Exercise might be the last thing on your mind right now. After all, it’s winter – the shorts and bathing suit season seem years away.

“Exercise is a life-long process that you need to start now,” said Fabian DeRozario, coordinator for the Office of Campus Recreation.

It provides a lot of benefits, both physical and psychological. “Exercise does relieve stress and that’s been scientifically proven,” DeRozario said.

Flexibility also improves, which can help prevent injuries. “Many people have back or knee problems because their joints are not flexible enough to stand a certain amount of impact,” DeRozario said. “Improving strength and flexibility can help prevent this.”

A work-out program will reduce stress on the heart. “Eventually, your heart gets stronger, and it doesn’t have to work as hard,” DeRozario said. “And when your heart is more efficient, it will last longer.”

DeRozario said when someone begins a work-out program, simply reading a book or adopting a friend’s routine will not do the trick. “What they need to do is speak to someone who has experience designing work-outs.”

“The thing that we all have to remember is that everybody has different reasons for exercising. They also have different endurance levels, different strength levels.” People might also have different injuries, such as back or knee problems. All of these factors must be considered when designing a personalized work-out program, DeRozario said.

“The first question you need to answer is what is your goal?” DeRozario said. Some people want to lose weight, some want to tone up, and others want to build muscle mass. These all require different exercise programs.

“For example, if someone wants to gain some weight we (OCR) put them on a weight-lifting program,” DeRozario said. “There are specific exercises for different muscle groups.” These exercises promote muscle tear. And when muscle tears, muscle builds. A nutrition program is also important to a weight-lifting program.

Cardiovascular work-outs are completely different. Jogging, walking and aerobics are some recommended exercises. “The most important thing to remember about cardiovascular fitness,” DeRozario said, “is you need to work at a certain target heart rate for a certain amount of time.”

Everyone has a maximum heart rate – the fastest your heart can beat. “While working out, you need to get your heart rate from 60 to 85 percent of your maximum rate,” DeRozario said. “And you need to maintain that for 20 minutes.”

Therefore, simply walking to class or riding a bike for ten minutes will not accomplish anything. Repetition in weight lifting and duration in cardiovascular work-outs are the key factors. Work-outs should be done three times a week.

“With weightlifting, you can usually feel the results in a couple of weeks,” DeRozario said. “You will feel muscle tightness, and some amount of muscle swell – you feel the difference very quickly in weightlifting.

“In terms of cardiovascular work-outs, you also feel the difference in two to three weeks. For example, when you are walking through campus, or go through your daily routine, you won’t pant as much.”

DeRozario said working out is a must for some people. “They get into a routine, and it becomes a habit.” Others are motivated by the social outlet exercise provides.

But for many people, motivation to begin a work-out program is the hardest part. DeRozario recommends starting out with a friend. This way you can look forward to your work-out. Another way is to make the event special, by buying a new excersise outfit, for example. The most important thing to do, though, is find an exercise that is enjoyable.