This is the 21st century: a time in which everyone owns a smartphone, and a time in which sugary, fatty foods are highly accessible everywhere you turn. Having grown up during the beginning of this era, I am sure that you all have heard at least one poignant anti-obesity message in your lifetime, such as Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood obesity known as “Let’s Move”.

The government prioritized our exposure to these messages due to the rapid increase of obese children and teens in the U.S. The percentage of obese adolescents in the U.S. actually doubled from 1980 to 2000. Since then it has risen slightly, to about 13%, plateaued, and finally, as of this year, began to decrease.

Although some may credit this new improvement to the public service announcements that the government put in place, Dr. David B. Allison (the director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham) stated that “We should be very cautious about drawing any attributions about causes based on time trend data.”

However, Dr. Iannotti, a doctor and expert who was highly involved in the study said that “I think the public health message is beginning to be accepted,” he said. Whatever the reason may be, the recent results prove to us that things are looking up. Specifically, studies state that more and more teenagers are now exercising more, eating more fruits and vegetables, and intaking less and less sugary foods.

In order to fully comprehend the significance and positivity behind the recent statistic, I decided to pay a visit to the Health and Wellness center here on campus, which has just recently been renamed.

I had the privilege of talking to Ms. Garvey on the subject of student’s health here at Williston. I inquired about the importance of eating healthy and exercising as a student in terms of both academic and athletic performance. She informed me that eating healthy and exercising helps to keeps your body primed for activity. Additionally, both contribute to mood stabilization. Exercise also triggers the release of chemicals into your brain known as endorphins. These chemicals help you to maintain a content, stabilized mood.

A proper diet and exercise stimulates and activates your reflexes, which are extremely useful while playing sports. Eating healthy gives your body the nutrients it needs to perform well in both academic and athletic areas. As if that were not enough, both eating healthy and exercising decrease fatigue, allowing you to feel energized and focused throughout the academic day. Exercise is also a healthy way to release stress, whether it be academic, social, or just general stress.

In addition, I asked Ms. Garvey about the ways in which eating healthy and exercising aids in the benefit of your long-term health. She let me know that maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine now, as adolescents, will “keep you fit throughout your life” and that you will better be able to adapt to aging, stress, and physical illness later on in life. Ms. Garvey gave me an example. “For instance,” she said, “Say you have an operation when you’re middle-aged and in your forties. The operation will be easier to overcome and will take less time to recover than if you did not practice healthy habits throughout your life. The same goes for if you are sick,” she said, “You will be able to bounce back from an illness quicker if you maintain a healthy diet and exercise plan for the duration of your life.”

Finally, I inquired about the recent name change from “Health Services” to the “Health and Wellness Center” Ms. Garvey explained the mindset behind this change by telling me that wellness is a state of being that affects the mind and state of being, which are both what Williston strives to improve in its students. “‘Wellness’ is a word that is both proactive and promotional” she said, “Good health and overall wellness leads to happiness and personal fulfillment.” She explained that Williston encourages both health and overall wellness. Ms. Garvey told me that Health and Wellness wished to promote the connection between good health and overall wellness. Health and Wellness wanted to consider the student as a whole, which was why the name alteration was beneficial.

The recent statistic showed that teens’ overall health in the U.S. is looking up. Even in our own community at Williston, people are starting to make small changes that promote a healthy lifestyle, which is necessary for an individual’s overall well-being. Hopefully the trend will spread and even more people will be encouraged to lead a healthy, fit lifestyle.