Welcome
The University Wellness program was developed in 1986 in effort to provide faculty, staff, and students with the opportunity to improve their "well being". Two primary objectives have been the basis of this program:
- to provide wellness education through seminars, workshops, courses, and special events, and
- to provide exercise and dietary programs that promote physiological benefits (i.e. improved cardiovascular fitness, improved muscle strength and endurance, increased energy, decreased risk for diseases such as heart disease and diabetes).
Components of the Wellness Program
Wellness Education
This component focuses on health promotion/lifestyle modification programs. Seminars, workshops, and short courses are used to present such wellness topics as nutrition, stress management, osteoporosis, exercise, and aging. An annual Wellness Fair has also been developed into a very important aspect of the Educational Component. The fair features a wide array of health, exercise, and lifestyle related information. Free screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, hearing, vision, and body fat. Demonstrations include step aerobics, fitness boxing, and dance.
Exercise and Nutrition
The exercise component offers annual fitness assessments, individual exercise prescription for aerobic and strength training activities, and various fitness classes. Participants undergo yearly graded exercise testing (measuring aerobic fitness), blood lipid and glucose analysis, dietary evaluation and body composition assessment. The exercise test is medically supervised and includes a diagnostic electrocardiogram. Information obtained from these assessments is used to develop individual exercise prescriptions. All exercise prescriptions and fitness classes are supervised/instructed by professional exercise physiologists and certified instructors. Optional nutritional counseling is also provided through a registered dietician.
