Healthy Gamecocks

"Healthy Gamecocks" is an interactive presentation that introduces the concept of balancing the seven dimensions of wellness (intellectual, physical, social, occupational, emotional, spiritual, and environmental) and emphasizes the physical dimension of wellness through healthy nutrition, physical activity, and disease prevention. Interactive activities and discussions help students recognize their own levels of risk for illness or disease, examine their own health-related behaviors, develop goals for improving health, and identify on-campus resources to help them lead healthier lifestyles.

Learning Outcomes

The Healthy Gamecocks presentation supports University 101 learning outcomes:

II.Help Students Discover and Connect With the University of South Carolina
a. Identify appropriate campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experience, goals, and campus engagement.
The presentation helps the students identify appropriate campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experiences, goals, and campus engagement because it covers many of the resources here on campus and explains what their services are.

III. Prepare Students for Responsible Lives in a Diverse, Interconnected, and Changing World
d. Describe processes, strategies, and resources, and explain the implications of their decisions, related to their overall wellness.
The presentation describes many processes, strategies, and resources, and explains the implications of them (i.e. one-on-one consults with dietitians, grocery store tours, fitness assessments, etc.). The presentation goes into detail on how these services related to their overall wellness.

As a result of this presentation, students will be able to:

• Identify behaviors or lifestyle choices of their own that put them at increased risk for poor health
• Create a healthy, balanced meal using foods available on and around campus
• Define the five components of physical fitness
• Articulate the recommendations for physical activity and exercise
• Identify on-campus resources and CW services available to help with healthy living including: physical and exercise, nutrition and healthy eating, and tobacco cessation

Program Description

This presentation is facilitated by the Student Health Services - Changing Carolina Peer Leaders and the format includes class discussion and interactive large and small group activities.  Presentation topics/activities to include:

1. Nutrition Activity - Plate & Servings: Introduces the students to the Choose My Plate nutrition recommendations. Students will work in groups to create a balanced meal using pictures of foods that are available in the hot food line at the Russell House. This activity is designed to help students recognize how much each of the food groups should contribute to their overall meal. This section also includes ideas for other healthy eating options on campus.
2. "Eat This, Not That" Nutrition Game: This game compares the nutrient content (mainly calories and fat) of food choices at popular fast food restaurants (Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, Einstein’s Bagels, Moe’s, Starbucks, and Burger King). This activity is designed to help students recognize that what looks/sounds like it might be a healthy option, may not always be the case.
3. Components of Fitness Activity:  This activity will get the students up and moving to introduce the 5 components of physical fitness: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition and flexibility. Students will be lead through stationary cardiovascular, muscular endurance and flexibility exercises.
4. Smoking Activity: This activity shows students the health consequences of smoking cigarettes and hookah

Presentation Length
50 minutes