By Maddy Moloney
Staff Writer
Stepping into the fitness center, there is almost always a buzz of activity. Whether it is from a gym class running on the treadmills or an off season football player lifting weights, it’s a safe bet that somebody is in the fitness center taking advantage of a workout.
The fitness center is available after school everyday for all students from three to four, after four the fitness center is reserved for the use of sports and the locker room is locked.  Yet, throughout the day, students can workout in the fitness center at the discretion of the adviser for that period. Students can also workout before school on Thursdays from seven thirty to eight.
Physical education teacher Aaron Marnstein encourages students to seek out advice from their gym teachers for help creating an exercise routine custom to their goals and abilities.
Students use the fitness center as a way to reach the suggested 60 minutes of physical activity daily that the medical professionals prescribes to teens according to mypyramid.gov. Sophomore Molly Driscoll can be found most days after school working out in the fitness center in order to stay healthy and live a well rounded lifestyle.
“I’m not the skinniest gal, but just being skinny doesn’t mean your physically fit or healthy.” Driscoll said.
Driscoll often uses the fitness center’s ellipticals, treadmills and bikes to work on her cardiovascular fitness. However physical benefits are not the only advantages Driscoll gets from working out she also finds that working out relieves stress.
“The workouts every day aren’t that bad, it’s an hour usually and then when I go home, I usually feel so good after working out. I get this workout high, ” Driscoll said. “I think it also helps me with stress,  like when I get stressed out I go for a run or workout. And I get stressed out pretty easily, [;working out] just knocks all my stress out.”
According to healthguidance.org, continuous exercise gives off endorphins, the same feel good chemical that is given off when one falls in love, which causes the brain to feel good and lowers the effects of stress cause on the body.
“I feel mentally and physically relieved and happier with my over all being,” Junior Jon Cura said about how he feels at the end of a workout.
Cura, who is looking to attend the U.S. Naval Academy rather than going to a civilian college, stays in shape by going to the fitness center four times a week. The U.S. Naval Academy has physical training requirements that must be met in order to get into the academy which is what motivates Cura to stick to his work out routine.
“First is knowing that you can take on any physical challenge,” Cura said. “The second is knowing that you look good.”