Find new ways to support your wellbeing — on campus and online

As the New Year begins, many of us choose to commit to new resolutions to be healthier. Starting this week, we’re pleased to help you find more ways to be Well at UF, including these offerings in the coming semester.

Healthy Lifestyle Program

Join UFHR Health Promotion Specialist Yusof Al-Wadei for this evidence-based, six-week series that starts Jan. 16. Each session, which will be held on Thursdays from noon to 12:45 p.m., will focus on a specific health topic — including goal setting, physical activity, nutrition, energy balance, stress management and resilience. Altogether, this 6-week program is designed to change our perspective of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. If you want to start living healthier but not sure where to start, this program is for you.

Throughout the sessions, participants will:

  • Learn the latest physical activity and nutrition recommendations
  • Set individual health and wellness goals
  • Learn tools and resources to help them on their wellness journey
  • Become aware of national health behavior recommendations and how to successfully integrate them into daily routines

To learn more and to register, visit the UFHR Wellness website. Are there 10 or more people in your department interested in this program who could commit to completing the series as a group? We’ll come to you!  Email us at hrs-wellness@ufl.edu to learn more about how to schedule this series for your faculty and staff.

Wellness Wednesdays — now twice a month

During this quarter’s Wellness Wednesday series, we’ll highlight some of the simple lifestyle changes that we can adopt to have a positive impact on our life. You can join us in-person for the first Wellness Wednesday of each month or tune in online for any of these sessions. Please see each entry for links to registration, which vary. All sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m.

Jan. 8: Understanding Trauma and Resilience for Individuals and Communities
Mark Hart, EdD, Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Adverse childhood experiences can often lead to sustained adult trauma. Learn how to identify resilience measures that can help mitigate adult trauma at both the individual and community levels. Participants will also see examples of new research and community efforts focused on making communities more trauma-informed and resilient.

Register now! Please note: If you have previously attended a Wellness Wednesday, the registration button will read “Register Again.”

 Jan. 22: Secrets to Self-Motivation
EAP Webinar
We can do just about anything we set our minds to. But sometimes it can feel like our brains are working against us when it comes to achieving our goals. Plans to learn a new skill, to get in shape or to save money keep getting pushed back in the hopes that the Future You will handle it “someday.”

Our attitudes and beliefs about our likelihood of success can predict whether or not we actually succeed. Actively keeping our internal motivation high can significantly increase the likelihood of achieving hopes, dreams and visions for the future.

Register now!

Feb. 5: Embodied Difference: A Guide to Healthy Living in a Multicultural World
Antonio Farias, MA, MFA, UF Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Advisor to the President
Explore issues of physical, psychological and nutritional health — and why they are key to living in a multicultural society.

Register now! Please note: If you have previously attended a Wellness Wednesday, the registration button will read “Register Again.”

Feb. 19: Civility in the Workplace
EAP Webinar
The prevalence and costs of incivility are on the rise in organizations. When employees are exposed to incivility in the workplace, they experience diminished self-control, which in turn creates increased incivility toward co-workers. Incivility could be as simple as a sarcastic reply to a co-worker’s comment or a perceived rude sentence in an email.
This session will help you understand why we act less civil today and give some suggestions for making sure you don’t exhibit behaviors that are uncivil.

Register now!

March 4: From Dr. Google to Your Doctor: Improving Communication about Your Health
Carma Bylund, PhD, Department of Public Relations, College of Journalism and Communications, and Division of Hematology & Oncology, College of Medicine
Samantha R. Paige, PhD, MPH, CHES ®, UF STEM Translational Communication Center
Did you know that 93 million Americans report they use the internet to find health information and advice? Yet individuals do not always have the skills they need to effectively find health information, engage online with others about health issues and speak with their healthcare providers about the information they have found. Learn strategies to help you optimize your online health explorations and provider communications.

Register now! Please note: If you have previously attended a Wellness Wednesday, the registration button will read “Register Again.”

March 18: Kids and Meals: It Doesn’t Have to Be a Battleground
EAP Webinar
Parenting children is quite a challenge in every aspect, but meals and eating habits need not be included as part of the challenge. Recent research findings are suggesting that more liberal attitudes toward allowing young children to govern their own intake is the best way to ensure that children maintain their ideal body weight throughout the rest of their lives. Contrary to earlier ideas about the parental role in ensuring their children’s nutritional and caloric needs, current research findings are supporting the idea of a much less assertive role in encouraging young kids, and consequently all kids, to eat.

Register now!