1993_03 Insight March 1993

              Page 4
March 3,1993
Maintaining health
difficult for students
Annual health fair
to inform students
By K. Amy Kaltman
Staff Writer
The annual CSUF Health Fair in
the Residence Dining Facility cast
wing from 10a.m. to2p.m. March
10. offers students and faculty alike
a chance to sec a variety of exhibits relating to their health.
"The fair is really to give people
a chance to learn about health in a
fun setting without pressure," said
Sam Gitchcl, health educator of
the University Health and Counseling center (UHCC).
The fair, a yearly event, attracted
around 600 people last year, said
Gitchcl, an adviser of the fair.
Gitchel stressed that students
arc the driving force behind the
fair which showcases student
booths from diffcrcntclubs as well
as local and national organizations
such as the American Lung Association and the American Diabetes Council.
The AIDS information, bike
safety, fire safely , vision testing,
blood pressure, stress management, sexual assault and nutrition
booths make up a portion ofthe
rest of the approximately 25 booths
set for display.
The booths concerning AIDS,
nutrition and stress management,
received high interest last year and
return this year for hopefully a
repeal performance.
Gitchcl said he thinks the reason
for the popularity of the AIDS
booth is, "people recognize they
may be at risk; this is a threat."
The booths offer a large variety,
from informational pamphlets to
blood pressure and cardiovascular
fitness testing.
An umbrella organization for all
of ihc clubs and organizations under the School of Natural Sciences,
the Joint Council of the School of
Natural Sciences joins the ASI and
the UHCC in sponsoring this year's
event.
With her mild Australian accent,
Kate Drake.a junior biology student working on the council and
serving as vice-president of
Caduccus, the pre-med club, said
the "hundreds of dollars" contributed by the joint council makes
them a big sponsor.
Drake, 26. spoke of Icuing people
know about thejoy of getting into
physical fitness by getting away
from things people already physically active arc interested in.
This year G ilehel and Drake both
expect a good turnout for the event,
even though the hours scheduled
don't match those of last years'
which stretched to 5 p.m..
Gitchcl figured the hours arc
more conccntratcd to be open when
the people really do come in.
Both also reflected upon how
good they felt about so many different groups, all those in the joint
council working together to provide the CSUF community with
this opportunity.
♦ Time, excuses,
primary factors in
unhealthy lifestyle.
By Diedra Werner
Staff writer
Gobbling down fries and a cheeseburger for the third time this week,
you've got three minutes left before
class starts.
Exercise? You'd love too but you
justcan't find the time.or the energy.
Taking care of yourself seems to
take more time and energy than you
have.
Sam Gitchcl, CSUF's health educator, said that many of life's factors,
like time and stress, interfere with
student's taking good care of themselves. He said students, like most
people, know what to do, but for a
variety of reasons, students do not
incorporate that knowledge into action.
"There's a lot of gaps between
knowledge and preventive health behavior," Gitchcl said. "Wc very often
miss a long term quality of life because we are not looking toward the
future."
Dr. Andy Doyle, a human physiology and performance instructor, said
that most people wan to "get in shape"
and be healthy, but time is their biggest obstacle. Excuses in general,
Doyle said, are the biggest obstacle.
"For the majority, including students, the hardest challenge is overcoming excuses," Doyle said.
Molly Smith, a registered dietician,
agreed with Doyle. Smith, also a
part-timenutrition instructor at CSUF,
said most ofthe students in her Nutrition and Health class want to change
their eating habits, but excuses, and
planning seem to influence what they
actually do. She said that the long-
term importance of healthy nutrition
is not emphasized enough.
"Eating well contributes to your
overall well being, and is an essential
clement of a healthy lifestyle," Smith
said.
Gitchel said, for many people, lime
over rides the importance of health.
He said people's perception and priorities arc reflected in how students
treat their health and bodies.
"Some students arc very health conscious. Others abuse their bodies,
through a variety of ways, like not
exercising, overeating, alcohol and
drug abuse. They don't treat their
bodies like temples," Gitchel said.
Doyle believes that people can be
overwhelmed by both their perception of health and the excuses they've
made.
The myth about exercise, he said, is
that "it's a chore." Exercise is not
seen by many as essential for health.
It is not perceived by
For many college students, exercise may consist of walking to the
a normal routine, and often, Doyle
added, excrc isc is not seen as an outlc t
for stress.
Surprisingly Doyle said something
that seems to be a big stress producer
is parking. He said he's seen CSUF
students drive around Lot Q for up to
15 minutes looking for a parking
space. A better idea, he said, would
be to come 15 minutes early, park
where there is usually parking, the
parking lot farthest from classes, and
walktoclass. By doing this, students
can both alleviate and reduce their
stress level by parking without a
hassle, and get 15 to 20 minutes of
physical activity walking to class.
Doyle said that strenuous exercise is
not necessarily the best thing, but that
some sort of physical activity every
day is what the body needs. Smith
said that the very minimum requirement for physical activity is about 20
minutes three times a week. So, according to Smith's projection, a student who has class three limes a week
could possibly fulfill that requirement
by parking farther away and walking
to class.
"The healthy body needs both food
and physical activity," said Dr. Marie
Dunford, a registered dietician and
assistant professor at CSUF.
"We get very focused on calories.
Some people focus only on the calorics and how the body looks on the
outside.
"It's equally important to know how
the body works on the inside. The
body needs both calorics and nutrients, and it needs more of both when
there is a high amount of physical
activity," Dunford said.
types of nutrients that provide energy.
Carbohydrates, like fruits and fruit
juices , provide quick energy and are
easily broken down. Complex carbohydrates, like those in pasta, breads
and potatoes, take a little longer, but
are still a good source of energy. Proteins, like those in meat and dairy
products, are basical ly bui Iding blocks
for body tissue. Fat and high fat
content foods make other foods taste
better, and have a purpose in a famine
situation. Ofthe three caloric providers the body prefers carbohydrates
because of easy accessibility of its
energy.
Smith said most people need more
fruits, vegetables and whole grains,
leaner meats and less fats in their
diets.
Both Smith and Dunford said that
the first step in changing diet is planning. Smith suggested planning a
menu on the weekend for the week
ahead. Almost as important as planning is actually buying the food.
"When you're hungry, you want
something right then," Dunford said.
"If the planning isn't there, the food
isn't there, and so the best intentions
are lost."
The key is incorporating both physical activity and good nutrition into
daily living.
Dunford said the best way to slick to
an exercise pattern is to find something you like. The same idea applies
to diet and nutrition. Dunford said
one of the best ways to learn about
nutrition is by finding something enjoyable related lo nutrition, like cooking or gardening.
Besides eating right for the nutritional aspect, Dunford said it's less
expensive.
Kelly Jantzen/lNsicirr
next class while eating lunch.
"Students often change their eating
habits for health reason, like weight
control, but find that bringing a health
lunch to school is less expensive than
eating on campus," Dunford said.
Gitchcl said he would like to sec
more healthy food choices on campus. Although there arc some healthy
food choices on campus, Gitchel said
people tend to choose unhealthy food,
and pay more for iL
"It's important that there be a variety of healthy foods and they be displayed in an attractive and prominent
way," Gitchcl said. "It's one thing to
have healthy food in one little comer,
but it's another to really promote it."
Exercise and nutrition alone, however, will not make a healthy body.
Gitchcl points out that smoking, excesses in drugs and alcohol, or uasafe
sex can increase the likelihood of
disease and early death.
All said the first step is deciding to
make or change health habits,
Gitchel encouraged students with
questions about nutrition to visit him
at the health center. Information, he
said, is an important first step.
Smith said Jane Brady's Nutrition
Book is an great source about food.
The second step is actually making
thechange. Make realistic goals which
can be met within a given time frame.
By achieving twoorthree small health
related goals, Gitchel said the process
becomes easier. Maintaining health
becomes easier, and part of a lifestyle.
Doyle said small goals are an important part of makingchangesinlifestyle
permanent.
"Our own personal lifestyle choices
can determine our future happiness,"
Doyle said.
Boomtou/n information packets and
applications are available.
Priority deadline for those wanting
same booth as last year is
MARCH 19,1993
/
sssfr
"boo"*
Applications available at USU Room 306
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