Last week (September 28-October 4) was St. John’s annual wellness week. This year wellness week featured events such as Super Foods at Montgoris, the student wellness fair and a lecture by Jean Kilbourne. These events where aimed at making students smarter both physically and mentally.
Super Foods at Montgoris featured winter squash and apple bake with raisins. Students were given the opportunity to talk with a nutritionist during lunch time at Montgoris. This program was done during the lunch time rush at Montgoris and it reminded students that eating healthy is better tasting than they think.
The student wellness fair was an opportunity for students to meet with personal trainers, meet with a nutritionist or receive a free massage from the St. John’s Stressbusters. The Stressbusters are trained in special massage techniques that sooth the sore muscles that many college students have.
Jean Kilbourne, who was ranked one of the best three college speakers by the New York Times, gave a lecture on tobacco addiction, addiction to a perfect body and addiction to alcohol. Kilbourne presented the influences that advertising places on the average college student. She presented the advertising tactics beer and Tobacco Companies use and the strategies to ignoring them. Kilbourne said that she was a former smoker and she realizes how hard it is to quit an addiction. Kilbourne said “I am not anti-smoker; I am anti-tobacco industry.” Kilbourne cited statistics that gained the attention of the audience, like “The tobacco industry spends 15 billion dollars a year on advertising” and “The alcohol industry spends 3 billion dollars a year on marketing”. Kilbourne also stated that “30% of drinkers consume 90% of alcohol sold.” Kilbourne said that even though the alcohol industry has started to promote people to drink responsibly, they still rely on the heavy drinkers. Kilbourne said that if everyone on the whole planet drank responsibly, the total amount of alcohol consumed would be significantly less total alcohol consumed now.
Freshman Joanne Remendero said that the lecture by Kilbourne was “Very interesting” and “She [Kilbourne] has very good Ideas.” Remendero also said “This is my first wellness week activity” and “I may attend other events.”
Some of the activities that took place on wellness week will be extended into the rest of the school year. The super foods program will extend beyond wellness week into the rest of October. On Wednesday October 8th their will be a super foods program in Marillac Terrace from 11:30-1:00. On Wednesday October 15 there will be a super foods program in the law school café. All of these events will have a nutritionist on hand to answer student’s questions. There will also be an Ask the Nutritionist session on October 22nd in Montgoris and October 29th in Marillac Terrace.
The St. John’s Stressbusters also participate in many events on campus, such as midterm and finals stress relievers. Students looking to get a personal trainer may contact the health and wellness department.
