by Mandi Kane
Daily Lobo
A variety of local businesses and organizations converged on campus Tuesday to promote physical fitness and nutrition at the third annual Student Fitness Day.
Smith Plaza, outside Zimmerman Library, was dotted with students and tables for the event, which was sponsored by the Student Health Center.
"Stay away from the refined foods, the Twinkies and Pop tarts," said Amber Fahs, a peer consultant and educator at the UNM Student Health Center.
Student Fitness Day was the first of seven national preventative health events at UNM this year.
Students are always in a hurry and always settling for what is convenient, making eating right a challenge in college, Fahs said.
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"Nutrition is all about planning." she said.
Like nutrition, planning also plays a key role in fitness, said Beverly Kloeppel, associate director of medical services at the Student Health Center. College students are so busy, they often forget to exercise, Kloeppel said.
"You have to assign a certain time period dedicated to exercise," she said. "As little as 45 minutes is all you need for your personal health and well-being."
Kloeppel suggested that when planning time for a workout, students should think about when they would be most likely to do it.
"If you know you are not going to get out of bed, don't schedule exercise for the early morning," she said.
Having an exercise buddy, taking a fitness class and finding a physical activity are all helpful strategies when it comes to exercising, Kloeppel said, but the most important thing is prioritizing.
"You have to make exercising a priority," she said.
To help take the burden off of students, peer consultants are available through the Student Health Center to help create personalized fitness and nutrition plans at no cost.
The consultants are also on hand for any advice regarding "fad diets," Kloeppel said.
Fahs said Student Fitness Day was organized in hopes of raising awareness about healthy lifestyles among University students.
"We wanted to bring in various resources from on- and off-campus," said Shirlee James-Johnson, the health education manager at the Student Health Center, who supervised the day's activities.
"Our goals were to provide resources dealing with fitness to the students, to inform them about choosing healthy foods and snacks, to provide fitness assessments such as blood pressure tests and to help students with their exercise programs and with stress management," James-Johnson said.
More than 13 organizations participated in the event, including Stone Rock, Gold's Gym and Wild Oats, and representatives were available to answer questions and sponsor games intended to educate students on issues related to their health.
United Blood Service and the American Lung Association provided various health assessments free of charge.
James-Johnson said with the flu season coming up, exercise and nutrition need to become essential parts of every college student's life.
"If you want to be successful in college and in life, you have to take care of yourself," she said.
