CollegeFitness users can choose male or female trainers to help them personalize their profile and navigate through the Web site

Those of you who have called Mercyhurst home for years can understand the impact of the shortening days, sharp cooling winds and dark looming clouds. Winter term is coming!

Freshmen who have yet to live in the arctic tundra that is Erie during the winter term may not have a complete appreciation for how much their daily lives will be impacted by the weather.

For the determined gym member who enjoys a good workout, but does not consider trekking through four feet of snow to the Rec Center and back as part of that exercise, there is hope. A Web site that all Mercyhurst students have access to called CollegeFitness.com can help students stay fit without ever having to leave the comforts of their warm apartment or dorm room.

CollegeFitness.com is an interactive Web site that allows its members to create their own fitfile (profile), manage custom workout routines, watch workout videos, join groups, add and share photos, create a workout calendar, chat and interact with friends and more. The site is easy to navigate and setting up an account is easy too. Best of all, it’s free!

CollegeFitness.com is designed for men and women. The site’s motto is “Simplicity, Interactivity, Productivity.” Anyone can benefit from the information and workouts, from spin class instructors to people who don’t even know what an exercise ball is.

The various tools the site offers, such as the workout schedule, seem to be students’ favorite aspects of the site.

“Exercising helps me stay motivated to improve all areas of health in my life. The site keeps you on track and gives you a chance to create a schedule, and I know I definitely operate better with structure,” freshman Amber Kissman said.

When the name of the game is health and fitness, it’s great to have variety. With resources like the Rec Center, the exercise room in Warde Hall and now CollegeFitness.com made available to Mercyhurst students, it shouldn’t be difficult to find ways to work out daily, even in the winter.

Kissman said she feels like CollegeFitness understands the college students’ situation. “I like CollegeFitness.com because it feels good to know I’m not alone in struggling to find time to stay healthy in college,” she said.

There are some drawbacks to CollegeFitness.com. The site’s videos often include different aids, such as dumbbells and exercise floor mats. Inexperienced gym members, who are not well equipped with these tools of the trade have fewer videos to choose from. However, the other perks of the website should still aid users in accomplishing their fitness goals. There is an option for students to upload their own workouts, so they can add exercises that don’t require any extra materials.

Still, some students prefer the convenience of the REC Center. “I would prefer to go to the gym, but I see how others would want to use the site, especially in the winter and it would be convenient for time,” freshman Maggie Reed said.

When winter term comes, don’t hide under the warm covers; if you can’t convince yourself to trek out to the gym, stay active by joining CollegeFitness.com.