Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hi my name is Lindsay Winkenbach, I’m a pre-med biochem/biophysics major and I took
HHS 231 in the winter. While I was in high school, I was so busy I never felt like I
had the time to eat well or work out, and I also didn’t know how. Growing up, nobody
in my house made exceptionally healthy choices, so I didn’t have anyone to turn to for guidance.
When I came to college I knew that I wanted to change my habits, and HHS 231 gave me the
resources I needed to change what I wanted to see in myself.
Hi my name is Brady McBride and I took HHS 231 in the Fall of 2012 as an incoming freshman.
My most significant behavioral change I’ve learned throughout this course concerns my
daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Before HHS 231, I was well aware of the importance of produce in an adult’s diet, but I was
oblivious to the limited amounts of fruits and vegetables that made up my own diet. I
used to consume vegetables very scarcely, perhaps once or twice a week with dinner while
I was living with my parents and later in the dorms.
Hi my name is Amy Eisenstein and I am a junior majoring in Public Health, Health Promotion
Health Behavior. I have overcome many issues in my life, one of them being cigarette smoking.
However, before taking HHS 231, I still had not gotten over my body image and food issues.
I felt as though I would always measure myself against impossible standards. And before HHS
231, I had been trying every diet I could get my hands on and not only did I not lose
much weight, I felt bad about myself to the point that it was interfering with my relationship
with my fiancé. I attempted to eat well and I’ve always worked out, but I feel I was
doing it for the wrong reasons.
HHS 231 helped me learn about and change three important areas: eating healthier, exercising
more and managing my stress.
The healthy eating aspect of this course wasn’t too difficult for me to get my head around
and start changing my habits for the better. The hardest part was choosing how to be active
– but I learned that focusing on one behavior at a time is the best approach to making lifestyle
changes. I started with getting a fit pass and tried out the body bump class, Zumba and
free bootcamp class at McAlexander Fieldhouse. Each of these classes were so much fun and
really helped me get into a fitness routine. Since then, I have continued taking those
classes and started exercising more on my own. I learned that all exercise, no matter
how little, is very beneficial.
Regarding stress, the exposure to so many different stress-reducing techniques immediately
took a load off my shoulders. Just knowing I had all of those resources to consider was
calming, and the actual techniques were helpful, too.
The most significant thing I took away from HHS 231 was the ability to observe, record
and alter my own eating habits. I was aware that I wasn’t eating as much produce as
I should be, but it was only after completing a behavioral change analysis - where I logged
everything I ate for a few days - that I realized just how little fruits and vegetables I was
eating, and that I needed a dietary change.
The hardest part of changing this behavior for me was finding and understanding a motivation
for change. Personally, just knowing the nutritional benefits of eating a well-balanced diet was
not significant enough to inspire a change, but saving money was. I found that if I spent
a decent amount of money on fruits and vegetables once a week I’d be more inclined to eat
them and not let my money go to waste.
During HHS 231, I heard several stories from TAs about exercise and body image that got
me thinking about health from a different perspective. They also taught me about non-weight
related benefits of exercise and healthy eating. Over the term, my goal of being thin paled
in comparison to all the benefits I would gain from living in a healthy way.
Since taking this class freshman year, I now work out five to six days a week and eat as
healthy as my cravings will allow. Because I am a science major, I love to think about
the science behind metabolic energy and the different energy systems being engaged while
I’m working out. My stress levels are under control and overall I feel stronger as a person.
I am currently living on my own, and because of this, I am in full control of my diet and
the amount of fruits and vegetables that I eat, which has greatly increased since taking
HHS 231. I now understand the steps of a behavior change and know the next steps to maintain
my new behavior, and I honestly do feel much better now that I’m eating healthier.
My motivation for being fit has shifted from external and superficial toward internal,
and I am really grateful for that. I still struggle with body image, but I feel like
I’m moving in the right direction now. I am so grateful to all of the instructors and
the fabulous TAs of HHS 231 for helping me to shift my perspective on fitness and health.