Here's to Your Health

November 30, 2007

By Duncan Pickard

The U.S. government recommends that college students get an hour of exercise a day as part of a balanced fitness routine that includes cardio workouts, strength training, and stretching.

That doesn’t seem too hard either: one hour out of every 24 devoted to your health? But, of course, it’s not that easy. Excuses abound. “I don’t have time, the gym is too far away, I’m too tired.”

Tufts recognizes these challenges. The Friedman School of Nutrition recently conducted a study to find out how college affects students physically over four years. President Bacow summarizes the findings in a promotional video for the University: “College is bad for your health.”

To his credit, he’s tried to fix that. The new athletic facility will go a long way in attracting students back to campus with facilities that won’t predate World War II and will be cheaper than the Boston Sports Club in Davis.

In the meantime, he’s started the President’s Marathon Challenge to encourage students to discover the joys and benefits of running while helping the community. But what if you don’t want to run 26 miles just to trim down your waistline?

Another viable but under-utilized program is free through athletics: five personal training sessions. Students who sign up will get a one-on-one consultation with a licensed trainer who, at the end, will develop a personal training routine to help with cardiovascular health, muscle toning, weight loss, or whatever your specific needs are.

But that’s only part of the problem. Health risks on a college campus are as abundant a foot fungi in a freshman dorm. We can all take steps to make ourselves healthier at Tufts, from watching what we eat to exercising more, from getting a flu shot to wearing a condom.

The Observer conducted two surveys to gauge student healthfulness in bed and at the dining halls. The results are to be found in the following pages.

This week, we hope to make everyone more aware of ways they can protect themselves during their college years. We will explore the issue of health through three articles that focus on different aspects of student life. In the first, on the following page, Andy Sayler explores the sex life on campus and the health implications of the hook-up culture. He also lists resources available to people who are in a situation that might compromise their health after sex.

Steve Gershman and Hai-Jung Kim investigate the psychological factors involved in our food choices (page 8). Why do we eat what we eat, and how can we conquer our subconscious to help lose weight?

Charles Cushing takes a look at mental health at Tufts on page 11. He explains how school can affect a student’s state of mind, and where students can find help for their psychological problems.

The aim of these three pieces is to help us all navigate the undergraduate experience and make us aware of our well-being, both physical and mental.