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Tess Baird, a sophomore from Estacada, Ore. rides a bike while Erin Stay, a sophomore from American Fork, Utah, runs on an elliptical, both making use of the workout equipment in the Hart Fitness Center. The equipment ranges from cardiovascular and weight machines to free weights.

As students walk in, they are blasted with a cool breeze of air conditioning. They spy a plethora of posters, some advocating health and wellness, others informing of target heart rates.

Blaring music blends with the soft clink of weight machines and the whir of treadmills.

But these students are not in the local Gold’s Gym. They are in the Fitness Center, located in the northeast corner of the John W. Hart Building.

One of the largest posters adorning the Fitness Center walls is its mission statement. “Our fitness staff’s goals of service, education and motivation can directly affect participants’ quality of life,” according to the mission statement.

The helpful staff, which includes 10 student employees and three volunteers, adheres closely to this statement. They are glad to point you to any one of the cardiovascular fitness machines, including exercise bikes, ellipticals, treadmills or stair steppers.

If it is strength training you seek, the Fitness Center also provides both weight machines and free weights.

The Fitness Center also offers a veritable feast of different fitness activities to the student body. With activities like “Abs That Rock” to Pilates, there is something for everyone.

The wide variety of activities and services seems to attract the widest variety of people. Men and women, old and young alike, all congregate to get in better shape.

Whether you are a conditioned veteran or just starting out with his or her own exercise program, the Fitness Center will help.

The Fitness Center Web site states that free personal trainers are available “to help students reach their personalized goals.”

The Fitness Center also offers an Incentive Program, where students build up points through participation and turn them in for rewards that range from a complimentary Jamba Juice to a free workout towel.

“Of course, the overall reward is being fit. But at the end of the semester, we announce a grand prize winner,” said Jennifer McFate, a senior from Palmdale, Calif. This grand prize winner, the person who has accumulated the most points for the entire semester, will receive a four-man tent,” McFate said, who designed the summer semester’s Incentive Program.

According to the Web site, there are also monthly winners for those who have accumulated the most points for that month.

A complete list of Fitness Center services can be found at activities.byui.edu/fitness.