Cardio fee irks Dalplex users

$210 fee now required to access popular fitness machines, in addition to membership

A high user fee deters many Dalhousie students from using Dalplex's cardio plus centre. Photo: Katie Edmonds

It's not always easy for university students to get exercise. On any given day, they may spend time in the classroom, hours, studying, socializing, sleeping and, in some cases, working a part-time job. 

Dalhousie University is giving students one more excuse to be inactive by charging an additional $210 fee to use its cardio plus centre, on top of the fee included in their tuition to access the Dalplex. 

Students pay a standard fee to use some facilities at the gym such as the pool, running track and the weight room but then have to purchase either a day pass or more if they want to use equipment such as a treadmill or elliptical trainer - some of the fitness facility's most popular machines.

Fran Dunn of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia thinks the additional fee for using the cardio equipment is "unfortunate."

Students, she says, should engage in about 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity at least five days per week.

"People in their late teens and early twenties should be doing the equivalent of walking 10,000 steps per day," she said, though she acknowledges that the majority of students likely do not do that much.

"Possible repercussions of not engaging in cardiovascular activity can be anything from heart disease and stroke or, more common to students, depression and decreased social activity."

Dalhousie student Minji Kim says that the high cost of using the athletic facility stops her from coming to Dalplex. She thinks most students go to the gym to use equipment in the cardio plus centre.

"It's just not worth it. I don't have that kind of money. Who does?" 

A study at the University of Guelph and found that, in the first year of university alone, students gain an average of 6.6 pounds. The study attributes the weight gain to a reported less physical activity and more sedentary activities, such as sitting at the computer, studying and watching television. 

It's not exactly the "Freshman 15" first-year university students are often warned about, but weight gain is something to be taken seriously. 

Dalplex spokesperson Krista Hynes says the fee reflects the cost of maintaining the machines. The small room does not accommodate many students, so the fee restricts the number of people using it. 

About 550 people have signed up for the annual cardio plus centre membership, only three per cent of the Dalhousie student population. 

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