Northwestern’s department of athletics and recreation will begin addressing women’s health issues this week in its latest lecture series, “Get Your Best Body From the Inside Out.”
The series will feature Marla Richmond, an exercise physiologist, health counselor and wellness educator.
“Pressure, stress and perfectionism exist very strongly in a school like NU,” said Richmond, who has given health education presentations nationwide and as far away as Taipei, Taiwan.
The six-lecture series begins Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. The series will continue one Wednesday evening per month at the Sports Pavilion and Aquatics Center. The lectures will address issues such as circuit training, weight maintenance and taking control of stress. Richmond, who also has published several health books, said she wants to help NU women feel more confident during the often-chaotic college years.
Richmond also created a health newsletter, “FitBite,” to share exercise and nutrition tips. The pamphlets were created for college-age students and are distributed at SPAC.
She said women experience pressure because of societal expectations to have a successful career while raising children.
“Women feel so much stress,” Richmond said.
“Sometimes they feel they have no control over the direction in their lives. They want to have an accomplished career and to become a mother, all while having the perfect body. Women are pressured to be superwomen, but have no time to do it.”
Weinberg sophomore Amy Yang said time constraints are her biggest obstacle in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.
“That class sounds cool,” said Yang, who hopes to learn to budget her time to fit in fitness.
“It’s just so hard to find time in my schedule to work out.”
Nancy Tierney, the director of fitness and wellness at NU, said the series will teach women how to maintain a balanced, healthy lifestyle under the weight of academic competition and society’s unrealistic expectations.
“It will be educational and enlightening, and I think it will make everyone who attends feel more confident,” Tierney said. “There is a lot of stress and pressure on being perfect, whether we realize it or not.”
Tierney said she believes the series has the potential for far-reaching positive effects on women’s lives.
“(Richmond) will do a beautiful job having anyone who attends these workshops leave feeling empowered and feeling they’re the best they can be,” Tierney said.
The series is free, but students should register in advance by calling SPAC at (847) 491-4300.
Reach Allison Bond at [email protected].
