Jacquelyn Reid, professor of nursing, spoke to students about healthy lifestyles on Jan. 18. The lecture was part of the Common Experience series.
Reid has taught at IU Southeast for more than 10 years and said she accepted the opportunity to speak to students outside of her program.
“I felt like I could put a presentation together that would relate to a cross section of students,” Reid said.
The speech intended to educate students about health and wellness and to present several Internet resources for continuing education.
During the lecture, she asked everyone to stand, and then she read several questions concerning daily health habits and asked the participants to sit if they did not meet the requirements.
She prepared seven questions. However, all attendees were seated after the third question.
She highlighted key issues that most people face in their daily lives.
She started with healthy eating habits and explained the knowledge of foods and how their effects on the body have changed throughout the years.
The Obama administration recently replaced The Food Pyramid with My Plate. The diagram resembles a dinner plate and is sectioned into four food groups with a re-shifted focus on fruit and vegetable intake as the main source of nutrients.
Healthy weight was also a topic of discussion.
Reid said Body Mass Index is a more accurate reflection of health, weight on a scale can be deceiving, and BMI shows the ratio of fat to muscle. A person who lost fat through exercise and gained muscle may weigh the same as they did before, even though they are healthier.
She also spoke about a risk that many college students tend to overlook — sleep deprivation. Inadequate sleep on a regular basis can have many ill effects, and it can cause irreversible damage to the mind and body.
Reid also discussed body image.
She explained several types of eating disorders and spoke about their negative consequences.
She also explained the psychological perspective a person with an eating disorder can have.
“It’s called Dysphoria,” Reid said. “When [people with eating disorders] look in the mirror, they cannot see themselves how they truly are. They see a different image.”
Carmyn Mchargue, economics sophomore, spoke about additional resources she came across.
“I downloaded a free app called ‘My Fitness Pal’ which tracks your diet and exercise,” Mchargue said. “This helped me watch my weight and learn about the things I eat.”
Reid thanked the audience for coming and concluded the lecture by asking the attendees to check out the websites.
“I just feel that with a computer oriented youth, giving Internet resources is the best way to reach out to their generation,” Reid said.
Dustin Helton, undecided freshman, talked about what he learned during the lecture.
“I learned a lot of information about many different resources you can use to help your diet,” Helton said. “If you have problems smoking, you can go to the website and learn how to quit.”
By S.B. WEBER
Staff
samweber@ius.edu
