One out of every three Alabamians is struggling with obesity, but the people of Auburn are doing what they can to fight or avoid this problem.
Gold's Gym, located on East University Drive, has more than 6,000 members, and approximately 600 attend the gym daily.
Of the 6,000 Gold's Gym members, 90 percent are college students trying to avoid gaining the freshman 15 or get rid of the unwanted pounds that came after the college acceptance letter.
"I have always been involved in sports, and working out was important to me, but it became a priority in college," says Silver Drummond, a junior at Auburn. "It's impossible for college students to not gain weight if they don't make exercising a priority."
Drummond's boyfriend, Nick, feels the same way.
"When college started, I gained a good bit of weight," says Nick Maranzana, a senior at Auburn. "The weight has to come off, so working out has become a part of my day-to-day routine."
World's Gym, located on South College Street, sees anywhere from 200 to 300 members daily. Of these, about 70 percent are college students.
AC Fitness for Women, located on Glenn Avenue, welcomes approximately 100 members per day, of which half are students.
Not only are students making it a priority to go to the gym, but they are paying for a personal trainer as well. At Gold's Gym, 60 percent of female members and 10 percent of male members work with a trainer.
"The girls are more likely to work with a trainer because they don't have the pride complex a guy does," says Cole Cook, a personal trainer at Gold's Gym. "Girls just want to look good and don't care if someone helps them do it."
Personal trainers not only advise the members on which work-out plan is best for them, but they teach their clients how to get the results they want through dieting.
Whether weight loss, physical changes or a healthy heart is the goal, a balanced diet is the key.
"Without every food group, your body will shut down," said Lacey Ryffel, a trainer at World's Gym. "Cutting out carbohydrates damages red blood cells, cutting out fats damages cell membranes and eating less than 1,200 calories a day is detrimental to the brain."
The best diet for physical results, Cook said, is to eat a balance of all food groups, and to eat frequently.
"People trying to loss weight should eat six times a day with breaks between meals lasting no longer than three hours," Cook said.
For weight loss, the best thing to do is avoid excessive amounts of sugar and starches and eat more whole grains.
"You should only drink water or 100 percent juice, and eat a large variety of colors of fruits and vegetables," Cook said. "Also, avoid processed foods and saturated fats."
An equal amount of cardiovascular training and weight-lifting is the best combination for physical results. For weight loss, an intense cardiovascular work-out that keeps the heart rate up for thirty minutes and weight-lifting with high repetitions and light weights is the best combination.
Cardiovascular training and weight-lifting do not have to be as dreadful as they sound. The gyms make exercising fun rather than a chore by providing classes rather than just machines and weights.
Gold's Gym and AC Fitness both have body pump, yoga, and step aerobics classes. Gold's Gym also offers kick boxing and cycling classes, and AC Fitness offers body jams dancing and low-impact aerobics classes. World's Gym offers a spinning class every day.
"Classes help to make getting in shape a more enjoyable process," says Virgo Williams, manager of AC Fitness for Women.
"I actually enjoy coming to the gym and the classes, and am starting to see results," says Drummond. "This is a fun and rewarding part of my day."
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