October is Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIMOC) month, and over 280 campuses worldwide are celebrating their EIMOC programs, including Illinois State University. President Terri Goss Kinzy signed the EIMOC President’s Proclamation declaring October as Exercise is Medicine on Campus month and encouraging campus community members to participate in physical activity this month and every month to reap the medicinal benefits of exercise.
The overall goal of EIMOC programs is to increase physical activity levels as a way of improving mood, energy, health, and cognition (yep, being physically active might even improve your grades). EIMOC encourages campuses to make movement a part of daily campus culture (e.g. walk to class, visit Campus Rec, participate in Rec sports and wellness activities, take a kinesiology and recreation (KNR) Active for Life class, join the ISU EIMOC program).
Gold standard EIMOC programs also connect health care providers with university physical activity experts to provide physical activity referrals to help students strengthen physical activity habits for their lifetime. Illinois State’s EIMOC program has been a gold-level program since 2016, providing referrals from Student Health and Counseling Services to KNR EIMOC staff for free, private, individualized physical activity programming. EIMOC members also have access to optional physical activity measurements, health coaching with Health Science interns, and nutrition analyses through Nutrition Mission. If you are a student and would like to learn more about Illinois State’s EIMOC program, talk to a health care provider at Student Health or Student Counseling Services, and visit kinrec.illinoisstate.edu/services/exercise.
