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HealthyUT – September 2017

  HealthyUT – September 2017


Wellness Warrior

The Wellness Warrior Award is given to individuals across campus who are nominated by their peers for leading by example and inspiring through action to create a healthier lifestyle.

September Wellness Warrior Award Recipient, Sherri Pinkston

September Wellness Warrior Award Recipient, Sherri Pinkston

The Wellness Warrior for September is awarded to Sherri Pinkston who is an administrative support assistant and Graduate program assistant for the department of Economics. She has been a part of the UT Family for 8 years, and her favorite hobbies include swimming, fishing, and enjoying quality time with friends and family.

Sherri’s inspiration to make healthy lifestyle choices stems from her determination to live. Her recent medical scare prompted an extreme weight loss.  The change began when she was rushed to the ER with complaints of pain in various parts of her body. Several tests were run, but nothing appeared to be wrong. The doctors explained that her options were simple: either do nothing and possibly not survive the next attack or make a lifestyle change to ensure an attack would not occur again. The choice was simple for Sherri; she chose to live.

Since then, Sherri has made the right choices in order to live a better, and more fulfilling life.  She has lost almost 150lbs. and uses her weight loss as motivation to continue in her fight to become a healthier person on the inside and outside.

Congratulations, Sherri for your nomination and thank you for being such a motivating model of health and wellness.

Making the healthy choice is not always the easy choice. To nominate someone who you feel is deserving of the Wellness Warrior Award please fill out a nomination form.


Move More

“I want others to make the choice to get up and move more, eat the right type of foods, and exercise more, so they can live more.” OR “Move more and live more!”– Sherri Pinkston, September Wellness Warrior Award Recipient

September Wellness Warrior, Sherri Pinkston, shares her journey into fitness

September Wellness Warrior, Sherri Pinkston, shares her journey into fitness

Sherri Pinkston knows how difficult making healthy choices can be, but also understands that these decisions can often be a matter of life and death. Her recent medical scare made her reevaluate her eating and exercise habits. She joined a gym that made her feel comfortable, began walking more, and took the stairs as much as she could. Despite the physical pain and stress that she endured, Sherri did not let that deter her from achieving her goal to become a better, and healthier version, of herself.

Now, Sherri goes to the gym 3-4 times a week and tries to eat much healthier. She can easily walk without stopping to catch her breath, breathe better, and move more. She acknowledges that making the change to live a healthier life can be difficult, but it is one of the best decisions she has ever made.

Once again, congratulations, Sherri, and thank you for sharing your story.

Upcoming Community Events:    

  • 9/14 Healthy Lifestyle Program- 2nd session begins
  • 9/19 National Healthy Lunch Day – UTK Salad Swap
  • 9/19 Healthy Cooking Class with UT Culinary Institute (Will send link later)
  • 9/20 Employee Benefits Fair 
  • 9/21 Yoga Fest
  • 10/28 Sprint for the Print 5k (https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Knoxville/sprintfortheprints)
  • 2018 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, and 5k registration begins August 1st. Register as part of the University of Tennessee team for a $10 Discount.
Source:

Eat Smarter

Snacking helps you watch your weight.

Yes, you correctly read that sentence; enjoying a healthy snack in-between meals can curb your hunger while also keep you away from junk food. Choosing the right snack can be hard, but here are a few helpful guidelines to keep you on track with a healthy diet. Make sure that the food item is high in nutrients, low in calories, and not processed.

Additionally, here are some examples of good snacks that will satisfy your craving, whether it be salty, sweet, or anything in between!

Cheese and crackers: One ounce reduced-fat cheddar cheese, six reduced-fat whole wheat crackers.

Tuna salad with crackers: 1/4 cup prepared tuna salad, 7 whole wheat crackers.

Yogurt: 5.3 ounces fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt.

String cheese: One low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella string cheese.

Veggies and hummus: Six baby carrots, 10 bell pepper strips and three tablespoons of hummus.

Almonds: 14 raw almonds.

Granola bar: One roasted almond crunch granola bar

 

Recipe of the Month: 
September 19 is the National Healthy Lunch Day. We are encouraging the campus community to organize and participate in a salad swap. In case you are unable to participate, here are a few healthy recipes that you can make at home.

Source:
ParTNers for Health newsletter

Be Mindful 

Vaccinations: Shots are good for you

Vaccinations are a great way to stay well and protect your body from diseases such as tetanus, the flu, and mumps. Although receiving vaccinations is heavily associated with childhood nightmares, adults need them too! Some benefits include disease prevention, help you stay healthy, and protect others who may not be able to get vaccinated. At your next doctor’s visit, talk to your physician about which vaccines you may need, even if you may need to call your mother afterwards.

Source: ParTNers for Health newsletter

The HealthyUT Newsletter is a monthly publication where events, information, and resource to support healthy lifestyles will be shared with the UT Knoxville Community.  It will serve as our communication with our campus community as we try to make the healthy choice the easy choice.

 Be Well.