For Susan Kile and Adrienne Paladino, time is precious.

But so is their health.

Kile, geology and geography department secretary, and Paladino, administrative assistant at the honors college, attended a session on resistance training over their lunch hours yesterday.

Both women were interested in learning what types of exercises they could do at home to increase their muscle mass and overall health.

As university employees, they said it is difficult to make it to a gym.

“If you are going somewhere to work out, you have to find the extra time to travel there.” Kile said. “But if you do it at home, you cut that time out and have more time to get exercise in.”

The session was led by Ken Baker, interim athletic director, and Sarah Daugherty, co-director of the campus recreation center. It was the second of three Healthy Lifestyle sessions from the office of training and development.

Throughout the program, Baker said it is essential to have an exercise routine.

He said because most people sit at desks all day, it is important to make an effort to get up and be active.

Now, more than ever, people are living sedentary lifestyles, he said.

“We now have to make an effort to do the things we used to do,” Baker said. “People no longer chop their own wood or mow their lawns. We have to make up for that.”

When some workshop attendees looked intimidated, he assured them developing a training routine takes little time and hardly any money.

Baker said with only a pair of dumbbells and a medicine ball, a total body workout can be achieved. For those who are not yet comfortable using weights, he said a person’s own body weight can be used for resistance.

During the workshop, Baker demonstrated a variety of exercises that can be done at home, including push-ups, bicep and tricep curls and squats.

He said in order to maintain a successful exercise program, people must pick a routine that fits their lifestyles.

“I am not a morning person,” Baker said. “So, there is no way you will see me here at 5:30 in the morning.”

He said resistance training is especially important for people 40 years and older because studies show that each year after a person turns 40, they lose two percent of their muscle mass every year.

Baker said when training, people should always remember the acronym FIT: Frequency of training, Intensity of training, and Time or repetitions.

After learning about exercises one can do at home, Daugherty took the Eastern faculty and staff members to the circuit express machines, located on the top level of the rec. She said the equipment is perfect for beginning exercisers because there are no weight plates and no height adjustments that need to be made on the machines.

As she explained how the machines work, some of the workshop attendees hopped on and tried them out, all while wearing their work attire.

Daugherty said it is important for people to feel comfortable while they are exercising and not self-conscious.

“If it’s best for you to come at a time when there’s hardly anybody here so you can try it out yourself and learn, that’s great,” she said. “But if it’s better for you to have someone show you how to do it and walk you through it, that’s OK, too.”