On Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Augustana College Kinesiology Department hosted a student-run fitness clinic for Augustana students, faculty and community members. The clinic was hosted during Augustana’s Symposium Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lindberg Center.
Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, Jeff Mettler, started the clinic last fall and said this is the third time the event has been held. He said the community clinic was first open during last school year’s homecoming week and then again in Spring 2025 during Celebration of Learning.
“We have some incredible pieces of equipment here in the kinesiology lab,” Mettler said. “We use them for our classes and for our labs, but I was looking for a way to get students more hands-on experience with it.”
He said the clinic also aims to help community members gain a better understanding of their health through testing. Mettler said health and wellness are two huge components in our society today.
The clinic offered two types of tests for participants to try, he said. The first test was a body composition test using a machine called the “Bod Pod”. The second was a VO2 max test, also known as a cardiovascular stress test.
Mettler said the body composition test helps clients get a better understanding of what makes up their body mass, particularly levels of muscle and fat. It can help in a variety of fitness goals, such as managing weight. He said the VO2 max test measures clients’ cardiovascular endurance and is frequently used by athletes.
Mettler said the equipment can also be used by clients who aren’t athletes but simply want to test the function and well-being of different body systems, such as their heart, lungs or circulatory system.
“A good number of our students are interested in jobs in healthcare, and, with those jobs, they are going to interact with patients and clients,” Mettler said. “So, the other part of the clinic that I really like is that our students are getting practice in that skill. They are getting experience working on professionalism and working with clients.”
The clinic is almost entirely student-run, he said, with Mettler providing minimal supervision. Senior Carly Stone is a kinesiology major and lab assistant who worked at the clinic, conducting wellness tests.
Stone said she plans to go into physical therapy and enjoys the experience of working directly with clients, a skill she was able to build upon at the clinic.
“This is a great opportunity to connect with not only the Augustana community, but the public in general,” Stone said. “It’s also a way for me to use my knowledge from the kinesiology department that I have learned over the years.”
Moline resident Jon Birdsall attended the clinic and received help from students, such as Stone, in testing his cardiovascular endurance on the college’s equipment. Birdsall said he had been searching for a nearby clinic to receive care at and was pleased by the low cost of services Augustana offered, compared to more formal medical centers.
“I was curious about some of my metrics regarding my health. So, I started looking online for VO2 max testing, and Augustana came up,” Birdsall said.
Mettler pointed to several benefits from physical fitness, ranging from better memory to help in managing depression and anxiety. Students shared results with participants but did not interpret the results. He said those who participated in the test were encouraged to take the results to their practitioner for further insight into the results.
“More and more I think people are getting an appreciation and an understanding for how important it is to be physically active,” Mettler said.
