<\/a>Diamond Jenkins<\/strong>
\nBlue & White Flash \/Associate Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Information on everything from vision, heart disease and HIV to organ donations, high blood pressure and healthy eating was provided at the Annual Wellness Fair, sponsored by Student Health Services, the Walter Payton Recreation and Wellness Center, Latasha Norman Center for Counseling and Disability Services, and the Division of Student Life at Jackson State University.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s fair attracted approximately 200 individuals and was part of a week-long Fit Fest designed to focus on obesity awareness in Mississippi. Fit Fest started on Monday with zumba exercises and healthy cooking demonstrations, and will continue through Saturday where runners and walkers are welcome to participate in the 7th Annual Sweetness Fight Against Obesity 5K Run\/Walk.
\nPartnering with the fair\u2019s on-campus organizers as sponsors were Central Mississippi Health Services, St. Dominic Hospital, Wal-Mart, Chic-Fil-A in Clinton, Miss., My Brother\u2019s Keeper, and the JSU Bookstore.
\nOne of the most popular stops was for free screenings for cholesterol, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), blood pressure and blood sugar testing.<\/p>\n

Janine Evans, an education major from Sandiego,Calif., attended the fair and thinks in order to be healthy, you have to change your diet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be more healthy, but I need help sometimes. As a routine, from personal experience, I have done a \u2018Low-Carb and Regular Fat\u2019 intake diet in the short term until you reach my weight goals. Back home, my family does a lot of running and exercising together, so having a workout buddy would help obtaining a healthier lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keith Tobin, a junior mass communications major from Joliet, Ill. thinks that being in shape physically is beneficial to a healthy college lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is one thing that you should aim for in life above all else, it\u2019s being as healthy as you can be. With good health, everything else you get can be enjoyed to the fullest. Without your health, life can be a miserable struggle, or seem that way,\u201d said Tobin.<\/p>\n

In addition to health information, volunteers from various community organizations like the American Red Cross, Mississippi Organ Recovery, and Building Bridges also were on hand.<\/p>\n

Sue Toupes and Cameron Fox, both American Red Cross Mississippi volunteers, think young people should be more knowledgeable about maintaining their health.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing healthy gets to be a lifetime project for you. It gets to be a lifetime endeavor and everyone benefits from a healthy lifestyle,\u201d said Fox.
\nTroups, who was seeking Red Cross volunteers, added: \u201cIgnorance keeps students from keeping up with their health. They are afraid to find out results and like to be in denial. Most of the times they don\u2019t know where they can get help.\u201d
\nDr. Samuel Jones, Jr., Jackson State\u2019s Health Center University physician, thinks that maintaining good health is about more than exercising.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is such a clich\u00e9\u2019 to being healthy and getting fit. We can\u2019t measure our health without meeting those benchmarks of health. Living in a culture where certain habits are normal and then look at places like China that doesn\u2019t\u00a0 have an issue with weight,\u201d said Dr. Jones, \u201cIt\u2019s far more than obesity. Being healthy is not only about physical health, it includes your psychological health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proceeds from Saturday\u2019s \u201cSweetness\u201d Fight Against Obesity 5K Run\/Walk and One Mile Fun Run will go to the Live Well Membership Fund. The fund awards annual scholarships to children to attend JSU\u2019s Camp Tiger Tails summer day camp and memberships to qualified candidates who are obese and\/or diagnosed with obesity-related illnesses. The Live Well Membership Fund provides access to preventive health care and personal health management through fitness, education, and weight management programs at the Walter Payton Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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