Thursday, January 28, 2010

SPH Walk Toward Wellness

Wellness: a concept that encourages individuals to take responsibility for good decisions about their health and well-being.

Walk for Wellness: Employees of UMD-College Park are invited to participate in this event, setting aside time in their workday to go for a walk. The program is administered by Campus Recreation Services, and points are granted for time spent walking.
- The event runs until 6 p.m. on March 8.
- You can enter at a five-person team, or as an individual.
- Register online at http://www.crs.umd.edu, or in person at the ERC Member Services Desk. Participants (team and individual) must read and sign the Walk for Wellness Release and Informed Consent Statement prior to earning any points.
- Participants may walk anytime between 11 am and 6 pm on weekdays in either of the two designated Walk for Wellness zones: Reckord Armory or Cole Student Activities Building (formerly Cole Fieldhouse.) Participants must sign in and out at a designated Walk for Wellness service center. Failure to log in and out will result in zero points earned for that day.
- Earn 10 points for each 30-minute walking segment, and five points for each additional 15-minute walking segment.

Wellness at Work: Integrating healthy habits into your workday, like exercise and eating right. The Wellness Coalition of UMD-College Park named January Wellness@Work month, just in time to jump start those New Year’s resolutions. The initiative encourages university employees to adopt healthy work habits, and it is part of the greater UMD Wellness Initiative to make the university a healthy environment for students, faculty and staff...an effort that our own Dean Gold has partnered in!

Why Wellness at Work? The Healthy Turtle looked into the benefits of living well at work, and we got some input by those involved with the Wellness Walk. Here’s what we’ve found:

“Overall, our goal is for faculty and staff to be more productive at work, have a higher level of job satisfaction and for an increase in morale.”
- Emily Vollmer, UMD Campus Wellness Initiative
and a Walk for Wellness Organizer

“Like anything else it is a reminder of the importance of exercise to overall health and to
work productivity.”
- Dr. Dushanka Kleinman, School of Public Health, Wellness Walk C
ompetitor

“Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out.”
-
MayoClinic

Faculty and staff members of the School of Public Health have entered the Walk for Wellness. Dr. Dushanka Kleinman and Dr. Alice Horowitz have already formed “First Team,” and just convinced The Healthy Turtle and two others to join. The Healthy Turtle has been a Lucky Duck in SPH competitions (chili cook-off and Mind & Body Games), so let’s see if this luck carries over...Dr. Kleinman says that it takes some coordinating to fit the walk into her schedule, but she and Dr. Horowitz typically walk together two or three times a week.

“I like walking as an exercise. Also we are in a School of Public Health, and we should model wellness,” she said.

First Team is one of about 25 teams competing in the Walk. The winning team will receive a Terp Zone party, which includes lunch with bowling for ten people. The individual who logs the most minutes walking will win a walking shoe gift package, including a shoe fitting and new pair of shoes.

In addition to the teams, there are 50 individuals who have registered for the event. If you’re still thinking about it, Emily Vollmer, an event organizer, says there’s plenty of time to still sign up. Registration is open until Feb. 26.

“Promoting health at work is so important because adults spend half of their waking hours at work,” Vollmer said. “This is such a vast amount of time spent in one environment that it is imperative to be capitalized upon.”

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