UCF medical student Sarah Herold wasn’t a runner when she attended her first run club at a Lake Nona Pizza Parlor. Now, alongside other physicians-in-training, she is preparing for her first marathon and is organizing events so her classmates can embrace physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Herold and other students lead UCF COM Move, which holds daily activities across Medical City like basketball, volleyball and running. The most popular event is the Park Pizza and Brewing Run Club, that begins every Monday night less than a mile away from the medical school campus.
“As medical students, we have modules about the importance of stress management, wellness and work-life balance, but it’s helpful to have these events that help us build in fitness and social life into our schedule,” said Herold, a second-year student who serves as run club liaison for UCF COM Move.
Run club participants range from former Division I track stars to beginners and all are welcome to run together, at their own pace.
“The social aspect is what brings me out,” said second-year student Simeon Kofman. “It gives me the chance to stay active while hanging out with friends.”
Dr. Lane Coffee, associate professor of medicine and a medical student advisor, discovered the run club three years ago and began recommending it to students as a way to relieve stress.
“It’s important to find some way to decompress, get away from studying, and sweat a little,” he said. “And I’m now seeing students at other fitness classes around, so they are investigating more ways around town to exercise.”
As the club has grown, it’s also become a place for med students to connect with faculty in a more relaxed environment.
“I think seeing faculty outside of official campus business is important for the students to help build some camaraderie and lower some barriers if students are nervous talking to faculty,” said Dr. Coffee.
Students say the physical activities are also helping them become better physicians.
“If you understand how to work out and be physically active, it helps you better advise patients,” Kofman said. “You can be more detailed and better cater to patient needs if you have experience exercising yourself.”
Finding ways to fit exercise into their grueling schedules is a common concern for the medical students. Herod said including running into her busy life gives her a new perspective on how to help patients do the same. “As a physician, we have a lot more perspective on what it means to recommend to a patient to exercise for an hour a day when we do it ourselves,” she said.
UCF COM Move also offers a tennis group, which plays at the nearby USTA National Campus in Lake Nona every week. The group is open to all skill levels and serves to give experienced players a place to compete and new players a chance to learn the sport.
Second-year medical student and tennis group leader Chaitanya Annamreddi says when he first joined the medical school, he did not know many people. But the tennis group has helped him connect with more students and learn lessons that carry over into his medical education.
“As a doctor, you need to be goal-oriented, setting micro goals that all lead to bigger goals,” he said. “Tennis is the same way. Just like you need to learn medicine in pieces, you need to learn your forehand, then your backhand, and all of these individual skills that add up to bettering yourself overall.”
UCF COM Move shares activities and information on its Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/ucfcom.move/.