Get out and play! It’s the new mantra of a volunteer corps of Wellness Ambassadors from across campus to support better wellness within their individual offices.
From hopscotch to coloring books to meatless Monday recipes, Wellness Ambassadors are helping build a culture of wellness in offices and buildings across campus.
“It’s all about fun,” said Sandy Batchelor, WorkLife and Wellness program coordinator in Human Resources and co-creator of the volunteer program. “Wellness starts with simply getting up and moving more, and it’s more fun to do with co-workers.”
Each ambassador has been given an “Instant Recess” bag with a variety of items to create activities that help relieve stress, stretch muscles and get the blood pumping. For example, the bag includes chalk to draw a hopscotch course, elastic bands for resistance training, crayons and coloring books for tension relief, a rubber ball for outdoor games and much more.
“At ٺƵ, we believe wellness is about actively working toward better health and a healthier lifestyle,” Batchelor said. “We want this new pilot program to educate and empower a volunteer corps of Wellness Ambassadors to help share healthy lifestyle practices throughout the ٺƵ community.”
Wellness Ambassadors had an initial training on Sept. 10. During the kickoff, they learned how they can be champions for health within their work areas, and they pledged to help communicate and support activities within the comprehensive wellness program.
The smbassadors also committed to developing and implementing healthy programs within their work areas. Local programs might include a regular walking group, weight loss challenge, sharing healthy holiday recipes, or a variety of other programs.
“Mounting medical evidence suggests we should move more throughout our workday — sitting for extended periods of time is bad for our health,” said Batchelor, who co-created the project with Stacey Brezing, WorkStrong coordinator in Occupational Health Services.
Despite the warnings, many workers find it difficult to carve out time to incorporate healthy habits into a busy work-life schedule.
“Many people are wondering, ‘How do I carve out 20 minutes in an eight-hour workday to stand, stretch and get the body moving?’” Brezing said. “We’re hoping the Wellness Ambassadors can help model healthy behaviors at work and encourage coworkers to take time to take care of themselves.”
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Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu