Happy New Year! Find your focus to meet your 2024 wellness goals

A new year brings new opportunities to focus on your well-being and establish healthy habits. To support you along the way, we invite you to explore upcoming programs and events.

Subscribe to an app that meets your needs

In 2024, we are once again making available subscriptions to the Noom and Calm apps. Faculty and staff are invited to choose the app that best meets their goals, with subscriptions available for the first 2,000 who sign up for Noom and the first 5,000 who sign up for Calm.

Manage your weight with Noom

A psychology-based program that empowers you to take care of your health, Noom has helped millions of people lose weight and meet their personal goals — from weight management to diabetes prevention. The app features daily articles, food and exercise logging, one-on-one goal support and peer groups for an additional boost.

Did you sign up in 2023? Please note that if you already subscribed to Noom in 2023, your subscription will continue through one full year from the date you completed the Noom portion of your registration.

Sign up: Calm or Noom Registration

Manage stress and sleep better with Calm

Calm is a mindfulness app that features pre-recorded audio content designed to help manage stress, anxiety and insomnia. Features include meditation instruction, sleep aides, music for relaxation, video lessons on mindful movement and gentle stretching, audio programs taught by world-renowned mindfulness experts, and nature scenes and sounds.

Each subscription covers up to five dependents. Faculty and staff who sign up by Jan. 12 will also be entered into a drawing to win a free gift from Calm.

Sign up: Calm or Noom Registration

Enjoy the health benefits of local produce

As announced last month, we’ve partnered with UF/IFAS and Gainesville-area farms to offer discounted memberships to Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, programs this spring. Limited memberships to Siembra Farm are still available. Those who sign up will also be invited to participate in Healthy Harvest: Cultivating Local and Seasonal Flavors, a pilot educational program being developed with support from the UF/IFAS Support for Engaging Eneterprise Development Integration Teams (SEEDIT).

Sign up: Community Supported Agriculture Program – Worklife (ufl.edu)

Make time to foster healthier habits

Whether you’re seeking to create new daily or weekly habits, recover from holiday spending or simply find ways to mange your time better, check out these upcoming courses. In addition to those listed below, you can find workshops on goal-setting, the growth mindset, and more through UFHR Training and Organizational Development’s Thrive@UF series.

Kick start your wellness journey by registering to attend Calm’s webinar Designing Healthy Habits That Last on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at noon. While exploring the app’s features and engaging in live activities, you’ll gain insights into the benefits of exploring new habits in your daily life.

Register: Designing Healthy Habits that Last – HR Calendar (ufl.edu)

Holiday shopping can sink even the best budget if we’re not careful, and post-holiday credit card bills can cause high levels of stress. Register to attend After the Holidays: Managing That Debt to make a plan to get out of debt quickly and cost effectively while taking steps to make sure you don’t end up in debt again next year. This webinar, hosted by UF EAP provider ComPsych, will be held on Friday, Jan. 12, at noon.

Register: Registration (gotowebinar.com)

Sign up for Time Management Tools, hosted by UF EAP provider ComPsych, for help sorting through the tools available to help you organize your life, and pick the ones that will work for you. This session will be held on Friday, Jan. 26, at noon.

Register: Time Management Tools: To-Do Lists, Calendars, Etc. – HR Calendar (ufl.edu)

Move more in 2024!

Whether you’ve always wanted to try a cycling class or just want to get up from your desk and walk more often, find the movement that’s right for your lifestyle and schedule.

Free fitness classes are back!

Faculty and staff are invited to attend these in-person classes for all fitness levels at no cost throughout the semester.

• Cycling: Mondays, 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
• Yoga: Tuesdays, 12:15 to 1:00 p.m., Ustler Hall Atrium.
• Zumba: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., UF Health Professional Park building.

Learn more: Faculty and Staff Fitness Classes – Worklife (ufl.edu)

Yoga at the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens

In February, embrace the rejuvenating vibes of an outdoor lunchtime yoga session. Join Kim Holton, Ph.D., instructional assistant professor for the Department of Health Education and Behavior, at the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens every Thursday from 12:15 to 1 p.m.

Learn more: Faculty and Staff Fitness Classes – Worklife (ufl.edu)

Explore the Australian Outback with GatorCare’s New Year walking challenge

Head Down Under to the Australian Outback with GatorCare’s New Year walking challenge. This adventure will take you around Australia to learn about its history, nature and more.

Learn more: Walking Challenges! » GatorCare

In addition to on-demand and in-person fitness classes, UF faculty and staff can explore GatorPerks discounts available from our health and wellness business partners.

Find peace of mind

Regular meditation practice has been shown to change the functional connectivity of the brain, benefiting our resilience, attention, awareness and ability to connect with others. In addition to those listed here, UF offers a wealth of programs and support for mindfulness practice.

Go beyond the buzzword to learn about the myths and realities of what mindfulness is and what it isn’t. Sign up for Introduction to Mindfulness to explore the distinction between mindfulness and meditation, the neuroscience behind mindfulness, benefits of practicing mindfulness at work, and how to incorporate micro-practices into your day.

This session will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Departments may also request to have this session brought to an upcoming meeting or event by emailing worklife@hr.ufl.edu.

Register Here.

UF EAP offers free counseling and support

UF’s Employee Assistance Program offers free counseling sessions to UF employees and their household members. Two on-campus counselors are available for free in-person therapy appointments, and telehealth appointments are available through ComPsych, UF’s EAP provider.

ComPsych also offers legal and financial guidance as well as work-life support including childcare and eldercare referrals, assistance with planning events, locating help for household moves and more.

Learn more: Employee Assistance – No-cost, confidential solutions to life’s challenges. (ufl.edu)

A whole-person approach to well-being

Whether you’re looking for ways to get healthy, workshops to improve your financial literacy or new development opportunities , explore our website to find even more programs and services designed to help you flourish throughout the year to come. We wish you the very best in 2024!

Visit Worklife at UF: Worklife (ufl.edu)