As I was looking over potential classes for next semester, I started looking into archery, something I’m fascinated by and always wanted to learn. But my aspirations were dissuaded as I saw that it was only worth one credit hour, along with many other health courses.

All students should take advantage of the resources we have on campus, like Carmichael Gymnasium, a wonderful facility with many recreation spaces. But many students don’t utilize these spaces because of the lack of incentives to take any more than the required amount of physical education courses.

I argue that health and fitness courses should be worth more than one credit hour so that students like myself — who are going into their final semester and still want to be considered full-time students — can take classes that are perhaps less intellectually straining and time-consuming outside the classroom, while also taking the higher-level requirements of their degree.

A credit hour is “one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week.” So a class that meets for three hours a week is worth three credit hours. However, a physical activity course like HEST 216 Soccer, which meets for almost four hours a week, is only worth one credit hour.

In a country where the vast majority of adults are overweight or obese, universities should encourage students to be more active, setting a precedent for later in life. An estimated 160 million Americans, three-quarters of men and 60 percent of women, are overweight in some capacity despite the numerous attempts to combat the obesity epidemic in America.

Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for many health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems and gallstones. Regular exercise has been proven to help to control weight, combat these health conditions, improve mood and promote better sleep.

This isn’t the America that Michelle Obama wanted. In fact, NC State was one of the first colleges to sign on to her Healthier Campus Initiative, implementing all 23 guidelines by 2015 and becoming the first campus to do so. Some of the ways NC State implemented these guidelines were by providing free water at all dining, recreational and educational facilities, holding more than 150 group fitness classes each week, and combating food insecurity in the community through the Feed the Pack Pantry.

We should take the next step past nutrition to encouraging healthy options on campus. New undergraduates entering college are exposed to so many new experiences in their first few years into adulthood whether those experiences are academic or social. Exercise should be one of them, and adding on credit hours to health courses allows them to compete with three-hour courses for a student’s time.

Increasing credit for fitness courses would be great step, yet exercise shouldn’t be limited to the degree audit; NC State has various spaces and resources for physical recreation. Even if they’re only worth one credit, there are so many interesting Health and Exercise classes offered to students at NC State, including but not limited to archery, swimming, rock climbing and even ballet. Consider taking a walking class next semester to counterbalance the three lectures you have to take.

As the Healthier Campus Initiative says, “Going off to college signals a time of newfound independence for young adults, who are suddenly able to make all of their own choices. The habits they form during these years — including what they eat and how much physical activity they get — can last a lifetime.”