With the start of a new semester comes, for many UNC undergraduates, the start of an LFIT. We students love to hate on LFITs; common complaints are that they’re pointless, that you don’t actually gain anything from the course or that these courses are a waste of time and money.
The true failures of the Lifetime Fitness curriculum, however, may be even more detrimental to student well-being. Although instructors and day-to-day class activities may vary by course and semester, the LFIT curriculum is unified in its textbook and online course modules. This means that every single student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is reading and engaging with the problematic themes and values of the course.
The textbook, titled “21st Century Wellness”, has been used for years, although not without criticism. A 2018 News & Observer article covered some of the inaccuracies and controversial textbook material; namely, calling cancer a 'disease of choice.'
After the article’s publication, associate dean of undergraduate curricula, James Thompson, reported to The Daily Tar Heel that, “It was a problem; they identified it, and it’s now corrected.”
One of the most highly-criticized quotes from the textbook said that, “When obsessed with weight, many if not most women and some men have become habitual dieters.” In The Daily Tar Heel's article, Thompson said claims like this had been "corrected." But I found it in my online module just this week.
What else is hiding in the LFIT curriculum? Certainly erasure of the experiences of people living in poverty, as well as the impact of complicated issues such as environmental racism.
The course focuses on establishing a healthy sense of self and positive mindset, but the text glosses over the legitimate challenges of affording ‘healthy’ food and allotting time and place for regular exercise. “Making healthy choices today may not be easy because of all the delicious and inexpensive unhealthy options, but it is certainly possible,” the text argues.
It goes on to label factors such as not being able to afford a gym membership as "barriers" to a healthy concept of self, and suggests that students think about ways to overcome those barriers. Perhaps most astoundingly, the text claims that eating well is a measure of self respect, and argues that “eating poorly might be considered a form of self-abuse.”
The overemphasis on food and weight in Lifetime Fitness classes reflects a pervasive societal diet culture that many people are working hard to eradicate. One of the five labs that students are required to complete is tracking calories. Of course, the University will work with individuals who feel that the assignment could be detrimental to their well-being, but why should ANY university student need to turn in their daily calories for a school assignment?
