Concepts of wellness class holds annual fitness screening

On Sunday, April 21, Union Adventist University will be holding their annual Health Fair Fitness Screening, located in the Krueger Center. It will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. and provides Union’s Concepts of Wellness students practice in maintaining their understanding of health and fitness while also serving the community. The Health Fair will include screenings that address blood pressure, body mass index, fat percentage, ideal body weight, muscle flexibility and strength, respiratory health, nutritional health and general diabetes and cancer screening. All of the screenings are free.

The fair is organized by Dr. Edsen Donato, assistant professor of Health and Human Performance, and his Concepts of Wellness class. Dr. Donato has over 30 years of experience in physical therapy and founded the Priority Fitness gym and fitness center. Through his help and the participation of the Concepts of Wellness students, UAU has been able to hold the Health Fair for the past three years.

The Health Fair is meant for all faculty, staff and students, as well as everyone in the community. Dr. Donato said, “We do this as an outreach program and for health and wellness promotion and prevention awareness. My students get to practice what they learned in class and are able to help the community learn about the importance of keeping our bodies healthy and fit.” The Health Fair seeks to expand the public’s knowledge of their personal health and give the community resources on how to improve.

The fair itself often includes different exercises that test your physical flexibility, strength, and endurance organized into booths, so individuals can move throughout the fair and get different screenings. Other booths involve checking your heart health and blood pressure and still others will be checking your personal health with individual questionnaires and supplying resources for maintaining health and metabolism such as nutrition trackers and charts.

By James Smartt