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DSU Holds Jan. 19 “Kickoff to Wellness”
Friday, January 21, 2011
DSU launched into a new initiative on Jan. 19 designed to reaffirm its priority in promoting healthy lifestyles among its campus community.
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DSU student Selena Campbell gets her blood pressure checked during the Kickoff to Wellness.
In a daylong event called “Kickoff to Wellness,” health displays and demonstrations were featured at the Martin Luther King Student Center to raise student awareness concerning the health resources that can be accessed on campus.
Tables were set up to offer information from the DSU Office of Counseling, the Delaware Center for Health Promotions, the Food & Nutrition Club and the DelaWELL Program. In addition students were able to have their blood pressure checked, while the Wellness & Recreation Center gave rhythmic Zumba Fitness aerobics demonstrations.
The Kickoff to Wellness culminated with an evening event that featured Dr. Ian Smith, a nationally known health and wellness expert, as a guest speaker in the MLK Student Center. Dr. Smith did not pull any punches about the state of affairs in our country where physical condition is concerned.
“America should be ashamed of itself,” said Dr. Smith, a medical/diet expert on VH1’s “Celebrity Fitness Club” cable program. “Sixty-seven percent are overweight and our children are the heaviest they have ever been. Our level of physical inactivity is disgusting.”
Dr. Smith said that for the first time in history, it is predicted that this generation will not outlive their parents. “Why? The reasons are heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure,” he said.
The health expert recommended that students focus on “smart living” instead of diets. “When you wake up in the morning, eat one piece of fruit,” Dr. Smith said. “Eat two vegetables a day – one at lunch and one at dinner.”
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Kemal Atkins, vice president of Student Affairs, said the timing was right to bring Dr. Smith to DSU.
“This was an excellent time to bring in this speaker of international acclaim as a health expert, as the University’s Wellness Center is planning launching activities and people are setting goals,” Mr. Atkins said.
Michelle Fisher, director of the DSU Health Center and the chair of the Student Affairs Health Committee, said a goal of the University is to promote healthy lifestyles campus-wide.
“(The health committee) would like to hold some type of health initiative each month for students and keep healthy living at the forefront,” Ms. Fisher said.