Signature Events
The Spring edition of the "Walk Across Campus" (WAC), which has been sponsored by HEALTHY YOU since 2012, is due to kick off on April 1st, and creation and joining of teams will begin mid-month.
BC benefits-eligible employees who are NEW participants in the WAC will qualify to receive a new Fitbit once they have joined a WAC team online. We will also be shipping raffle prizes to weekly winners!
Note that we are still welcoming volunteers to be TEAM LEADERS. If you are interested, please email anne_goroshko@hphc.org by Monday 3/29 with your name, Eagle ID, number of team members and team name.
Overview
Boston College’s Walk Across Campus (WAC) is among the most popular of many Healthy You sponsored activities. Over the last several years, the Walk Across Campus challenge has successfully promoted friendly competition while building solid camaraderie amongst peers throughout BC. The WAC has fostered a “community of walkers” year-round, and once the challenge begins the campus fills with scores of walkers getting their steps in whenever they can. The BC campus offers many areas to enjoy taking steps. For instance, when leaving from the 129 Lake Street building, two loops around Chandler Pond equals two miles, as does completing one loop around the reservoir when you leave from the front of the BC Recreation Center.
Read about the Walk Across Campus in Boston College Magazine.
1. Join a Fall WAC team on the Harvard Pilgrim BC Wellness Portal
- If you did not set up a Wellness account on the portal last semester, you will need to do so.
- You do NOT need to be a Harvard Pilgrim member to set up an account or join a team.
- If you already have a Harvard Pilgrim Wellness account from last semester, you still need to log in to your account and select your team for the fall Walk.
- If you need assistance, contact Harvard Pilgrim's Wellness Services Monday - Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 1-877-594-7183 or email HPWellness@harvardpilgrim.org.
2. Once you register for a team, confirm your existing Fitbit (that you received either in the fall of 2019 or more recently) is connected to the Wellness account
Connect your device to your Wellness account
- If you are BC benefits eligible and brand new to the WAC, once you register for a team online, contact anne.goroshko@bc.edu and relay your name, Eagle ID, and preferred mailing address. Once eligibility is confirmed, you will be contacted.
3. If you are new to the WAC and receive a new Fitbit, or if you wish to link your own unit, follow your device's set-up instructions
4. Link your new Fitbit to your WAC team
Connect your device to your Wellness account
Remove your old device and connect your new one
5. Lastly, we encourage you to take advantage of the Limeade mobile app if you have not yet.
Resilience and Life Skills for a Healthier You:
Rachel Shanshiry
Thursday, January 14th, 2021 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Start 2021 off right by building a practice of self-care that will strengthen and sustain you throughout the year! Learn evidence-based relaxation and mindfulness skills that will shed stress and build joy. In this upbeat webinar, you will explore the psychology of resilience and leave with practical tools that are guaranteed to build your mental toughness. Leave with a handful of strategies that will foster optimism, gratitude, and hone your focus on opportunities for growth.
Valentine’s Heart Health Cooking Demo:
Heidi Roth
Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 12:00 p.m. - 1 p.m.
February is Heart Health Month! Join us for a fun cooking demonstration of various appetizers and even a mocktail!
Recipes will include:
- Goat cheese and chorizo stuffed mushrooms
- Flourless chocolate cookies
- Parmesan walnut stuffed dates
- Pomegranate ginger sparkler or Strawberry passion no-jito
Caring for the Caregiver:
Catherine Collins
Monday, March 8th, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Though often overlooked, it is crucial for caregivers to also care for themselves. Join us to learn personal wellbeing strategies to incorporate while taking care of others. These will include specific hints related to caring for elders as well as nuances related to the current pandemic.
Caregiver Self Care Resource List
Change Old Unhealthy Habits into New Healthy Ones:
Pam Garramone
Tuesday, April 13th, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Feeling stressed? There's a habit for that. Feeling lethargic? There's a habit for that too. We all know how to feel healthier and happier but how many of us actually do these things? In this workshop, learn how to form healthy habits that last!
Eldercare Finances and Legality:
Ron Kearns
Wednesday, May 5th, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Caring for Elders is multifaceted and includes some potentially overwhelming financial and legal ramifications. Ron Kerns will discuss topics and help lessen some of the unknown, answer questions and ease your mind during this informative and helpful presentation.
Acupuncture for Common Uses and Chronic Pain
Kathy Seltzer
Thursday, February 6, 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Walsh Hall Conference Room
Whether you have experience with the practice or not, join us for this opportunity to learn more about acupuncture. The needles that are used in acupuncture treatments are relatively pain free. In this session participants will observe how a trained skilled practitioner can stimulate the specific points on the body by inserting very thin needles into the skin.
Discussion will include the benefits of this treatment and how it can be useful in alleviating everything from common conditions to chronic pain!
Happier, even in Winter!
Pam Garramone
Thursday, February 13, 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Walsh Hall Conference Room
How do you deal with disappointment? failure? Or a general feeling of blah? Do you bounce back or stay down? Are you sadder this time of year because of Seasonal Affective Disorder? How can you become more resilient? In this lunch and learn, acquire strategies to help you feel resilient, optimistic and productive even in difficult times.
Make and Take: Toxic Free Cleaning Agents
Wednesday, March 11, 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Walsh Hall Conference Room
Learn to protect your family from harmful chemicals by making non-toxic household cleaners. These homemade cleansers cost pennies to make, get your house gleaming and best of all, they are made from natural ingredients and do not contain any potentially toxic chemicals. This interactive make and take demonstration provide participants everything they need to know and how to get started without being overwhelmed!
Participants will make their own customized all-purpose cleaner and will be provided with recipes, tips, tricks and secrets to keep clean safe homes.
Blending for Health: A Smoothie Demonstration
Thursday, April 16, 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Walsh Hall Conference Room
Blending and Juicing ... what is the best choice? Both blending and juicing your fruits and vegetables are hot topics right now. Are you wondering what combinations of fruits and vegetables work best? What should you avoid? How often should you have one of these drinks? What about fruit...can it cause you to gain weight? We will cover these topics and more. There will be a few yummy concoctions to taste and recipes for you to try at home.
Make and Take: Creating Your Own Health & Beauty Items
(Body Scrubs, Facial Masks, Hair Care, etc.)
Friday, May 1, 12 - 1:30 p.m. | Murray Room
Creating your own body care products can be very rewarding for a variety of reasons. These reasons can range from having control over what goes in them, to customizing according to your preferences, to reducing waste, saving money, along with reducing the use of chemicals, artificial colors and additives in your household.
This session looks at the health benefits of making your own products and teaches participants the tips and tricks to creating a perfect customized product for them. If making your own personal care products is not for you, this program will help you identify the worst offending chemicals in your personal care products. Come to this interactive session and make your own customized personal body scrub.
Parenting with Current Day Challenges:
Rachel Shanshiry
Thursday, September 24, 12 - 1:00 p.m.
Session will include tips on helping children manage fear and uncertainty, identifying parents' and children's core needs, assessing a child's well-being, flexibility in parenting, parenting self-care and outlets for stress, quality versus quantity of family time, modeling hope and resilience for children, positive implications of the pandemic on personal growth and relationships for parents and their children (creating meaning and an empowering narrative).
MBSR - Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction:
Filippa Anzalone, Associate Dean for Library & Technology Services, Law School
Friday, September 25, 2020 - Friday, December 4, 2020
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, known as MBSR, was conceptualized and created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s. MBSR is an established and well-researched form of mindfulness meditation. The practice of MBSR helps to cultivate self-awareness. It also encourages practititioners to change habitual patterns, to respond instead of reacting to stress, and to generally improve relationships with others. The MBSR training is an 8-week long program. Each class is 2.5 hours (classes 1 and 8 may be longer) and there is an all-day, silent retreat (8 hours) between weeks 6 and 7. There is a mandatory 2.5-hour Orientation two weeks before the start of the MBSR program. The Orientation, the 8 classes, and the retreat will all be presented online on Zoom. Once you are accepted into the program, you will receive a Zoom link.
Work Life Balance:
Rachel Shanshiry
Wednesday, October 14, 12 - 1:00 p.m.
Feeling overwhelmed with unfinished tasks? Learn several simple techniques that allow you to conquer your avoidance behavior, easily organize your life, find more energy, and accomplish more than you could ever dream possible. What you resist, persists. Do it now and feel good about yourself!
Senior Assist to Address Eldercare and Related Financial Topics:
Rob Kearns
Wednesday, November 4, 12 - 1:00 p.m.
More details to come.
Cooking for the Holidays Demo:
Heidi Roth
Tuesday, December 8, 12 - 1:00 p.m.
Join this cooking demo to learn some easy, festive and healthy holiday appetizer and mocktail recipes.
Boston College's charitable walk campaign marches on this year as we continue to incorporate BC's mission of being "men and women for others" into our health and well-being programming.
Join fellow BC employees in a walk for one of the following great causes! To join a team, please contact a Team Leader listed below. They will assist you with the registration process. All participants will receive a complimentary BC t-shirt, distributed by Team Leaders on the day of the walk. Please note that any registration fees and/or fundraising requirements are to be incurred by participants.
We are still looking for Team Leaders for walks. If you are interested in being the Team Leader, please contact Sue Lawler or call 617-552-3336. Team Leaders function as the point person for their walk, under the team name "Boston College Healthy You team.” In addition to receiving a complimentary BC t-shirt, Team Leaders will also receive a BC baseball cap.
While steps will only be counted towards the WAC competition from charitable walks that fall between October and November or April and May, all participants receive the benefit of getting exercise and walking for a good cause!
Walks will be listed as they become available
If you would like to recommend a preferred charitable walk that you do not see here, please email all details of the walk to Sue Lawler for consideration.
Go Move Walking Challenge
Calling all Boston College faculty and staff! Help your team win the ninth annual Go Move Challenge by recording your minutes of movement to determine which Jesuit institution is the most active. Awards go to the university which tracks the most minutes, the university which averages the most number of minutes per participant, and the region with the most minutes.
The challenge can now accommodate grouping into TEAMS! This is a new option that has not been available for this challenge in the past. If you create or join a team, your activity will also be counted for you as an individual participant.
When you log in to gomovechallenge.org you will now see a TEAMS tab at the top; if you click that you will be brought to a participant list and it is a drag and drop process to add people to your team. You must first create a Team Name and whoever does the name creation will automatically be the Team Captain; teams can be 2 - 6 participants.
HOW TO JOIN THE CHALLENGE
- Register at www.GoMoveChallenge.org, even if you participated last year
- Click the "LOG IN / REGISTER" button on the top menu bar
- In the "REGISTER" box, enter your university email address and other required information, including your division or college/school
- Click the "SUBMIT" button when finished
- You will receive a confirmation email with your user email and password
HOW TO LOG MINUTES
Starting February 1, visit www.GoMoveChallenge.org
- Click the “LOG IN / REGISTER” button on the top menu bar
- In the “LOG IN” box, enter your email address and password
- In the “LOG MY WORKOUT” box, select the type of activity, add an activity description, enter the number of minutes, and select a single date or date range for logging multiple days
- Click the “LOG IT” button when finished
Users can delete minutes that were entered in error
CHALLENGE RULES AND TIPS
- Starts: 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, February 1, 2021
- Ends: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, February, 28, 2021 (NOTE: Minutes will not be accepted after the challenge ends.)
- Use the Go Move Challenge social media sites to share photos: FB, Insta, Twitter
- Open the mobile-friendly challenge website from your phone’s browser to enter minutes on the go!
- Read the challenge FAQs at www.GoMoveChallenge.org/FAQ
All participants who register for this challenge are eligible to sign up for HBFit, a resource for online fitness classes. This is usually a subscription but all Go Move Challenge participants will have access to this resource free of charge for 6 weeks. This is a great addition to our Campus Rec online resources if you don't want to brave the cold February winds.Check out this resource here to set up an account:
Please spread the word to your colleagues to join this fun challenge as a way to stay active and motivated during the winter months!
If you have additional questions you can email Sue Lawler at lawlersa@bc.edu.
