The Fitness and Wellness Expo on Thursday filled the State Gym basketball courts with booths, games and free items to promote the different resources available on campus for students looking to live a healthier lifestyle in the new year.

The expo had a blend of physical health related organizations as well as mental health and wellness groups. This included representatives from group fitness classes, personal training, outdoor recreation, sport club counsel, student counseling, student wellness, ExerCyse is Medicine and CHAARG.

The participating organizations were driven to the event by a passion for fitness, health and helping other students achieve their personal goals.

“I love helping people, and [the goal of] personal training is to help others become more active and to help them reach their goals whatever their goals may be,” said Lexie Lovell, a senior in event management and a personal trainer at State Gym.

Aside from a curiosity about the fitness and wellness options that Iowa State has to offer, students were compelled to attend the expo by the games, free food and fun prizes that could be found at each booth.

“I was just curious what they had to offer, the different activities. I’ve attended some of the group fitness classes before, and I wanted to see if there were other [classes] to attend,” said Samantha Creeger, a graduate student in industrial design.

From twister mats to squat challenges, students had a variety of options as they explored the activities at the different stations.

The ExerCyse is Medicine table had students playing twister trivia where each answer was associated with a new move, while the Green Dot table featured its own version of Jenga.

One of the most popular booths was Whirlybirds, where students could walk away with a free smoothie sample.

Fitness and health organizations and classes are a great way to meet other students and find a community of positive and passionate people.

“I love fitness and wellness, and I love getting to know students and talking to them about what resources we have available,” said Adriana Le Compte, a senior in environmental science and a peer wellness educator.