Happy New Year!

Be Well is ringing in the new year with a semester full of new events and offerings that promote employee wellness. This is the year to invest in yourself and your wellness. What will you do now that your future self will thank you for? Here at UT, we look at wellness holistically, meaning looking beyond eating right and moving more. Are you working towards your emotional, intellectual, financial, social, spiritual, environmental, and occupational wellness? All of these componenets contribute to overall wellbeing. Check out Be Well's webiste to learn more about the 8 dimensions of wellness.

Let Be Well help you take ownership of your wellbeing in 2020!

Upcoming Events

January 8 - New Year, New Vol!

January 10 - Nutrition Assessment Interest Meeting

January 16 - Planning Today for a Better Tomorrow; HR Financial Wellness

January 17 - Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Race Series Interest Meeting

January 21 - Employee Fitness Class (Yoga)

Free Nutrition Assessments

The UTK nutrition department and Be Well are collaborating on a new initiative that will provide free nutrition assessments to faculty and staff, while providing nutrition students a hands-on learning experience. Students will be learning and refining their skills related to conducting common nutrition assessments with supervision and guidance from faculty in the nutrition department.

For more details and sign-up, click here. An interest meeting will be held on Friday, January 10th from 11:30am-noon in the Student Union 362B.

Wellness Champions

Are you someone who is passionate about health and wellness? Be Well is searching for employees to serve as wellness champions between Be Well and their respective departments/offices. Wellness champions play a vital role in shaping the wellness culture at UTK.

Responsibilities:

Lead by example

Encourage others to participate in wellness activities

Plan health and wellness initiatives in your department/office (with help of course!)

Share your success stories

Interested in learning more? Click here for a comprehensive list of responsibilities and the application.

Apply here!

Move More

Finding the motivation to get moving and stay moving can be hard. Let Be Well be your accountability partner by participating as a part of the University of Tennessee team in this years Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon (CHKM) race series. We are offering 40% off of race registration for the 5k, half-marathon, and full marathon. The 2020 races will take place on Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th. In order to receive the full discount, you must register under the University of Tennessee team and use the code "UTK2020" at checkout.

New this year, we will be hosting an interest meeting for individuals wanting to learn about a couch to 5k program and how to have a successful training cycle! Lunch will be provided!

When: Friday, January 17th
Time: 12pm-1pm
Location: Frieson Black Cultural Center 102

*RSVP is required by Tuesday, January 14th.

Smokey Walking Challenge Recap

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Smokey Walking Challenge! There were 73 individuals that successfully made it to all 10 statues!

A special shoutout to the following departments for their incredible participation rates:

Office of Information Technology

CAPS Outreach Center

Haslam College of Business

Management

Kinesiology Recreation & Sport Studies

Eat Well

Ditch the Diets

The New year brings a wave of motivation and inspiration to many individuals wanting to live a healthier life. Some of the most common new year's resolutions are to eat healthier and lose weight. If these resolutions resignate with you, make sure you are setting yourself up for success this year by avoiding falling into diet industry traps.

Before we dive into the things to look out for, let's define "diet". A very common definition is "a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight." If a diet, clense, or protocol is asking you to restrict or deprive yourself, you may want to pump the breaks before jumping in. Studies have shown that "recent dieting behavior predicted weigth gain over time." So if diets increase the risk of long-term weight gain, you may be left wondering what it is that you can do to live a healthier lifestyle.

Here are some tips and alternatives to dieting that will leave you feeling nourished and fulfilled:

Mindful eating-

Create time for meals that allows you to slow down, focus on the food you are eating, and acknowledge your hunger and fullness cues.

Be weary of wellness trends-
There will always be something new and emerging in wellness news, but before giving a headliner a try, do you research. Is the information coming from a seasoned expert in the field? Is there research that displays positive outcomes? Are there actually any studies at all? Just because something has worked for one or two people, does not mean it is sustainable and/or going to work for everyone.

Nutrition & physical activity-
The two go hand in hand. The foods we eat fuel the body; the physical activity we engage in strengthens the body's systems and processes. These strategies are best practices for improving longevity and living healthfully. Does the lifestyle change you are about to engage in incorporate both?

Keep it simple-
Aim to consume foods that nourish and satisfy you. Focus on your relationship with food to create a relationship that fulfills you while providing you with optimal nutrition.

For the best individualized clinical recommendations, meet with a licensed registered dietitian.

Recipe of the Month

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Apples, and Brussels Sprouts

Be Mindful

Let's make unmanageable stress a thing of the past. This year Be Well is partnering with Active Health to bring a stress management brown bag lunch and learn series to campus. Benefit eligible faculty and staff that are on the university's benefits package have the opportunity to participate in Active Health's 2020 wellness program to earn up to $250 per person or $500 per household in financial incentives. The stress management series held on campus this spring will also count for the financial incentives. Not on the university's insurance? No worries! You can still attend! Sessions are held from 12pm-1pm. For more details, click here.

January (DATE TBD):

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

Explore how your thoughts can affect your health. Imagine changing your thoughts and improving your overall wellbeing. Learn ways to cultivate a healthy mind and body.

*Register here to receive an email once the date has been finalized*

February 18th:

Resilience: Bouncing Back

How well do you bounce back after a stressful situation? We will discover ways to build your inner strength and resiliency to help you adapt to change without feeling overwhelmed.

March 19th:

Work, Life and You

Feeling overwhelmed by everything life throws your way? Unsure how to balance it all? We get it. Let's take a closer look at how you can organize your time, prioritize what's important, and take control of your life.

April 7th:

Mental Wellness

We can eat healthy, exercise, and be tobacco-free, but still suffer from poor emotional wellness. Learn tips to better cope with stress, deal with anxiety, and improve your overall mental wellness.

May 5th:

Relaxation Techniques

Put your stressors in perspective. Learn quick, easy, and practical methods to relieve your stress.

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone that participated in the National Faculty and Staff Health Assessment that Be Well launched before the winter break. Over the course of the next few months, we will be analyzing the data which will help inform future Be Well programs and offerings. As always, Be Well appreciates your continued support and engagement! We are looking forward to creating a healthier UT in 2020!

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