|
 |
 |
|
|---|
|
||||||||||||||||
November All-Staff Offers Premier of By Dennis Lyday |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
In Fall 2006, the University of California Office of the President introduced a system-wide initiative called UC Living Well, aimed to promote wellness and injury prevention among UC staff. The concept was a perfect fit with the latest round of strategic planning for our Student Affairs organization. The health and wellness of Student Affairs staff is a key component of the current strategic plan, and the November all-staff meeting in Collins Court was the ideal place to roll it out. The FITWELL Program that has been developed by UCLA Recreation was the centerpiece of the meeting. But the event also offered health and wellness information from colleagues that included the UCLA Medical Center, the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center, UCLA Weight Watchers, Staff Assembly, and a great turnout from health-related Student Affairs units. |
||||
 |
||||
Vice Chancellor Montero opened the meeting by telling the audience that the meeting would focus on the concept of “wellness” in a very broad sense, including physical, mental, and emotional aspects of our lives. She noted that “wellness” will be a basic tenet of Student Affairs’ organizational goals. “Taking care of our individual health and wellness creates benefits in all directions,” she told the group. “Paying attention to diet, exercise, and behaviors that promote wellness clearly benefits us as individuals. And the great thing about it,” she went on, “is that this kind of focus also benefits our work and our organization. “Better collective health,” she noted, “can certainly help our departments by minimizing missed workdays due to illness or health-related problems. And beyond that, a healthy lifestyle contributes to positive morale, stress reduction and a sense of general well-being. Good morale can have a very positive effect on the working environment in Student Affairs, which in turn creates a positive environment for all Student Affairs clients, be they students, faculty, parents or staff.” Mick Deluca, Director of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, was the emcee for the next portion of the program as he introduced the FITWELL Program. FITWELL is a broad-based program that is intended to help staff, faculty, and students make healthy lifestyle choices in areas including fitness and exercise, nutrition and weight management, stress management, and general health education. |
||||
The program has a variety of components: group exercise; personal training; mind/body programs; Bruin Walkers (a free walking program); the Fit Squad (a mobile education and instruction unit); and the FIT TO Series of custom programs. Bruin Walkers has become a particular hit campus-wide, as UCLA Recreation and the Staff Assembly have partnered on several events intended to promote the culture of wellness. Bruin Walkers current has over 4500 registered walkers, and continues to grow. As Vice Chancellor Montero observed, “The Student Affairs administration is committed to making the concept of ‘wellness’ a basic tenet in our organizational goals. To this end,” she said, “we are looking for ways not only to encourage and support staff who are interested in starting their own programs, but to incorporate wellness concepts into everyday job functions – healthier snacks at break time, walking meetings, better attention to ergonomics. It won’t happen overnight, but if we work together, we can change the culture.” For more information about FITWELL, go to http://www.fitwell.ucla.edu. Other helpful contacts include:
|
||||
| Terms of Use © 2006 UC Regents |