Heart Healthy U promotes better eating habits
By Michelle Rideau
Delaware Technical Community College Better U Heart Healthy U celebrated Heart Month in February by teaching students better eating habits to satisfy the heart in the fireside lounge on Feb. 10.
Science Instructor and Better U committee member Suzanne Marsh was the main speaker for the event and demonstrated the anatomy of the heart using a real life diagram and offered handouts teaching students how to read food labels.
Marsh said Better U events were created to teach students about healthy living and get students to the Students Services Center. They anticipated the environment would allow students to get to know the teachers more outside of their profession.
“Knowledge is power,” Marsh said. “The more you know the more you can do.”
Human Services Instructor Michele Warch taught students how to handle anxiety and stress as a portion of the presentation. Warch became increasingly concerned with stress when overhearing students complain about how much pressure they were under. She hoped the presentation would lighten the load off of students.
“Anything they can pull to help them overcome stress is a rewarding feeling,” she said.
Warch said the best way to overcome stress is to make little changes. She believes that huge modifications not only cause stress, but discourage students from achieving their goals. She says that eliminating a little bit of sugar or swapping one soda a day for a glass of water will benefit students in the long run.
Instructor and Learning Communities Coordinator Gail Charrier joined the Better U committee this year. She said she appreciates the progress and attendance growth since it first began in 2014.
Fitness has been a crucial part of her life and she appreciates students’ eagerness to learn. She says a healthy lifestyle is important for all aspects of life and is the foundation for being a great employee, family member, and good to oneself.
“If you have your health, you have everything,” Charrier said.
Charrier said students are more concerned and aware of their health when they get sick. She said she hopes students will be “proactive rather than reactive” when it comes to their health before they face illnesses.
“Try to maintain your health so that you’ll be your best you, for you and everyone around you,” Charrier said.
Better U events are offered once a month, on the second Tuesday from 3-4 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge. Each month features a different theme and one or more speakers will present.
For upcoming Better U events check the Activities Calendar page of www.dtcc.edu.
