Professor Adam Pennell addresses students who came to the Wellness Workshop on May 8 about how to be healthy, but also be safe about what they are putting into their bodies.
By Bre Williams
Staff Writer
Who doesn’t want a magic pill that can make you fit and healthy? The world is widely concerned with image and health, which means we are always on the lookout for the next big thing in fitness products. According to professor Adam Pennell of CSUB, there is no such magic pill.
Professor Pennell has been a PEAK professor at CSUB for two years and specializes in M.S. Exercise and Sport Sciences.
In the Wellness Workshop in the Student Recreation Center Solario Room on Thursday May 8, he discussed products and the truth behind them. He gave tips to students about how to avoid being fooled by over the counter supplements and even how to save money.
The main products that he focused on in his presentation were energy drinks, pre-workouts, and protein products. He mostly discussed his concerns about these products because he believes the way to being healthy does not lie on the shelf, but rather it comes down to time and effort.
The professor dislikes these products, but his least favorite scam is detoxes and cleanses. He questions what these “toxins” are in the body because the dextoxes do not specify what exactly they intend to remove from the body.
“The best plan for someone who wants to be fit is to shape their behavior and not depend on products such as supplements”, Pennell said.
He explained that pre-workouts cannot promise users safety, so he gave alternative options for energy with suggestions like, sleep, coffee or tea, or music to pump you up before a workout. Protein powders are so expensive and have even been caught with metals in their contents. Pennell suggested that instead of powders just to have two glasses of chocolate milk after a workout and that is scientifically proven to give you all you need post workout.
The wellness workshop had a successful turn out with almost every seat filled and 60 plus sources could back up the presentation. After the PowerPoint, they held a raffle where students could win SRC merchandise or gift cards to popular restaurants in town like Eureka Burger. They also offered refreshments for attendees, but more than any prize or treat Pennell offered helpful information regarding living a healthy lifestyle.
He finished up by telling students to always make sure they know what they are putting in their bodies and that sufficient research has been done on the product. Your body is a fortress. Do not let it be weakened by products that the fitness industry tells you are magic. The secret is out; The magic pill does not exist.
