Personal Health Stories of Emory Students Living and Learning through the COVID-19 Pandemic, Part 2

Editor’s Note: Over the past month, Destination HealthEU has featured student pieces from the 4^th level track of Emory’s Health 1, 2, 3 Program within the Center for the Study of Human Health. You can access the 4^th level series introduction article here. Starting this week, we will highlight personal stories of the Health 1,2,3 program’s Health 200 students as they grapple with the transition to online learning and prioritize their health amidst COVID-19. These stories were submitted as videos, and are described here. To access the article which introduces these personal stories, please click here. Read (and listen) on to hear what our students have to say about their health-related experiences during quarantine.

In her story, Stephanie shares both her difficulties and successes related to her transition to online learning during COVID-19. While her normal routine on campus was more dynamic, at home she found herself stuck in a rut of simply sleeping, eating, and sitting at her computer all day. Moreover, her new environment made it challenging to achieve the goals she set for herself. She came to the realization that the missing link to her routine was physical activity.

As Stephanie explains in her vignette, the “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2^nd Edition” recommends that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise a week to achieve substantial health benefits.¹ The type of physical activity needed to reach these recommendations is up to the individual’s own interest, therefore allowing flexibility as to how individuals can incorporate physical activity and exercise into their regular routines. Aside from the recommendations in the “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2^nd Edition,” Stephanie particularly resonated with the 23 ½ Hours video students were assigned to watch in Health 200 in order to participate in class discussion.

“The lecture video 23 1/2 Hours [a component of Health 200 content] particularly stood out to me as Dr. Mike Evans discussed the link between regular physical activity and risk for diseases… I was surprised to learn that even just a small amount of physical activity can make a large impact on health outcomes.”

— Stephanie Teng

This video argues that, from a preventative standpoint, exercise is the most effective form of medicine and highlights the major benefits of exercise on one’s risk of chronic disease.² Although Dr. Evans states that more exercise leads to greater health outcomes, even small amounts can decrease your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure. He concludes the informative video by challenging his listeners to limit their sitting and sleeping to just 23 ½ hours per day, dedicating the remaining 30 minutes to physical activity or exercise.

Recalling the information she learned in the physical activity module of Health 100 and 200, Stephanie knew it was time to make a change to improve her overall health and wellbeing.

“Inspired to get active to improve my physical health outcomes, I discovered there were multiple ways to get active that I might enjoy, such as walking, running, and dancing… I decided to implement an exercise plan in order to stay active and improve my energy levels during the quarantine… Implementing this exercise plan dramatically changed my energy levels during the day and my ability to concentrate on schoolwork.”

— Stephanie Teng

Despite gyms and workout studios being closed for social distancing, Stephanie was able to come up with creative solutions to engage in physical activity, such as dancing to TikTok videos.  Simply by incorporating physical activity into her daily life, Stephanie experienced numerous health benefits, including better sleep, energy, and concentration throughout the day. Furthermore, these health benefits translated into increased academic performance and improved ability to achieve her goals.

“Thus, taking HLTH 200 has influenced my health during COVID-19 as the material that I learned helped me to identify a problem in my health behaviors and be able to take a clear-cut set of actions toward improving my physical health and improving my performance in my coursework.”

— Stephanie Teng

It’s clear that there’s much to gain when students like Stephanie prioritize their health. As a future Peer Health Partner, Stephanie will serve as a peer-mentor in Health 100 as she facilitates discussion surrounding core health concepts and health promotion. This unique position will allow her the opportunity to instill the knowledge she has gained in Health 100 and 200 in her future freshmen class at Emory and share her experiences to positively influence their health as well.

References

1. Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA. 2018;320(19):20202028. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854

2. 23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=534&v=aUaInS6HIGo&feature=emb_logo. Published December 2, 2011. Accessed May 20, 2020.