Fit Faculty

MIT professors discover route to camaraderie, productivity, "svelteness"

"At a time in my life when I felt busier than ever, adding a commitment to a getfit team seemed like yet another thing I didn't have time to do," says Prof. Larry Vale, head of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. But now he says, "It became just the excuse I needed to start, and keep up, a regular exercise routine-one that quickly led to weight loss, coupled with clear improvements in cholesterol levels and blood pressure. I feel more energized than ever now. Far from a time sink, the time devoted to exercise has increased the productivity of my day."

Prof. Dick Larson, director of the Center for Engineering Systems Fundamentals and a member of the "Civil Unrest" team for the last two years, recounts a similar experience. Like many other getfit@mit participants, he credits the challenge for helping him form exercise habits that stuck with him after the program's end. "No one has ever called me svelte," he admits, "[but] without getfit@mit, this pre-baby-boom faculty member might be quite un-svelte!"

Team spirit

MIT may be a bastion of individuality, but faculty participants say that being part of a team is one of the best aspects of the program. All-staff or all-student teams have been common during the last two years of the challenge, but virtually all getfit@mit faculty participants were members of teams drawn broadly from staff, students, and faculty within a department or lab. Larson considers this a big plus, citing the advantages having an opportunity "to interact with MIT staff members in a way quite different from normal day-to-day business." Prof. Merton Flemings, MIT-Lemelson Program director, and "Buff Stuff" team member, says getfit@mit is "a great way to build camaraderie in a research or administrative group." And Sloan Professor John VanMaanen called it "fun" to be part of a team that included faculty members, administrators, and support staff. "While much of our interaction involved checking out each other's weekly totals online, it was engaging," he notes, adding that the accountability aspect was good motivation to keep exercising and "not let down the team."

Prof. Richard Locke, the Alvin J. Siteman Professor of Entrepreneurship and Political Science, agrees. "My team consisted of both faculty and staff at Sloan," he explains. "Although we knew each other professionally before, our sense of camaraderie grew because of our collaboration on the getfit challenge."

Past faculty participants say they hope more of their colleagues will join teams and participate in this year's program. "It's challenging, competitive, and a great way to stay in shape," Larson says. And, adds Locke, "It's a really fun thing to do!"