horizontal or vertical, to adjust the display.

He informs the participants of how to accomplish their goals and then provides them with the accelerometer to track their own adherence, he said. He said it checks heart rate, intensity of activity and volume of activity, which provide an exercise graph that includes time and intensity. Participants cannot cheat the device, he said.

“The main focus of the program is a sort of guided discovery in weight loss,” he said.

Ray said that Education college Dean Jeanne Gerlach promoted the program and wanted to offer it to staff. Ten staff members from the Education college volunteered to help with Ray’s program, so that he can experiment with the technology and use it for a larger-scale program.

Education college Support Specialist Ofa Tuuholoaki lost 17 pounds in one month by participating in the program.

“I want to lose 30 pounds,” she said. “I feel good and proud about myself after losing my weight.”

She said she loved candy and chocolate but had to give it up.

“I believe in saying, you are what you eat,” she said.

Senior office administrator Patsy Rangel lost seven pounds in one month after joining the program — her desire to be in shape has kept her going.

“I walk two miles every day. I eat more salad, fruits and try to stay away from starchy food. I drink 64 ounces of water everyday,” she said. “I want to look good, feel good and be healthy.”

Carrie Ausbrooks, Education college associate dean, has seen behavioral differences in her staff already.

“I noticed my staff members … are watching their steps and diet,” she said. “They pay more attention to what they are eating. I see them moving around more.”

For more information about the program e-mail Ray at chrisray@uta.edu.