Keeping Well at Work 2018

The Healthy Workplace Committee and the University of Waterloo invites all employees to our second annual wellness day on Wednesday, October 10, 2018! The morning portion of the day will be filled with keynote speakers and the afternoon portion will have workshops and wellness booths. Mark your calendar and be sure to come hear these wonderful presentations on strategies that can help you directly with your wellness at work and beyond. Do not miss this day!

Registration is required for this event! Registration is now closed.

Keynote speakers

Balance: Living Well & Staying Healthy 

Marla Shapiro

Dr. Marla Shapiro brings the latest medical news and health stories to viewers every week as the medical contributor to CTV’s Canada AM and CTV News. Dr. Shapiro brings this same focus to her on-stage presentations, sharing health advice and information that everyone can use in their daily lives. 

  • Time: 9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
  • Location: Humanities Theater, Hagey Hall

A Healthier You: Your Future You

hal johnson and joanne mcleod

Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod are known across Canada for encouraging people to live a healthier, active lifestyle, keep fit and have fun. The hosts and creators of Body Break convey their message of health in a positive and entertaining manner, complete with customized multi-media visuals, and unlimited enthusiasm.

  • Time: 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
  • Location: Humanities Theater, Hagey Hall




     

Health and Wellness Booths

When: drop-in anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Where: Lower Hall, Science Teaching Complex (STC)

Afternoon workshops and classes

Session one: 1:00 - 2:15 p.m.

Session title Presenter/Instructor Location

Yoga

This session is now FULL.

 Sandra Gibson Senate Board Room (NH 3407)

Bring Healthy to Work: Easy Food Strategies to Fuel Your Day

This session is now FULL.

 Sandra Ace STC 0010
How to Make Attention in a Digital World Marcel O’Gorman STC 0020
Caregiving for aging parents and other family members –€“ A discussion of research and policy Dr. Donna Lero, Dr. Steven Mock, and Allison Stewart   STC 0040
Leisure and Well-being Naima Samuel STC 0050

Grief, Distress, and Supporting Bereaved Colleagues at Work

 Rabbi Rena Arshinoff STC 0060

Wellness break: 2:15 - 2:45 p.m.

Refreshments and a light snack will be provided for all attendees of the wellness day.

Session two: 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Session title Presenters/Instructor Location

Yoga & Meditation - This session is now FULL.

 Joshua Webster Senate Board Room (NH 3407)
Indoor Walking Tour TBA STC Commons, Lower Hall

Navigating Emotional Eating with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

 Suzanne Dietrich and Dana Rourke STC 0010

I Can’t Believe They Just Said That! Five tips for responding to disrespectful communication

This session is now FULL.

 Lynn Long STC 0040
Optimizing your Office Ergonomics Andrew Scheifele STC 0050
Coping with Change on the Dementia Caregiver Journey Lisa Loiselle  STC 0060

Descriptions

Bring Healthy to Work: Easy Food Strategies to Fuel Your Day - FULL

When you have a hectic day it’s easier to opt for fast but often less healthy options. In fact, research shows that Canadians are increasingly foregoing home cooked meals for quicker, ready-to-eat foods or restaurant meals. Yet people who eat well have better energy, are more productive and have better physical and mental health. This session will provide simple food strategies for staying energized at work.

Presenter: Sandra Ace, MPH, RD, Health Services Dietitian

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0010

This session is now FULL.

How to Make Attention in a Digital World

What if you could make attention rather than paying it? Marcel O'Gorman answers this question while sharing his research and design project called "Digital Abstinence." You will have a chance to confess your "digital sins" and learn about an invention called Resistor Case that targets compulsive cell phone use.

Presenter: Marcel O'Gorman, PhD, Professor in the Department of English

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0020

Caregiving for aging parents and other family members - A discussion of research and policy

Providing care and assistance to aging family members has become a normative part of life. Private roles become public issues as individuals integrate paid work and caregiving roles and employers seek to support employees who provide care. For this presentation we will explore some of the solutions that are being developed or considered to support employed caregivers. We will also present recent research on ways people cope and adapt to caregiving roles, and we will be joined by a representative from human resources for questions about UW workplace policies.

Presenter: Dr. Donna Lero, Dr. Steven Mock, and Allison Stewart

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0040

Leisure and Well-being

In this session we will talk about the importance of leisure in improving well-being. We will also specifically talk about how travel and exploration positively impact physical and mental health.

Presenter: Naima Samuel, MA student, Graduate Student Association President

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0050

Grief, Distress, and Supporting Bereaved Colleagues at Work

We spend a great deal of time at work and often develop meaningful relationships with our colleagues and other staff members in our workplace. The reality of life is that we all experience the death of family members or significant others. The return to work of a colleague who has been recently bereaved brings us face to face with our own vulnerabilities and feelings concerning grief and often leaves us wondering what to say and how to help the individual who has been changed by the loss. This session will review some grief theory and approaches to best support individuals who return to work at such a difficult time. Through an interesting exercise, we will also address personal feelings as we face the challenges of wanting to support bereaved colleagues as well as possible.

Presenter: Rabbi Rena Arshinoff

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0060

Indoor Walking Tour

When walking outside around Ring Road is not possible or desirable during inclement weather, that should not stop you from going for a walk! Our guide will take you through UW buildings, tunnels, and overpasses to complete a loop equivalent to the distance of Ring Road.

Start time: 2:45 p.m.
Starting location: meet in the Lower Hall, STC

Navigating Emotional Eating with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

This session will examine the interconnection between our relationship with food and our relationship with our bodies. It will discuss the science behind emotional eating and the dilemma of dieting in our present time and culture. To improve these relationships, self-compassion and mindfulness strategies will be explored with participants.

Presenters: Suzanne Dietrich, BA, RD, Sydney Bell, MSW, RSW, Psychotherapist & Dana Rourke, Eating Disorder Recovery & Body Image Coach

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: STC 0010

I Can’t Believe They Just Said That! Five tips for responding to disrespectful communication - FULL

How do you respond when someone says something that makes you uncomfortable or feels disrespectful?. Often we are too surprised to respond at all or, in the moment, we respond ineffectively. Having strategies at hand to respond effectively in such situations can prevent barriers from developing between coworkers and set us up well to maintain good relations in our workplaces.

Presenter: Lynn Long, Senior Education Officer, Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: STC 0040

This session is now FULL.

Optimizing Your Office Ergonomics

Have you ever experienced aches and pains while at work and wonder if perhaps they are from poor office ergonomics? Musculoskeletal disorders continue to be one of the leading injury types in Ontario workplaces. This program is designed to educate participants on the basic principles of good office ergonomics, providing specific instruction and illustration on how to optimize your particular set up so you can avoid being an Ontario statistic. Participants will learn what considerations an ergonomist makes when evaluating a workstation and what types of alternative equipment (including standup desks) are available, and why they might be suggested. The session goal is to provide participants with the information needed for them to make improvements in their own workstation ergonomics on their return to the office.

Presenter: Andrew Scheifele, Senior Safety Officer

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: STC 0050

Coping with change on the dementia caregiver journey

As the population grows older, more and more people are caring for a family member or friend living with a form of dementia, and that includes employees at the University of Waterloo. There are more than 6.1 million employed Canadians, or 35 percent of our national workforce, providing care to a family member or friend. Helping with medical appointments, meal preparation, medication management, shopping, dressing, and bathing are just some examples of caregiving. These roles continually change and can affect the health and well-being of the caregiver.

If you are caring for someone with dementia, or have a friend or co-working that is supporting someone living with dementia, this workshop is meant for you.

The objectives for this workshop are to:

  • Identify personal signs of stress
  • Identify and develop goals around personal coping strategies best suited for their individual circumstances
  • Learn how friends, co-workers, supervisors etc. can support someone who is a caregiver
  • Discover supports for caregivers inside and outside the university community

Presenter: Lisa Loiselle, former associate director of the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP), University of Waterloo

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
€‹Location: STC 0060