Have a heart: Campus celebrates Heart Health Month

By: Shanda Kersey, Contributing Writer

The Heart Health and Fitness Fair, hosted Feb. 17, wasn’t just about heart health—it was about mind, body and soul.

“I wanted to do a Heart Health Fair because February is National Heart Health Month,” assistant Director of Health Education and Promotion Kirsten Roller said.

This health fair was mainly held to bring awareness to Towson students about heart health, but there were also many other tables there.

“The adult coloring station is one of my favorites,” senior exercise science major Kiera Harley said. “I have two books at home that I have yet to fill, so when I saw that I was happy because it’s a really good stress reliever.”

The adult coloring station was not the only stress-relieving table there.

There was also a table from a chiropractor, offering students free back massages, information about what they do in the office and free consultations with the doctor.

In addition, Campus Recreation was also present at the health fair to inform students of all that the group offers on campus.

“We are here to represent Campus Rec and to let people know that we offer all sorts of physical fitness – not just the gym and throwing a football or playing soccer,” Campus Rec Promotions Assistant and senior Austin Davis said. “We offer various aquatic activities and exercises ranging from CPR and lifeguarding to swim lessons. There’s also group fitness, so things like yoga, barre, Zumba and intramural and competitive sports.”

In addition to all of the information about health and fitness, there were also tables providing information on the nutritional aspects of health and wellness.

There was a make-your-own trail mix cart with snacks ranging from Cheerios and almonds, to chocolate chips and sunflower seeds.

“When you know better, you do better,” Yolanda Taylor, a registered nurse who works at the Health Center, said. “Knowledge is power.”

Taylor informed students about the various forms of cholesterol and how to prevent ascension to a heart attack or stroke.

“The best thing to do is to get screened. Proper screening is going to be the key,” Taylor said. “Talk to your primary care provider, have your lipid panel drawn and that lipid panel is going to check for cholesterol and give you all of your cholesterol readings. It’s those numbers that will let you know what changes you need to make.”

Aside from physical health, some of the tables focused primarily on mental health. The Student Government Association table offered a quick quiz on a tablet for students to analyze their mental health.

“We had to think of a topic that appeals to our campus because a lot of people here at Towson don’t realize that mental health is a big problem on our campus,” junior nursing major and Mental Health Coordinator Pamela Shotikare said. “A lot of people have anxiety and stress-related issues here at Towson.”

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