Denton Jenkins
Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle while managing the stressors of college life can be difficult. Still, health and wellness remain pillars of the college experience for many students at the University of Mississippi. Through things like nutritional supplements and physical activities, students prioritize wellness.
Reilly Kuertz, a freshman integrated marketing communications major, maintains a mix of physical activity and nutritional supplements.
“I take my health really seriously by working out around four times a week,” Kuertz said. “I try to eat as best I can and take an apple cider vinegar vitamin every day, vitamin D and magnesium. I also supplement with four ounces of kombucha every day and sometimes green tea at night.”
Many students turn to a most ubiquitous pick-me-up: caffeine.
“I usually get one form of caffeinated drink in the morning every day to get started,” Ariana Mosoufi, a freshman business major, said. “I try not to get the teas specifically every day, but I’ll get them usually four or five times a week. They definitely make me feel a lot more energized, and my body craves them.”
Missouri is referring to Loaded Teas, one of the most popular health supplement trends to sweep the south in recent years. Containing no actual tea, these brightly-colored drinks can be seen in the hands of students throughout the day as they criss-cross campus. There are more than five loaded tea shops within Oxford — not counting The Tea truck on campus. Despite their popularity, there remain questions about their ingredients and overall health benefits.
“Loaded teas are a concern not just because of caffeine, but the other herbal and vitamin/mineral supplements that they contain,” Emmy Parkes, director of the Coordinated Program in Diabetics said. “The Food and Drug Administration governs supplements differently from regular grocery store or restaurant foods, so any health claims on loaded teas are not approved or verified.”
The teas notably have high amounts of caffeine — a fact that many students have come to enjoy. Grace Schafer, a senior accounting major, also described her relationship with caffeine.
“I have some form of caffeine almost every day, and I get a headache sometimes if I don’t,” Schafer said. “I think it has become somewhat of a habit to have a fun drink. If I haven’t had some form of caffeine, I don’t feel like I am being as productive as I could be.”
While some students turn to nutrition to bolster their wellness, other students put a larger emphasis on physical exercise.
Nelson Cleveland, a junior international studies and Arabic major, frequents the gym.
“My intention with the gym right now is dependent on wanting to do better physically. By doing physical activities, I want to look better and I want to be healthy,” Cleveland said. Cleveland explained that the gym is a priority in his day-to-day life.
“As for prioritization, (the gym) is high up there because I think, at the heart of it, if you’re going to the gym for health –– which I think a lot of people would say –– then it seems totally irrelevant why you shouldn’t be putting your health first,” Cleveland said.
Similar to the withdrawals some students reported experiencing without their caffeine, Cleveland noted a negative effect of skipping the gym.
“Skipping a day (at the gym) causes a lot of guilt,” Cleveland said. “I had to take two months off because of an injury, and it was actually miserable just because everyone’s like ‘you should be working out right now.’”
UM’s campus recreational facilities have seen a steady increase in attendance between. From July 2022-2023 South Campus Recreation Center saw a 27.3% increase in participation compared to July 2021-June 2022, though it should be noted that enrollment also increased during that time frame.
“I enjoy going to work out a couple times a week, running or just playing pickleball or basketball,” R.J. Moore, a sophomore public policy leadership major, said. “I used to drink energy drinks all the time, like almost every day, but I quit drinking those and I now drink coffee a couple times a week. I’m just not really reliant on anything to give me energy anymore, so that’s nice.”
Shayla Hanson, a sophomore biology major, follows CrossFit, a famous fitness regimen.
“I stay conscious of what I eat and go to the gym pretty consistently,” Hanson said. “I enjoy CrossFit, but if I’m not doing CrossFit, I run before my weightlifting workout. I also take amino acid pre-workout or an energy drink prior to exercise.”
Cleveland, who has been an avid gym-goer since high school, said that wellness culture is a good thing not just for himself, but for society as a whole.
“I think (wellness culture) is a good thing,” Cleveland said. “It also definitely reflects society moving in a really strong direction because it’s less of a luxury (now) and has become normalized.”
