STUDENTS are being put through their paces at Exeter College this week as part of the college’s Healthy Living and Wellbeing Week.
A 30-Second Row challenge is proving particularly popular at break times, from which half the money raised by the end of the week will go to the student who rowed the longest distance on a rowing machine, and the other half will be donated towards aid for Haiti.
Meanwhile free porridge, renowned for its slow energy release, is being served up in the canteen daily to ensure the morning gets off to a good start, and both staff and students are also being invited to take part in health checks being carried out by a team of Coaching and Fitness and Sports Therapy Foundation Degree students on the main Hele Road campus in Exeter.
Amongst those at hand to offer advice is qualified sports therapist Hannah Groombridge, aged 26, of Newton Abbot, currently in the second year of her degree course at the college.
She says: “Students have been responding well. There has been a lot of interest. While people should be aware of things like whether they have a good Body Mass Index (BMI), I think one of the biggest problems is not that they aren’t interested in finding out how healthy they are, but rather that they don’t know how to approach it. That’s why it’s good that we are being proactive.”
“By eating better, being more active, and taking part in sports, especially team sports where individuals develop a support network, a healthier lifestyle can boost emotional as well as physical wellbeing.”
Having completed his health MOT along with friends – checking blood pressure, lung function, grip strength, BMI, and flexibility – Human Biology A-S level student Andrew Gordon, aged 17, of St Thomas, Exeter, said: “I thought I was healthy before I took the test, but I now know I need to work a little on strength and lung capacity, so I’ll be doing a bit more exercise from today onwards.
“I think what they are doing here at the College this week is a great idea, because it can show you how to improve your fitness, and lead a healthier lifestyle in general.”
This week’s activities, which have also included a break-dancing demonstration, were co-organised by Student Welfare Co-ordinator Samantha Davies, of the Department for Safeguarding, Tutoring, Equality and Wellbeing , and Health And Wellbeing Manager Nick Bridge.
Nick says: “The aim of the week is to promote healthy options to students across the college. As students are making that important transition to adulthood, we feel it’s important to do everything we can to help ensure they are well-equipped for making healthy lifestyle decisions in future.”