Healthy UNH Blogger: Vallary Ross
Tips to Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), healthy adults should be engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity (or some combination of both) per week. Luckily, here at UNH there are plenty of opportunities offered to students and staff to keep you active! Yet, many of us still run into the problem of finding motivation to workout, or keeping our workout motivation over... Read More
A Resource to Eat Well on Campus We are very fortunate to have an award-winning dining program here at UNH. Not only is it their focus to make food that tastes amazing, but to also offer foods that are good for you too. On the UNH Dining webpage there is a section focused on nutrition and resources offered around campus to promote health. One of these resources is Wellness Meals. Wellness Meals is a guide to help students and staff create delicious and nutritious meals using ingredients that... Read More
Resources to Keep in Mind Before You Graduate! As a senior with graduation approaching very quickly, I’ve been looking back on my four years spent here and all of the healthy resources I’ve had the opportunity to utilize. A short list of my few favorite things includes: Intramural Sports: Intramural sports here at UNH give students the chance to engage in organized sports that they wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise, all while having a carefree and fun time! A few I highly recommend are... Read More
UNH Outdoor Facilities As summer approaches and the temperature goes up there are more and more activities that are becoming possible to do outside! According to many studies, evidence shows that spending more time in nature and outside can improve memory, attention span, and cognition. It’s also known that breathing fresh air can help your respiratory system and that sunlight provides natural vitamin D, even more reason to want to spend time outside. Luckily, here at UNH there are multiple... Read More
Don’t Go Hungry! Have you, or someone you know, ever gone through the day hungry? Are you interested in supporting those on campus who are food insecure? A new UNH program, Swipe It Forward could help. Swipe It Forward is a new program here on campus aimed to help connect UNH students in need with access to meals on campus via a “virtual food bank.” The project was initiated by senior Nutrition and Dietetics Major, Alana Davidson. Davidson conducted a survey on campus that found about 25% of... Read More
Get Involved in the Movement! National Public Health Week will be celebrated from April 3rd to April 9th this year! National Public Health Week is an initiative of the American Public Health Association (APHA). According to the APHA website “Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.” On the National Public Health Week 2017 website there are tools and resources to help get everyone have a successful week. Stopping by their... Read More
10 Ways to Participate in Act Happy Week Happiness has been associated with many positive health implications, such as helping to maintain healthy blood pressure, boost your immune system, and oppose dangers associated with stress hormones. Being happy can also improve your mood and the mood of those around you. Is this not enough to make you want to improve your happiness? Act Happy Week occurs every year during the third week of March, this year it runs from March 20th to March 26th. Right... Read More
How to Best Understand Nutrition Fact Labels and Build a Healthy Diet If you want to start eating healthier, or just know what you’re eating, understanding the nutrition facts label can be very helpful. The nutrition facts label contains information on the serving size of products, nutrient information, as well as calories. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics put out an article, The Basics of the Nutrition Facts Label, in which they discuss a guide to decoding nutrition fact labels to help... Read More
The Right and Wrong Time to Utilize Hospital Emergency Rooms In a report put out by the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI) research found that in 2007 approximately $700 billion was wasted on unnecessary health care expenses in America. Of this $700 billion, $38 billion was spent due to emergency room overuse. Emergency department overuse can also cause overcrowding and long waits for persons requiring true emergency care. To help stop this misuse of hospital emergency departments here are... Read More
Tips to Manage your Emotional Wellbeing Throughout the Semester As the semester begins, it’s easy to get lost in the excitement of your new classes, reuniting with friends, and upcoming events in the community. With all this going on, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and frazzled, and may negatively affect your mental health. According to mentalhealth.gov, some ways to maintain and improve mental wellness are to: Be connected with others: Join a club or organization (all of which can... Read More

Name: Vallary Ross
Home Town: Highgate, VT
Major: Nutrition; Dietetics
Graduation Year: 2017
What do you do to make a Healthy UNH? I do my best to keep myself, and the environment, in good health. For me that can be walking to class, exercising, recycling, eating a balanced diet, or just doing my best to cope with my emotions.
Favorite Food: Nachos
Favorite Movie: Miracle
Favorite Book: Chasing Redbird
What place in the world do you most want to visit & why: Italy; it’s just so beautiful with so many sites, history, as well as amazing food and culture.
Favorite Dining Hall and why: Union Court, I know it’s not technically a dining hall but it’s just the best food.
What do you love about UNH? I love how beautiful the sunsets are over T-Hall
As a Healthy UNH Intern, What are you most excited about? I’m excited to promote healthy lifestyles and help to improve the wellbeing of the UNH community.