Hugh Mellert, the director of the Fitness Center and the Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement Program (FLIP), has not had a desk chair in his office for over five years. Instead, Mellert performs his administrative duties from the comfort of his bright red exercise ball. While gently bouncing at his desk, Mellert stressed the importance and success of Dartmouth's fitness programs.
How has the fitness program changed while you've been at Dartmouth?
I've been here for 15 years. FLIP is more than 20 years old, so there was already an established program when I got here, but I've been able to modify it, especially with the addition of the Fitness Center. We've changed a lot in terms of the kinds of programs we offer. There was a time when we had step aerobics classes every morning, noon and night. Three to five times a day we had step aerobics, with only one yoga class. Now, we have 11 yoga classes and 2 step aerobics classes. So there are changes in the trends. We've been able to roll with them.
What is the most popular FLIP class now?
There are a lot of very popular classes. We judge popularity in a couple of ways: one, if a class fills up, and two, if we have multiple offerings of a class. Yoga is very popular -- we have 10 or 11 different yoga classes. Hip-hop aerobics is a big hit, so is a new class called NIA, non-impact aerobics. A class called Meditation and Relaxation, certainly a different approach to fitness, fills up each term. I think its popularity shows the holistic nature of what people are trying to achieve with their mind-body connection and the importance of relieving stress in their busy college lives. I personally enjoy teaching spinning which is certainly a popular one.
What do you like about spinning?
Spinning is a great aerobic workout. You can ride as hard or as moderately as you want because you control the tension. That's one of the beauties of spinning -- you can have people of all ages, of all fitness levels, doing the same workout. It's actually really great having a mix, reaching the three different constituencies -- students, college employees and community members -- because we provide a place in the community for all sorts of people to be involved in fitness. It works well. It's a very social class, at least the way I teach it. As an instructor, I'm facing the class, I play music and there's a lot of communication back and forth between people. We go through the drills, we do the workout, but at the same time, I try to keep the discussion interesting.
What do you talk about?
We play music trivia, for example. One of the games we play is "First Concert and Largest Concert." We go around the room and ask, "What was the very first concert you went to and what was the largest concert you ever went to?" Of course, this is all while we're working out. My ulterior motive is to take their minds off of the hard workout, so we exercise while everybody tells stories. One person's first concert was The Beatles at Shea Stadium. Another person's largest concert was Woodstock. You never know what you're going to get. We also play "Brush with Greatness" and people share stories about meeting famous people.
Do you have any stories?
Sure. I once worked out with Jane Fonda. This was at the time when she had her great workout video, the hottest-selling workout video ever. A radio show was promoting her visit to New Orleans, where I lived, and I happened to call in and win tickets. I went to this ballroom with 500 people, she was up on a stage in front and she led us in her workout. It was tremendous! That was a long time ago, but it has to be a fitness highlight.
How do you think these discussions help the people in your classes?
An important part of being a good instructor is being personal, in that I care about and try to understand the people in my classes. Talking with people like this helps get to know them. The friendlier you can be, the more they're going to want to come back. I think people who have been in my Torso Fitness class for seven years keep coming back because it's interesting and friendly, and they feel good about the time that they spend there. Since fitness is one of those things that has a tremendous amount of recidivism, people have to have a good time at it. They have to enjoy what they're doing, because most people have to really work at fitness. It's not always an easy thing.
How would you rate Dartmouth students' fitness?
On the whole, the students are very active. Just look at the activities that go on here at the gym! There's a huge number of club sports, there are 40 or 50 teams in some of the intramural activities and you always see people running or biking around campus. Looking at attendance at the Fitness Center, this Winter term may have been an all-time record. I think it shows a very active, fitness-minded population.
How do you think the PE requirement plays into all of this? Is it safe to assume that you're a fan of the requirement?
I think the PE requirement is very appropriate. There is a population of students out there that, for whatever reason, don't have exercise and fitness as part of their regular routine. If taking a PE class to fulfill a graduation requirement gets them to start a healthy activity, it's a fantastic thing. It can be the one thing that sparks someone to develop a healthy lifestyle. And of course, the college lifestyle is so filled with stress from the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed in the morning -- everything's on a deadline -- that it's nice to take this kind of class. Dartmouth students are way overbooked, which leads to a lot of stress. There's nothing better at stress reduction than exercise and fitness. I'd say the majority of students take on more than their three required classes. They know exercise is a huge release.
