Students who attended the fifth annual "Build A Healthy Lifestyle" fair in Jack Adams Hall Tuesday, enjoyed an interactive, hands-on experience through games, free testing, evaluations and computers.
Approximately 1,200 students participated in the fair sponsored by the AIDS Coordinating Committee, College of Health and Human Services and the Student Health Service, according to Katie Huang, fair coordinator and SHS Health Educator.
While some students were sweating for six minutes on a bicycle to test their cardiovascular fitness, others were enjoying a relaxing ten-minute massage for a $5 fee.
Some students chose to play one or more of the numerous games such as "Health Jeopardy," build a food pyramid in two minutes or less, or "Health Pictionary."
Prizes were given to the winners of the games, and a raffle was held every half hour. Free food samples and of course all the condoms a student could wish for were given out.
Students could also have their fat measured by being pinched with a two-pronged device. This seemed to be the hottest event with students lined up six-deep all afternoon.
Albert Salopek, a student of kinesiology and part of the fat measurement team, agreed that their table was seeing the most activity.
"We have already seen over 100 students," Salopek said midway through the fair, "And most of the students are about average or standard." Results were based on age, height and weight.
Mike Doyle, a pre-physical therapy student, working with students on exercise bicycles, found most students to be "average" when it comes to their personal cardiovascular evaluation.
The fair also featured holistic health information, bio-feedback monitoring and posture evaluation.
Shawn Houghton, who works with the Staff and Faculty Wellness Program, was evaluating students with a biofeedback monitor. This test required a student to attach two fingers to a device that made either high or low sounds depending on the students thoughts.
"We want to show that there is a mind and body link," said Houghton. "The mind perceives it is under stress and the body reacts. We need to learn how to separate one from the other."
Steven Chin, a graduate student in business management, thought the fair was informative, but felt that speaker presentations should have been included.
However, most had positive comments about the festive fair which was decorated with balloons, while music and sounds of laughter filled the hall.
"The fair gets a big plus," said Dave Small, a social work major specializing in teen pregnancy. "Lots of free condoms."