Keeping Well at Work 2017

keeping well at work logo

The University of Waterloo invites all employees to a full day of wellness. You have an opportunity to hear keynote speakers, visit wellness booths and win prizes, and listen to presentation regarding strategies to help you directly with your wellness. Do not miss this day!

When: Tuesday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: Humanities Theater and Federation Hall

Thank you to all our event presenters, participants, volunteers, and attendees!

Congratulations to our prize winners!

Keynote address

Title	Resiliency in the Workplace
Time	10:30 a.m. to noon
Location	Humanities Theater, Hagey Hall
Presenter	Mary Ann Baynton
Description	A group of individuals may experience the same event; some will walk away and have it weigh heavy on their mind while others are able to cope with what they’ve experienced. Why is this Resiliency?! Having resiliency includes effective problem solving skills, including knowing when to walk away, the ability to give and receive social support and knowing how to anticipate and prepare for life’s challenges. There are advantages to having resilience. It can help prevent burnout, help minimize the effects sustained when we are exposed to ongoing or one time incidents/events that impact our lives. Resilience may also reduce the feeling of being “trapped” in difficult situations. Some people were taught resilience as children, while others learned it on their own. This session encourages us all to be more resilient in the workplace and an added bonus-it works in your personal life away from work too. You will walk away with strategies, suggestions and tips that can put you on a path to building your own resilience. Who knows what or when your incident/event will be; but, by building resilience among your team members, you may experience reduced negative effects.

Exhibitors

When: 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Main Hall, Fed Hall

Health and Safety Office

Public Health

Occupational Health

Heart and Stroke Foundation

Diabetes Association

Canadian Cancer Nurses

UW Fitness

Library

University of Waterloo Staff Association

Great West Life

Human Resources

Homewood Health

Guest speakers and workshops

Schedule

Time	Session title	Presenter/Instructor	Location
10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.	The Art of Relaxation	Homewood	Westmount room, Fed Hall
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.	Managing Your Time and Energy	Homewood	Westmount room, Fed Hall
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	The Science of Happiness	Homewood	Westmount room, Fed Hall
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Groove	Cindy Howe	Gym 3, Columbia Icefields (CIF)
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.	Workplace Bullying Awareness	Linda Brogden and Katrina Di Gravio	Main Hall, Fed Hall
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Sustainable Nutrition	Sandra Ace and Mat Thijssen	Main Hall, Fed Hall
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Chair Yoga	Ursula Wolfe	Westmount room, Fed Hall
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Effective Office Workout	Haley Gibson	Columbia room, Fed Hall

Session descriptions

The Art of Relaxation

When: 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Location: Westmount Room, Fed Hall

Description: Today’s life is fast-paced and leaves little time to relax and decompress. Greater pressure is being put on all of us to do more. The result is that many of us have lost the ability to sit still and simply be with ourselves. This session will explore personal stress triggers and review some practical, easy techniques to make brief relaxation moments a natural part of everyday life.

Objectives

Realizing the benefits of taking more breaks in our busy days.
Choosing a “Mini-Break” that works for you.
Overcoming barriers to taking “Mini-Breaks”.
Committing to taking “Mini-Breaks”.
Reminding ourselves to take “Mini-Breaks”

This session is provided by UWaterloo's Employee and Family Assistance Program provider, Homewood Health Inc.™

Registration for The Art of Relaxation is now closed.

Managing Your Time and Energy

When: 11:15 a.m. - noon

Location: Westmount Room, Fed Hall

Description: Time is a precious resource. The phrase “time = money” is certainly true in a business setting. Individuals require balance in their work lives so that they can meet both their job requirements and personal needs. Is it possible to manage time at work to be both satisfied and successful? This session will explore answers to this question.

During this 1 hour wellness session participants will:

Understand the key premise of time management.
Clarify priorities.
Reflect on strategies to improve personal effectiveness and efficiency.
Discuss tips and techniques to manage time, energy and focus.

This session is provided by UWaterloo's Employee and Family Assistance Program provider, Homewood Health Inc.™

Registration for Managing Your Time and Energy is now closed.

The Science of Happiness

When: 1:30 p.m - 2:30 p.m

Location: Westmount Room, Fed Hall

Description: Scientific studies have shown that 50% of our individual differences in happiness are determined by our genes, 10% by our life circumstances, and 40% by our intentional activities. This one-hour session will introduce participants to some of the research based “happy habits” they can adopt to increase their levels of happiness and well-being.

During this one hour wellness session participants will:

Develop a deeper understanding about happiness and the latest research in this field of study
Increase their understanding of where they can have the greatest impact and influence on increasing happiness and wellbeing
Learn research-based techniques and strategies for long-lasting happiness

This session is provided by UWaterloo's Employee and Family Assistance Program provider, Homewood Health Inc.™

Registration for The Science of Happiness is now closed.

Groove

When: 1:30 p.m - 2:30 p.m

Location: Gym 3, Columbia Icefields (CIF)

Description:

TheGROOVE was recently voted #5 top fitness trend by SHAPE magazine! But we are so much more than just a great way to make the body healthy… we are a global movement that is raising awareness through DANCE! TheGROOVE is a super fun, simple, unified and creative group DANCE experience.

Dancing is a great way to get active, release stress and have fun! However, the fitness and dance industries have become complicated and intimidating for most of us. So it’s time to simplify and make dancing, movement and physical activity accessible to everyBODY!

TheGROOVE by Misty Tripoli™ is a revolutionary new approach to fitness and dance that gives everyBODY the opportunity to learn simple dance moves and DANCE them in their own UNIQUE way! In this class, you will learn SIMPLE and EASY movements from a variety of different dance styles: African, Bollywood, Swing, Disco, Hip Hop, House, Jazz and many more! The movements are simple so you can dance them your own way! When you get a chance to move in a way that feels good for your body, you get a great workout that’s perfect for you! And the best part… it’s fun!!!!!

GROOVE classes inspire individuals to get active, move confidently, foster vibrant health and live a ridiculously fun, happy life with less stress!

Please wear comfortable clothing, bring some drinking water, and a yoga mat or towel for the cool down at the end of class. Shoes are optional. No dance experience required. See you on the dance floor!

“Deep down we ALL would love to have the ability to move our body confidently and creatively to music. YOU CAN… when you do it YOUR way.” – Misty Tripoli, Creator of THEGROOVE

For complete GROOVE information, please visit The World GROOVE Movement.

Instructor: Cindy Howe

Registration for Groove is now closed.

Workplace Bullying Awareness

When: 1:30 p.m - 2:30 p.m

Location: Main Hall, Fed Hall

Description: The purpose of this session is to increase awareness of how our behaviours may be interpreted as bullying when that wasn't the intention. Understanding how another perceives your behavior is a key to raising our self-awareness and taking steps to address those behaviours appropriately. The presentation is based on the premise that many workplace bullies, aren't aware that their behaviour is experienced as harmful by co-workers and employees.

The purpose of this session is to create awareness by encouraging workplace stakeholders - that is YOU - to think about how you may help reduce bullying in the workplace; and how this can contribute toward a psychologically safer workplace.

Presenters: Linda Brogden and Katrina Di Gravio

Registration for Workplace Bullying Awareness is now closed.

Sustainable Nutrition

When: 3:15 p.m - 4:15 p.m

Location: Main Hall, Fed Hall

Description: We are increasingly aware of how nutrition affects every aspect of our wellbeing, including physical, mental and even financial health. Consumers are also growing more conscious of the impact dietary choices have on environmental systems we depend on for food production and drinking water. Yet armed with this awareness, making healthy, sustainable food choices can seem overwhelming. Unlimited access to information and advice about what we should eat is often complicated by confusing or inaccurate information. This session will explore some key food issues and how these relate to individual health and local or global sustainability, including:

Local food
Meat-based or plant-based diets
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and organic foods

Attendees will leave the session with a firmer understanding of the above issues and will be aware of local and other resources that can help them make informed food choices.

This is an additional offering of the session presented at the 2017 Staff Conference.

Presenters: Sandra Ace and Mat Thijssen

Registration for Sustainable Nutrition is now closed.

Chair Yoga

When: 3:15 p.m - 4:15 p.m

Location: Westmount Room, Fed Hall

Description: This session will guide participants through an interactive yoga class designed to be done right at your desk. Whether you are sitting at a desk or on the go, this session will introduce participants to the principles and practice of yoga and how it can help to reduce stress and encourage a healthier work environment.

Participants will learn simple yoga exercises and basic breathing techniques that will quiet the mind and reduce muscle tension in the body. Through simple breathing and stretching exercises, participants will experience a calmer, more clear and focused mind that will help improve decision making skills, improve concentration, and relieve fatigue.

No prior experience in yoga is necessary to participate, and this session will be accessible to all members of the university community. Comfortable clothes you can stretch in are recommended. Participants do not require a yoga mat. Yoga exercises will be done seated in chairs as well as standing.

Instructor: Ursula Wolfe

Ursula Wolfe, M.A., RYT-200, is the Graduate Program Assistant for the Master of Education Program in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. Ursula is also a Registered Yoga Teacher who specializes in yoga for post-secondary students. She is an advocate of student health and wellness in the university sector and actively works towards fostering healthy learning and work environments.

Registration for Chair Yoga is now closed.

Effective Office Workout

When: 3:15 p.m - 4:15 p.m

Location: Columbia room, Fed Hall

Description: During this session we will discuss how sitting at a desk all day can be harmful to your health and actively review many ways to get moving throughout your work day. This will be an interactive class that will teach you some simple strength, stretching and posture exercises that can be done right in your office. Keeping active throughout the workday will help reduce stress, improve mental & physical health and increase productivity. No matter where you work on campus you will be able to incorporate these exercises in to your daily routine.

No prior experience in exercise training is necessary to participate, and this session will be accessible to all members of the university community. Comfortable clothes you can exercise in are recommended, but not required. Participants do not require any equipment. There will be both seated and standing exercises

Instructor: Haley Gibson

Haley Gibson, BSc. (KIN), Certified Exercise Physiologist, is an Exercise Specialist working for UW Fitness here at the University of Waterloo. Haley has worked with many different populations including healthy individuals and those with many different chronic conditions. Haley strives to promote healthy lifestyle choices and improve quality of life for individuals within the community.

Registration for Effective Office Workout is now closed.