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Santa Clara University
Center for Student Involvement
Physical Wellness

Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Intellectual

Emotional

>Physical

Social

Environmental

Occupational

Spiritual

Financial

Find mentors for physical wellbeing

Be sure to check out these departments as you seek to deepen your physical wellbeing

 

Athletics
Campus Recreation
Center for Student Involvement
Center for Sustainability
Cowell Center Health and Counseling Services
Office for Multicultural Learning
Office of Accessible Education
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Rainbow Resource Center
Wellness Center

Student Health Services Professionals

Meet the Student Health Services Staff from the Cowell Health and Counseling Services Center who support students in physical wellbeing. To make an appointment, please schedule through the "Make an appointment" button below.

Make an appointment
Resources to support your physical wellbeing

Physical Wellness 

promotes proper care of our bodies for optimal health and functioning. There are many elements of physical wellness that all must be cared for together. Overall physical wellness encourages the balance of physical activity, nutrition, and mental well-being to keep your body in top condition.

Attributes that distinguish physical wellness

  • Regular physical activity and body movement 
  • Adequate sleep 
  • Medical awareness and disease prevention 
  • Nutrition  
  • Injury prevention 
  • Understanding of sexual health 
  • Listening to your body when you are stressed
  • Having a good relationship with alcohol and other drugs

Sexual wellness

is a union of physical and social health. It is important for all to be educated on the biological and anatomical aspects of sexuality, as well as the relationship and behavioral components. Healthy sexuality involves all parties being informed and offering/receiving consent.

Resources 

The Wellness Center strives to promote a culture of well-being where students identify and practice lifelong skills that improve their quality of life. They are the home to three student groups the Peer Health Educators, the Violence Prevention Educators, and the Collegiate Recovery Program. For more information please visit the Wellness Center website. 

Campus Recreation offers a variety of programs and facilities for students to stay physically active. Due to COVID-19 the program has pivoted and Campus Recreation has created a Stay at Home webpage with many options for free fitness classes, sports drills, brainteasers, meditation apps, and more- check it out for ideas to stay active. 

Santa Clara University Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a student-run and operated medical care organization. They are a volunteer staff of 35 Nationally Certified and State Licensed EMT-Basics. The program operates under the guidance and licenses of several medical professionals from the Cowell Center. EMS work closely with Campus Safety Services to provide emergency medical care to the University campus from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. when the student health center is closed. 

Land Acknowledgement 

A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. For SCU's land acknowledgment. 

Reflect on your physical self-care

Reflection questions

The reflection questions provided are based on the five steps of the Ignatian Examen: Give Thanks, Review, Reflect, Resolve, and Look Ahead.

1. Give Thanks

  • What am I grateful for about that my body lets me do?
  • What foods make me feel good?
  • What type of movement do I enjoy?

2. Review

  • How am I taking care of myself?
  • Am I exercising regularly?
  • How am I eating?
  • Am I prioritizing getting enough sleep?

3. Reflect

  • How do I feel about my exercise and eating habits?
  • How do I show my body I am grateful for all that it does for me?

4. Resolve

  • Are there aspects of my physical body that I want to work on appreciating?
  • Are there days when I push myself too hard?
  • Do I need to let my body heal anywhere?

5. Look Ahead

  • How can I show my body more love?
  • What do I want to change in my sleeping habits?
  • Can I take more time to relax when I need it?

Physical wellness inventory

  • Do I eat regularly (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and balance my diet with healthy foods?
  • Do I get enough sleep?
  • Am I exercising or moving my body regularly?
  • Do I go to the doctor regularly for preventative care?
  • Do I use moderation with alcohol consumption?
Connect with others about health & fitness

Regular opportunities to foster physical wellness

  • Fitness classes currently many free options on the Stay at Home webpage through Campus Recreation 
  • Running, walking, rolling routes from the Bronco statue around Santa Clara 
  • Sports drills that you can do to keep up your skills while the basketball and volleyball courts are closed 
  • The Wellness Center offers Wellness Wednesdays on their Instagram @scuwellnesscenter 

Social accounts to follow

Also check out:

Recreational RSOs 

Division I Athletics Teams  

Women's Sports 

Men’s Sports⁠ 

Club Sports Teams 

Women’s Sports ⁠ 

Men’s Sports⁠ 

Open Sports⁠  

Habits and practices to foster physical health

Habits of Health

  • Follow a daily schedule/routine that includes a time to move and a time to go to bed 
  • Use your stress-reducing mechanisms when feeling anxious or overwhelmed 
  • Talk with others about your goals and desires 
  • Find mentors to support your physical and emotional well-being 

Take action

  • Attend a virtual fitness class from the list on the Stay at Home page from Campus Recreation
  • Do a Zoom class break or commercial break work-out. For every commercial break, mix up a combination of planks, squat jumps, tricep dips, push-ups, mountain climbers, hip bridges, and crunches
  • While washing your hands, sing “Happy Birthday” twice or count to 20 to prevent illness
  • Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. This is how viruses and bacteria enter your body and make you sick
  • Avoid caffeine in the afternoon. It can interfere with sleep
  • Eat a rainbow of colors. If you’re eating a wide variety of shades, it’s likely you’re on your way to eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet
  • Participate in Meatless Monday
  • Commit to a smoking cessation program and a tobacco-free lifestyle
  • Get moving! Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from the entrance to where you are going, and take active study breaks or class breaks--walk around the block between Zoom sessions
  • Meet with one of the nutritionists at the Cowell Center for a wellness consultation. Discuss personal wellness goals, barriers to change, and co-develop a personalized wellness plan
  • Work up to walking 10,000 steps a day. Start with walking the amount that you can do comfortably, such as 5,000 steps a day, then increase your steps until you reach 10,000 steps, putting you in the “active” category
  • Don’t forget to warm-up and stretch. Warming up and stretching are both important to prevent injury
  • Use the MyPlate guide to plan your meals
  • Make it convenient to make healthy choices. Keep pre-portioned healthy snacks in your dorm room or apartment. When it’s easy to eat right, you are more likely to do it
  • Try a healthy recipe or healthy food you have never tried before
  • Add some spices to your meals. Spices such as red pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon have been shown to have anti-inflammatory benefits while adding flavor without adding any additional calories to a dish
  • Make half your plate fruits and veggies
  • Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water is key to feeling energized. Try adding some fruits, vegetables, and herbs to make water more interesting, such as watermelon, cucumber, and mint. Drinking 8 - eight ounces glasses of water a day helps your brain
  • Eat slowly, avoid distractions during meals, and listen to your internal signals of hunger and fullness to avoid overeating
  • Eat breakfast within in an hour of waking up in the morning to keep your metabolism going strong
  • Don’t eat straight from the bag. Pre-portioning your meals and snacks helps you visualize your intake and prevents overeating
  • Keep regular bed-times and wake-times. Staying on a sleep schedule can help you sleep better
  • Avoid crash diets. It can be tempting to cut drastically cut down on what you eat to see instant results. Remember that crash-diets, such as juice-fasts/cleansing, slow down your metabolism and can make you gain weight in the long run
  • Know your family medical history and share it with your doctor
  • Remember you are the best advocate for your health care. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to discuss a second opinion with your doctor, as this is standard practice in medicine

We hope these resources can help students of different backgrounds find culturally relevant foods. Even though there are food options available, it can be harder to create a nutritional meal plan when you are out of your element and unable to acquire foods that are familiar to you. 

Here are some articles to provide ideas:

Here are some resources and recipes: 

Suggestions

We would love to continue improving our Wellness Model pages. Please share with us your feedback, or comments as well as any articles, podcast, etc. that help you be well. Please make sure you are logged into your SCU gmail account to view this google form. If you have any other comments you can also email getconnected@scu.edu #BeWellBroncos