HealthyUT – February 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.
The Wellness Warrior recognition for February 2017 goes to all of the School of Music staff.
Back row, left to right: Adrienne DiIulio, Susan Harbin, Chris Jerger, and Jay Anderson Front row, left to right: Landin Lynd, Tracy Viles, and Lori Brown Not pictured: Carolyn Anderson, Irene Carney, Dan Frank, and Kenon Steward
Around the time Landin Lynd signed up to be a Wellness Champion, she suggested holding a potluck salad luncheon to the staff in her department. The staff really embraced the idea and came up with a great variety of toppings and side items to go with the salads. Everyone enjoyed getting together, socializing, and eating a very tasty and healthy meal. It inspired conversations about some of the healthy items people brought in and sharing recipes for the homemade items people made.
Since then, the staff has taken it upon to organize these salad-swap lunches and have made plans for future healthy potluck-style meals in such as chili lunches in the winter and build your own waffle/crepe breakfasts.
Congratulations School of Music staff, 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 this nomination form.
Move More
The Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon is just around the corner. Scheduled for April 1st and 2nd, the dates are quickly approaching. Join other members of the campus community and race as part of the University of Tennessee team. You can join the team with two simple steps.
- First, UT has joined the Fittest Company challenge and we need your help to win this challenge. Every mile completed by a registered member counts towards the team total points. To register make sure to choose the University of Tennessee as your employer in the registration page to be part of the challenge. If you have already registered, you can still update your registration to be included in the Fittest Company Challenge.
- Sign up for the race day events as part of the UT corporate team. If you have not signed up for any of the races (fun run, 5k, half marathon, marathon) use the link below to sign as part of the UT Corporate team and receive a $5 dollar discount (Code: UT2017) and a special UT race day t-shirt. If you have already signed up for the race email yalwadei@utk.edu with your registration confirmation and you will be manually added to the team. All members of the team will receive race day shirts.
https://runsignup.com/CorporateTeams/14547/8485
Eat Better
Body Mass Index (BMI) numbers can cause a lot of anxiety for some individuals. Understanding the concept behind these numbers could alleviate some of that anxiety and uncertainty.The truth is weighing too much is almost as dangerous as using tobacco. While BMI can be useful in getting an understanding of where you stand, it does not provide a complete picture. BMI uses your height and wight to measure your body fat.It was designed as a population study tool and does not provide accurate measurements for individuals. For a more accurate measure for an individual it should be used in conjunction with other tools. However,a high BMI can be an indicator for high risk for many weight-related health issues.
- Underweight <18.5
- Normal weight 18.5 – 24.9
- Overweight 25 – 29.9
- Obesity > 30
Be Mindful
Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness, even for just a few weeks, can bring a variety of physical, psychological, and social benefits. Here are some of these benefits, which extend across many different settings.
- Mindfulness is good for our bodies: A seminal study found that, after just eight weeks of training, practicing mindfulness meditation boosts our immune system’s ability to fight off illness.
- Mindfulness is good for our minds: Several studies have found that mindfulness increases positive emotions while reducing negative emotions and stress. Indeed, at least one study suggests it may be as good as antidepressants in fighting depression and preventing relapse.
- Mindfulness changes our brains: Research has found that it increases density of gray matter in brain regions linked to learning, memory, emotion regulation, and empathy.
- Mindfulness helps us focus: Studies suggest that mindfulness helps us tune out distractions and improves our memory and attention skills.
- Mindfulness fosters compassion and altruism: Research suggests mindfulness training makes us more likely to help someone in need and increases activity in neural networks involved in understanding the suffering of others and regulating emotions. Evidence suggests it might boost self-compassion as well.
The HealthyUT Newsletter, formerly known as the Wellness Wednesday 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.