By While balancing academics, a job and other various stress factors, it can be easy for college students to lose track of their health. Associated Students Inc. and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center hope to change that with their new educational outreach, “Drop into wellness.” The program is put on by Beach Balance, a branch of the Wellness Center that focuses on healthy choices and mental well-being.
“Drop into wellness” consists of two 30-minute seminars with activities a month, which aim to educate students on a variety of healthy issues ranging from illnesses and sexual health to eating healthy on a college budget.
“Living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is extremely important for quality of life,” said Christopher Huebner, ASI outdoor adventure & wellness coordinator. “College students develop habits that stick with them for the rest of their lives and it’s important for those habits to be healthy ones.”
The programs chosen were based off an Education Benchmarking Institute survey given to students in 2016. The survey asked what topics they would like to see hosted by the recreational center and featured options consisting of stress management, pre and post-workout nutrition and mindful eating.
Programs such as Beach Balance and “Drop into wellness” fit right into Cal State Long Beach’s reputation of being a healthy campus for students. The school was named the winner of the Active Minds Healthy Campus award in 2016, which recognizes campuses that “take a comprehensive approach to promoting and protecting both the physical and mental health of students” according to award website.
A Feb. 1 seminar kicked off the series teaching students how to stay active during college.
Beach Balance worked with the Student Health Center to develop the curriculum and will provide a few peer health educators to co-teach those lessons. The Latino Community Health Center also worked to develop the sexual health and substance abuse courses. The goal is to make the lessons reach the student community as a whole, not just those who attend the classes.
“Ultimately these topics are chosen to serve the needs of our student population,” Huebner said. “We also see these needs and educational topics to be a trend across college campuses.”
The lessons brought to students were developed with the wellness wheel, a concept created by the various health groups on campus that breaks down the aspects of a well-rounded life. The wheel includes categories such as spiritual, social, emotional and intellectual wellness.
The website emphasizes the need for a balanced life stating: “To attain and maintain harmony and balance in our lives, we must pay attention to each of the seven dimensions of wellness. To neglect or over-emphasize any of the seven dimensions will result in an out-of-balance wellness wheel.”
Along with the “Drop into wellness” program, Beach Balance also offers free snacks on schedule “Food for thought” days, massages and art therapy for students to unwind and take time to focus on their mental health.
The next class will be on HIV/AIDs prevention from 4 to 4:30 on Feb. 8 at the Beach Balance Center on the second floor of the rec center.
