Special K as a waist-shrinking meal replacement.
Whole 30 veganism to lose weight and change your eating mindset.
Butter — just butter and meat and salt for going keto.
As a parent and professional, you've probably seen a number of wellness trends come and go over the past 30 years: whether it's what's on your plate or the way you move, from Jane Fonda's tapes to Tae Bo to Crossfit.
The question's probably come up as you've watched the shift: Which approaches actually create lasting healthy habits, and which are temporary?
Clemson University knows that many young adults — they serve 30,000 — deal with anxiety (73%+), depression (44%+), and have suicidal thoughts (50%+). They know that those students are at a crucial moment for their mental health, and that it's extremely important to help them build sustainable wellness practices to carry into their adult lives.
Key Takeaways
- Wellness habits should be preventive, not reactive.
- Safe spaces reduce intimidation around trying new practices.
- Community is a crucial part of sustainable wellness.
When Universities Address the Student Mental Health Crisis
Clemson isn't just adding wellness amenities to a long list of offerings — they're tackling the mental health crisis affecting college students nationwide head-on with prevention-based solutions. They do that by teaching wellness habits during formative years, because they know that comprehensive wellness education creates lasting behavioral change.
"My position has always been prevention and recovery approaches can be impactful towards reducing the numbers of students that enter crisis, either mentally or physically," David Frock, Executive Director at Clemson University, says.
"You have your health center, you have your counseling center, but what can the rest of the institution do — in particular, campus rec centers — for helping people not end up in crisis?"
He knows real support goes further than offering equipment, and focuses heavily on prevention instead of dropping in mid-crisis. Sustainable health habits require systematic education and community support.
It's an important blueprint for adults to follow later in their life, too.
Creating Safe Spaces for Student Growth and Risk-Taking
Of course, wellness programs should be able to work for students with different confidence levels and experience. Intimidation is a serious issue: That's why Clemson makes it a priority to make wellness programs accessible to all students.
That means creating an emotionally safe environment and offering slowly increasing challenges based on a student's starting point.
Building community plays a huge role at Clemson, Frock says.
"Some individuals struggle becoming comfortable in their new environment, so we spend a lot of our time and attention with people who need a little help assimilating," Frock says. It's hard to move to a brand-new place with brand-new people, and it can be hard to make connections.
Building healthy habits and building community can go hand-in-hand when there's thoughtful planning, Frock says: "When you go into a gym — if you're taking a 15-person clinic on cold plunges, or hiking, or whatever — group activities are all nice opportunities for people to start at a similar level."
Then, they're more comfortable in their own skin — they can make mistakes together without feeling too self-conscious. That's an environment where they can grow.
Teaching Lifelong Wellness Habits During Formative Years
College students are receptive to new ideas, and just starting to build the habits that they'll take into their adult lives. They're a blank slate: diet, exercise, and sleep are on their own terms for likely the first time ever, instead of led by your example.
"The younger you are — the sooner you start building good habits — the healthier you're going to be," Frock says. "We don't pay attention to prevention and recovery until we're my age — it's almost too late."
That's why it's so important that they're given proper wellness techniques and start creating their sustainable practices.
Frock says students come in highly motivated and interested in Clemson's classes and lessons. It's an introductory space for students to learn what they like, and what does and doesn't work for them. Some students who are studying wellness can even use them as a "learning lab for their future careers" — as they work, they develop coursework related to building health programs.
Building a Campus Community Through Shared Wellness Experiences
Students, faculty, and staff are all part of Clemson's wellness programs. After all: effective wellness practices are at their most sustainable when they're actually shared experiences. They create a sense of belonging and intention at a time when students need that connection.
It's an authentic community that's having an ongoing conversation about well-being.
"If they're in class and a professor is telling a story about trying to cold plunge, there's a dialogue that they can connect to," Frock says. "Again, the whole community starts talking about well-being."
Clemson also provides faculty and staff with wellness clinics they can take with their own cohort. When faculty and staff model their own wellness journeys, it shows students that building healthy habits — and taking care of mental and physical health — is a lifelong practice.
Plus, as more people across campus sign up for wellness programs, health follows everything. A dining hall conversation about nutrition or hallway chat about finals stress contribute to an environment where taking care of yourself is common practice.
You can help from off-campus, too, with programs like Nordic University— which partners with Clemson to let alumni give back in the name of student health, by supplying their alma mater funding for wellness programs.
Investing in Wellness
Now, Clemson is looking to the future.
What we can learn from Clemson's approach: Wellness is an ecosystem, not a fad or machine. By building community and offering accessible health education, people can create lifelong, sustainable habits.
Part of that is building a culture where health becomes a shared value and collective practice.
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