The West Virginia University Division of Human Resources Employee Wellness Program is offering a free, eight-week weight management program,The Change Starts Here,beginning Monday, Jan. 28, and ending Sunday, March 23, for employees interested in making healthy lifestyle changes and losing weight in the new year.
The self-report program will allow WVU employees to log in to a secure Web site, set up an account, enter personal information, set goals and track progress. The program will be housed at a new Web site ( http://employeewellness.wvu.edu/ ) set to launch next week. Just click on theWellness Activitiestab at the top of the page to locate the online campaign that is set to be operational by Jan. 28.
According to Kimberly Zaph, WVU s new Employee Wellness Program manager, health experts seem to agree that eight weeks is an optimum time for most people to set and assess goals, identify changes to their lifestyle, take reasonable steps and see results �€all while building better eating and exercise habits to last a lifetime.
The online campaign will include, among other features:
- personal commitment
- contract/profile
- goals form
- self-tracking online journal
- wellness tools such as a body mass index (BMI) calculator
- sample walking program
- weekly motivational e-mail messages
Zaph encourages employees to join her in setting goals and tracking their food and exercise routines in the new year.
My hope is that this will be an easy tool for employees to monitor and manage a healthy living program,she added.
Information provided on the site, she said, is general in nature and does not take the place of health care services employees may need. She suggests consulting with a primary health care provider about any personal health concerns.
T&D Workshops
Other WVU employee wellness efforts in the new year include three Training and Development workshops.
The first, The�€~P.A.P.E.R.Trail to Worksite Wellness,will be conducted by Sharon Covert, executive director of the Wellness Council of West Virginia, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the National Research Center for Coal and Energy.
The session will cover the five steps to planning and implementing a results-oriented worksite wellness initiative: Prepare, Assess, Plan, Enact and Review.
Attendees will be provided with sample tools, information and examples to begin a wellness program that meets the needs of employees and the goals of the organization.
A second workshop,Matters of the Heart,will be offered as part of National Heart Month activities from 2-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Rhododendron Room, Mountainlair.
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in West Virginia, so Training andDevelopment is encouraging employees todo something special to love your heart.
Zaph will lead this interactive workshop that will cover risk factors that lead to heart disease and focus on how lifestyle choices can promote heart health.
Resting heart rate and blood pressure assessments will also be available, and employees will learn how to monitor heart rate at rest and during activity. Tracking tools and resources will be provided to assist employees with risk reduction. To promote stress reduction in the workplace, the workshop will conclude with an optional relaxing group stretch. Comfortable clothing is recommended.
A third workshop,Every Step Counts,will be held from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13, in the Jerry West Lounge, Coliseum.
Zaph will also conduct this interactive session designed to get employees moving toward theWalk 100 Miles in 100 Daysprogram, offered through the WVU Health Sciences Wellness Program.
Participants will leave the session being able to identify appropriate shoes and attire for a walking program, develop plans to get extra steps in their day and discuss tracking methods.
The workshop will conclude with an optional Fitness Walk from 4:30-5 p.m., so wear walking/running shoes and comfortable clothing.
To register for any of the workshops, call 304-293-7217 or e-mail TRAINDEV @mail.wvu.edu .
�€~Kid FitArtwork
The Employee Wellness Program will also offer regular opportunities for children of University employees (preschool through middle school preferred) to submit artwork that illustrates ways to live long, healthy lives.
The first submissions being collected should be related to Heart Month in February. Heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases are among the leading killers of adults in the nation, but kids are at risk, too. So, whether fighting heart disease means eating less junk food, getting more exercise at home, working to eliminate obesity or becoming more physically active in school, children are encouraged to draw pictures.
Send submissions to Zaph at the Employee Wellness Program, P.O. Box 6640, One Waterfront Place, Morgantown, WV 26506 -6640 by Jan. 31. Please include the following information on the back of the original artwork: childs name, age, school, employee (parents) name, title/WVU department, work phone, campus e-mail and campus address.
Some of the submissions will be posted online; artwork will be returned upon request.
For more information on any of these activities, e-mail employeewellness@mail.wvu.edu .
WVU President Mike Garrison introduced the Universitys campuswide wellness initiative in late November, noting that it will have a huge impact on the health and well-being and life balance of employees and their families.