Fit4Life: New club to help students stay fit at South Campus

By Jessica Poitevien
Staff Writer

With obesity and weight-related diseases reaching near epidemic levels in the United States, three Broward College students have taken a stand and created a new club, Fit4Life, which is designed to help its members improve their overall health.
It all started last year when Fit4Life advisor, Denise Brown, began discussing the importance of health and fitness with Melanie Tuitt, the president of Fit4Life. They both agreed that something needed to be done to help students become healthier.
“It was an idea that our advisor, Denise Brown, had and little by little it grew to what we have now with club officers and a few members,” Tuitt said.
The road to where Fit4Life currently stands was a hectic one according to Tuitt. Since last year Tuitt and Brown have been working to get students interested in this club, which would act as a support group to help people meet their health goals.
After a health and fitness workshop hosted by the Success Center prompted Fit4Life vice president, Marie Domond and secretary, Adriana Brito, to get involved, this new team of four began by promoting their group at Club Rush on South Campus.
With 27 new members joining Fit4Life, Tuitt said she considers Club Rush a success and gives some credit to their healthy snacks, which attracted people to their table.
“We were the only ones with food,” Tuitt said. “It got people talking and coming up to us.”
Everything is set for their first official meeting on Oct. 7 and the Fit4Life officers have several goals for the club and its members.
Brito said she realizes many people will join the club to improve their appearance, but she hopes they will aspire for more.
“It’s not always about having a good body and looking good, it’s about being healthy,” Brito said.
Brito once struggled with her weight and high blood pressure. She wants to use her experiences to help others take control of their health.
“If you have bad health, you need to tell yourself, ‘Stop.’ You need to think what are you doing right or wrong,” she said.
Domond wants members to learn about the importance of overall health, including nutrition and regular checkups with the doctor. She also envisions the club spreading statewide.
“I hope it goes to other colleges, so it can become a trend,” she said. “We all look for fitness. We all look to be healthy and look good,” she said.
In order to reach these goals, the officers are planning to meet at 1:30 p.m. in the gym on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
According to Tuitt, each meeting will be different. Some will have guest speakers who will discuss several health issues that students face, while other meetings will include group exercise.
“If it’s just 30 minutes a day of exercise or 2 hours for the week it makes a huge difference,” Tuitt said.
Overall, Tuitt wants people to realize that it is possible to lead a healthy life. “You can have a balanced lifestyle,” she said. “You don’t have to be in the gym every day.”