Sound Mind, Sound Body and the Freshman 15

Competition for incoming students is often influenced by the recreational facilities available to them. However, it is more than just a bargaining chip for choosy students. A well thought out, complete rec center is critical to the health and well-being of campus. The notorious Freshman 15 remains a perennial worry for new students, but more importantly, the stress of college — from new campus living arrangements and new social structures to financial struggles and academic challenges — can take a real physical toll.

Scientific evidence demonstrates mental stress causes serious bodily harm, but there’s also ample evidence proving that physical fitness, exercise and fun, even a little every day, can make a crucial difference. The best campus recreation center doesn’t just offer a place to recover and an escape from college stress, it offers a solution for maintaining wellness and relieving stress.

Recovery is an emerging and evolving field in health and recreation. More recent recovery modalities result in changes at the cellular level through increased circulation to bring more oxygen and nutrients to the cells, enhanced lymph drainage to remove breakdown products, and elevating the cellular energy throughout the entire body. An easy and safe way to deliver these desired results is using whole body vibration with sound rather than mechanical vibration. Sound has been used for healing since the ancient Egyptians. Because cells have a resonate frequency at which they vibrate, sound can also be used to specifically target cells to obtain optimal results.

It is now possible to be intentional about recovery in a recreational center that targets the issues of weight loss, stress relief, depression, and recovery from strenuous workouts and sports. This is an added dimension that sound frequencies and whole-body sound vibration equipment brings to the students.

In a non-blinded, 30-day study, it was found the average weight loss was 4.1 pounds, 26.8 inches lost, blood pressure dropped 3.9 mmHg and heart rate dropped 1.6 bpm. Subjective assessments showed the average reported pain dropped 31%, stress went down by 36%, depression decreased 25%, fatigue was reduced 24% and sleep improved 21%. The requirements were simple: don’t change your diet or exercise regimen, and stand on the whole-body sound vibration machine for 20 minutes a minimum of 11 times in the 30-day period. 

In addition, there are numerous anecdotal accounts of rapid recovery from workouts and minor injuries. With clear intention and planning, a recovery zone can lead to the destressing of students on your campus and help recovery at the speed of sound.

Caroline Stites, ND, is the president at Vibragenix, LLC. For more information, email caroline@vibragneix.com or visit vibragenix.com.