Wellness Challenge tries to get students healthier and more fit
Students and staff are once again given the opportunity to improve their health in all areas of life by participating in Utah State University’s Wellness Challenge beginning in January 2007.
The Wellness Center is sponsoring the 12-week-long event for the second year, though the program has a new name and new goals, said Program Coordinator Jamie McKinlay Friday.
About 300 people participated in last semester’s Physical Activity Challenge. This year’s program is different as it gives students the opportunity to improve their health in a variety of categories and is not limited to physical health like it was last year, McKinlay said. Participants can work on completing goals in the categories of emotional health, family and friends, physical health, nutritional health and spiritual life.
“[The Wellness Challenge] meets individual needs better,” McKinlay said.
Individuals or teams can work to earn points for completing their goals throughout the semester in hopes of becoming healthier. The three teams and individuals with the highest score will be awarded prizes on A-Day, April 20, 2007. McKinlay said she recommends that participants unite to form teams because doing so provides a support group that will help people to be more successful.
McKinlay said the new program better fits with the Wellness Center’s mission statement which reads “…to enhance [student, faculty and staff] personal wellness and ability to be successful in the five areas of life which are: Physical; Mental/Emotional; Social; Economical, and Spiritual.”
McKinlay’s goal for this year’s program is to get more students involved since last year’s challenge attracted more faculty and staff than students.
The Wellness Challenge will kick off Jan. 22 and will finish on April 13. People interested can register by e-mailing McKinlay before Jan. 19.
According to the Wellness Challenge rules, participants are to submit one goal each week to McKinlay that contributes to their overall goal to be healthier. If someone wants to increase their spirituality, for instance, attending worship services and meditating will be awarded points. One point will be awarded for each met goal. McKinlay said a variety of goals will be accepted and she encourages students who want to improve their health to participate.
The Wellness Challenge is USU’s contribution to the Utah Health Department program “A Healthier You” which began in 2002 as part of the Winter Olympics to get community members involved in improving their health.
The statewide program awards campuses, communities, schools and workplaces for efforts to make healthy changes. USU received the silver award for its participation in the spring 2006 program for accomplishing things like clearly identifying non-smoking areas with signs and providing an updated health/wellness website, according to the Utah Department of Health website.
-mof@cc.usu.edu