In a society that focuses more on eating what is convenient, and doing it quickly, most college students do not realize that what they eat now is already affecting their future.
In a 2007 study done by the University of New Hampshire, 66 percent of male students and 50 percent of females were already at risk for metabolic syndrome. According to sciencedaily.com this metabolic syndrome is “a cluster of five risk factorsm — high blood pressure, excess abdominal fat, high blood glucose, high triglycerides, and low HDL or “good” cholesterol — that are predictive of future development of heart disease and diabetes.”
“There are so many bad things about eating in a dorm,” freshman Lacey Smith said. “We’re constantly busy and we eat to help us stay up late at night to study. We don’t have good, healthy stuff to eat and don’t have enough information on what good health really is.”
That help and information will soon be available. Tuesday, March 17, from 3:30-6:30 p.m., the Health and Fitness Expo will be held in Walker Conference Center. Local physician Dr. Wesley Kluck is very excited about its arrival.
“There will be booths where students can get their current health assessed,” Kluck said. “Students will see demonstrations of different wellness activities. They will be shown the benefits of a healthy living.”
One aspect of the event is showing students proper exercises. Dr. Kluck says many students do not fully understand how to exercise properly and which ones are “most beneficial for your type.” Students also do not understand healthy weight control. “Diet is the biggest component. We will have guidelines on proper kinds of diets, and the risks of improper diets or fad diets.” Kluck explained.
To help aide in the guidance of good health, there will be 40 health and fitness experts on hand at the event. These representatives will discuss everything from dentistry to nutrition to physical therapy to outdoor sports shops. They also will host information booths from which to share their knowledge about health and wellness.
“Exercise gets your body going, and keeps you more alert and functioning better,” Kluck said. “Exercise should be a habit. Most good ones that stick are formed by young adulthood. It’s also a way to enjoy God’s creation.”
This expo will take general knowledge many students have and better educate them on the finer details.
“It will expand on different aspects, like cardio, proper nutrition, proper weight loss and the effects of alcohol and drugs,” Kluck said. “Students ignore healthy routine. Along with that, high stress levels and low amounts of sleep definitely affect health, despite how immune students think they may be.”
The Health and Fitness Expo will offer many door prizes and is free to all students.
According to Kluck, the Expo involves a lot of work from a lot of people concerned about the health of Ouachita students.
“A lot of work goes into it, and it’s all for the benefit of the students,” he said. “I would urge participation and hope that everyone would stop by, say hello, and maybe learn something too.”
