California Baptist University’s Recreation Center hosted this semester’s Men’s Health Event Feb. 11 from 4–6 p.m. This event provides male students at CBU with the opportunity to learn about different resources on campus related to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and to try products and services offered by local businesses.
“(We want) to raise awareness about men’s issues,” said Joe Fix, fitness program coordinator. “We offer different venues that are more geared toward guys and the different health issues they should be aware of. The event offers them the freedom to talk to someone privately about any issue they might have.”
During the event, students could participate in activities such as fitness classes and free haircuts. Students could also try products offered by local vendors Cryofix Wellness and Nutrishop. In addition, various CBU programs provided free services and health information to students attending the event.
Representatives from campus resources such as Spiritual Life and the Counseling Center also took part in the event to raise awareness about resources available to students regarding spiritual and emotional health, while Provider offered free food such as acai bowls to emphasize nutritional health.
“I enjoyed seeing the different colleges come together and to see the different guys who are getting excited about certain areas of the event,” Fix said. “They have gained some new piece of knowledge that will help better their life in the future.”
Throughout the event, nursing students provided blood sugar, blood pressure and pulse rate tests to check the physical health of students and to inform students about how to maintain their overall health.
“Our role is to make sure that vital signs are in healthy ranges,” said Francisco Sanchez, senior nursing major. “It is important for people here to keep up with their health because a lot of people will get caught up in school and their grades and not pay attention to their health like they should.”
Wade Harris, general manager of the Nutrishop store in Riverside, offered free samples of energy drinks containing branched-chain amino acids and informed students about health products and supplements sold at Nutrishop.
In addition, he helped students use a machine that measures body composition so students could better understand their current health and set health goals for the future.
“In college, you are trying to find a balance between work, studies and life,” Harris said. “We want to make sure you are efficiently working toward your goal and that it is maintainable for your personal body type and for your lifestyle.”
Although the Men’s Health Event occurs each semester, Fix said that this semester’s event differed from past events because it focused more on educating students about various aspects of overall health rather than emphasizing athletic activities.
“We wanted to be more intentional in guiding it toward the health and wellness of the men on campus,” Fix said. “Instead of just making it a fun night, we made it more specific toward health.”
