Health and well-being is a life-long journey
The Syracuse University Wellness Initiative offers a variety of health and well-being workshops and programs to faculty and staff. Our workshops and programs allow you the flexibility to choose your own way to well-being, focusing on the goals that are most important to you. We are committed to supporting an environment that helps you be your healthiest, best self.
Take a look at the variety of wellness offerings below and don’t forget to subscribe to the wellness email list to receive the most up-to-date Wellness Initiative information (subscribe to the email list on the wellness homepage).
Questions,? Feel free to contact us by email or call 315.443.5472.
| Spring into wellness: Attend monthly workshops Play along: Participate in challenges and take monthly quizzes Take action: Join behavior change programs |
Spring into wellness: Attend monthly workshops
Focus on Movement: interactive physical activity workshops
Join Kim DeStefano for any or all of the below physical activity workshops. She is the senior health and wellness specialist of the Syracuse University Wellness Initiative and is a certified health and wellness coach. She received a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science here in 2005. Kim is always enthusiastic to share her knowledge with others, is very energetic and teaches with a “Make it Fun!” attitude.
Each of the below workshops will be held on Tuesdays from noon to 12:30 p.m.
Exercise is Medicine: What’s the Right Dose?—Feb. 22
Yes, exercise is medicine! Science has shown that it helps us feel better, function better and even sleep better. But, what’s the right dose? The answer is: as much as you can! Learn about physical activity recommendations then how to figure out what and how much is best for you! Register for Exercise is Medicine
Fuel Up to Move More—March 22
Biking, swimming, playing basketball or soccer, running, and dancing. What do all these have in common? They’re all fun ways to get your body moving. Learn how to take care of your body before, during, and after exercise with healthy food and plenty of water. Practice stretching your muscles and doing exercises that will strengthen your body and get your heart pumping. Register for Fuel Up to Move More
The FITT Principle—April 19
Whether you’re new to fitness or an avid exerciser, you can apply the FITT principle to what you do. FITT stands for frequency, intensity, time and type. Each component works in tandem to help you reach your physical activity goals. This workshop will explore what the FITT principle is, along with how you can incorporate it into your routine. Register for The FITT Principle
Shake Up Your Fitness Game—May 17
Consistency and routine are the backbones of any fitness program. If you want to take things to the next level or get back on track toward your goals, varying your workouts could be the key. In this workshop, you’ll learn how often to change up your workout routine, ways to mix things up and the benefits you might see. Register for Shake Up Your Fitness Game
Food for Thought: nutrition workshops and food demos
Join Gail Grozalis for any or all of the below nutrition workshops and demos. She is the executive director of the Syracuse University Wellness Initiative. She is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and certified health and wellness coach. Gail loves sharing her knowledge about nutrition and food in fun, relevant and interesting ways!
Each of the below workshops will be held on Fridays from noon to 12:30 p.m.
Heart-Healthy Cooking Demo—Feb. 11
Heart-healthy eating emphasizes nutrient-rich whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds as well as healthy fats that can help prevent heart disease. This cooking demonstration will highlight easy, quick heart-healthy recipes that include some bonus ingredients that your heart (and tastebuds) will love!
On the menu: “fried” rice—two ways and salmon in a snap! Register for Heart-Healthy Cook Demo
Mindful Eating for Beginners—March 11
It’s not just about what we eat, it’s also how we eat! Mindful Eating for Beginners will introduce you to the principles and benefits of mindful eating. This workshop will provide actionable tips to start eating more mindfully and begin forming a more positive relationship with the foods you eat. Register for Mindful Eating for Beginners
Celebrate spring! Spring Salads and Dressing Food Demo—April 15
Preparing dishes with fresh seasonal ingredients is delicious and healthy! In the Northeast, this means plenty of spring root vegetables and leafy greens. Think arugula, chard, asparagus, beets and radishes to name a few! This cooking demonstration will highlight the ingredients of spring in fresh salads—letting the seasonal bounty shine! Will also demonstrate simple homemade salad dressings to complement any salad. Register for Salads/Dressing Demo
Plant-Powered Eating for Optimal Health—May 13
Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources. Adopting some of the principles of plant-powered eating can help improve overall health and boost energy levels! Register for Plant-Powered Eating
Health Talks: workshops on a variety of health topics featuring medical professionals
Why Sleep is So Important: Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
- Wednesday, Feb. 16
- Noon-12:30 p.m.
Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing and vitally important during a pandemic, yet millions of people do not get enough. Are you one of the many adults that experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with daily activities at least a few days each month? Attend this session presented by Carebridge to assess your sleep patterns, learn about the connection between stress and sleep, and acquire new techniques to improve your sleep habits.
Register for Why Sleep is So Important
Stay tuned
- March: Vision/eye health
- April: Back health
- May: Bone health/osteoporosis
WorkLife: monthly opportunities presented by Carebridge and Care.com
Give Yourself Permission to Let Go and Relax
- Tuesday, Feb. 8
- 10-10:30 a.m.
The continued pandemic has many of us facing so many stressors at the same time. For many, it can be difficult to relax after one gives of oneself at work, at home and to one’s community. Carrying all of these responsibilities can be tiring. Join Carebridge in this support service to learn the value of letting go of things outside your control and problems that you cannot solve. Learn strategies to relax and re-energize.
Register for Give Yourself Permission
When the Well is Dry: Reset & Recharge When You’re Depleted
- Tuesday, Feb. 8
- Noon-1 p.m.
Join Care.com for a candid discussion about how the challenges of the last two years and the stress of living in ongoing uncertainty have impacted our mental health. We’ll talk about strategies to increase self-compassion, have open conversations about one’s needs, and the importance of self-care. You’ll leave the session with take-aways on how to implement changes in your daily routine.
Guest Speaker: Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, is a nationally known child, adolescent and family psychologist. She has spoken widely on the topic at conferences, in schools and in the media, on national TV programs and in print.
Register for Reset & Recharge When You’re Depleted
Parenting With Intention
- Thursday, Feb. 17
- 2-2:30 p.m.
For most parents, the goal of raising their child includes not looking back with regrets. Parenting with intention through regular reflection and refinement can ensure parenting practices that remain aligned with one’s goals—bettering one’s chances of remaining on target and actively engaged in one’s child’s life. Join Carebridge in this session to learn how to create your personal vision for parenting, how to stay inspired, and how to recommit when you make mistakes.
Play along: Participate in challenges and take monthly quizzes
Take the 14-Day Sleep Challenge: Feb. 21—March 7 All faculty and staff who complete the sleep challenge will be entered into a random drawing for some awesome prizes! How does it work? After registering, you will receive an email to complete the pre-challenge sleep survey to assess your current sleep status. After submitting, you will receive an email with your answers, be sure to save these answers to reference when you complete the post-challenge sleep survey. Cultivate gratitude in the workplace The workplace is one of the best places to practice gratitude. In addition to an increase in work performance, gratitude also helps improve employee health and well-being. A grateful attitude leads to a positive and happy mindset. Get your department started with the Gratitude Challenge! The Wellness Team will provide you with everything you need to successfully deliver a team gratitude challenge! The challenge features 30 small, achievable goals to help you and your team express gratitude and better appreciate the little things in life. The beauty of this challenge is the dates and length are totally up to you. Check out the challenge specifics Current month’s quiz: It’s Bittersweet Chocolate Day (Jan. 10), hooray! In case you missed it, take past quizzes: Upcoming Challenge: Get Your Z's On!
Sleep, like nutrition and physical activity, is a critical component of your heart health as well as your overall well-being! Insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality has been associated with a slew of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Those who get enough sleep typically have better weight control, more energy, a brighter disposition and a stronger immune system.
Department Gratitude Challenge
Challenge basics
Department role and responsibilities
Wellness team role and responsibilities
Wellness 101: Monthly Quiz
Play along with us and test your knowledge about a variety of wellness topics.
Take action: Join behavior change programs
Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Program (AIH)
A Non-Restrictive Approach to a Sustainable Healthy Lifestyle
Am I Hungry?® is a non-diet, weight-neutral approach that empowers individuals to take charge of their decisions about eating, physical activity, health and self-care. Am I Hungry?® is a comprehensive mindful eating program that guides participants to reconnect with their physical signals to guide when, what, and how much to eat without restrictive diet rules and recognize and cope with their triggers for overeating.
Begins Thursday, March 24
This five-week interactive group program for faculty and staff will be conducted in a group setting via Microsoft Teams. The focus is to help individuals break out of emotional eating cycles using practical, doable strategies.
What is the time commitment for the Am I Hungry?® Program?
The Am I Hungry® Mindful Eating Program is a five-week commitment that includes one, weekly 45-minute virtual session.
Each week, there will also be:
- suggested reading of chapters in Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat
- recommended workbook pages to complete
- **Each participant receives the Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat book and workbook with enrollment into the program.
You can choose to commit as much time as you would like, but to get the full benefit of the program, it is most beneficial to include the reading and workbook.
When will the weekly session take place?
*All participants will need to plan a time for the week of March 14 to stop at the Skytop Office Building. At this time, you will pick up your materials and complete the payroll deduction form.
Microsoft Teams group:
- Thursdays (March 24, 31, April 7, 14 and 21)
- Noon—12:45 p.m.
Tell me more about the three components: Think, Nourish and Live.
Covered in the weekly sessions
Think: It is what really differentiates Am I Hungry?® from all other programs as it gives participants the skills and tools to create change on the inside first, so the changes made on the outside will last. Participants are guided through discovery of the Mindful Eating Cycles, a decision-making tool that helps them develop greater awareness and improve their ability to make effective choices around six key decision points:
- Why do I eat?
- When do I feel like eating?
- What do I choose to eat?
- How do I eat?
- How much do I eat?
- Where do I invest my energy?
Covered in the reading assignments
Nourish: The Nourish component provides nutrition education without rigid, unsustainable rules. Participants learn to approach food selection from an “all foods fit” perspective, focusing on meeting the body’s nutritional needs through balance, variety and moderation.
Live: The Live component of the Mindful Eating Program inspires participants to rediscover joy and vitality in physical activity and integrate activity into their daily lives in a satisfying, sustainable way. Live takes a small steps approach to physical fitness, focusing on realistic changes and overcoming internal resistance and external barriers to exercise.
Is there a personal investment?
The standard cost of the Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Program is $100.
All participants enrolled in the program will contribute $60 via payroll deductions, but will have the opportunity for full reimbursement by meeting the attendance criteria.
- Weekly paid employees agree to have $12 per week deducted after taxes from their paycheck for five weeks (March 30 through April 27) for a total of $60.
- Semi-weekly paid employees agree to have $20 deducted after taxes from three paychecks (March 31 through April 30), for a total of $60.
How will my personal investment be reimbursed?
You will receive a full reimbursement of $60 via payroll if you:
- complete the pre-and post- eating cycle assessment
- attend four of the five 45-minute sessions
- complete the post-program evaluation
Please note: you must fulfill all of the above criteria to receive reimbursement.
Throughout the program, trained Am I Hungry?® facilitators, Gail Grozalis and Kim DeStefano will guide participants to:
- Understand why diets don’t work for most people
- Be in charge of their eating, instead of feeling a lack of control
- Consistently eat the foods they love without guilt or overeating
- Learn how to balance eating for nourishment with eating for enjoyment
- End mindless, emotional eating
- Restructure thinking from good and bad foods
According to Michelle May, M.D., founder of Am I Hungry?® and author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, “Most diets fail because they are negative and unsustainable, leaving the dieter feeling guilty and disappointed. Diets focus on what people should eat without addressing why they eat in the first place. As a result, the overeating cycle is never really broken. Am I Hungry?® is an inside-out approach to eating and self-care that focuses on changing thoughts and feelings first, so changes in behaviors will last.”
Although participants are not given rigid rules to follow, a study of 229 participants showed improved self-efficacy, significantly increased activity, more healthful eating, and gradual weight loss by a majority of the participants. 90% completed the program and nearly all said they would recommend it.
Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program (BPSM)
Research shows that the simple process of checking and recording your blood pressure at least twice a week over four months may lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. It also shows that proper nutrition, particularly with a reduction in sodium, can help to lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure.
Syracuse University has continued their partnership with the YMCA of Greater Syracuse to facilitate the Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring (BPSM) for active benefits-eligible faculty and staff. This is an evidence-based program developed to support adults with hypertension in lowering and managing their blood pressure. Express my interest in participating.
This four-month program focuses on practicing home self-monitoring of blood pressure readings, identifying triggers and adopting healthier eating habits to better manage high blood pressure. With the support from a trained YMCA Healthy Heart Ambassador (HHA), participants will:
- Measure and record their blood pressure at least two times per week
- all participants will receive their own blood pressure cuff (included with the program) and receive instructions for proper use
- Meet one-on-one each week with Stephanie Michaels via Microsoft Teams (from week of Feb. 28 through week of June 13)
- Attend one 45-minute seminar each month via Microsoft Teams
- Monday, March 14 (Noon – 12:45 p.m.): Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension
- Monday, April 11 (Noon – 12:45 p.m.): Lowering Sodium Intake
- Monday, May 9 (Noon – 12:45 p.m.): Shopping, Preparing and Cooking Food for Better Blood Pressure Management
- Monday, June 6 (Noon – 12:45 p.m.): Heart Healthy Eating for Life
Do I qualify?
You must be an active benefits-eligible faculty and staff that:
- is diagnosed with high blood pressure and/or are on antihypertensive medication
- has not experienced a recent (within the last 12 months) cardiac event
- does not have atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias currently
- does not have or are is at risk for lymphedema
I qualify, tell me more!
The Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program (BPSM) will be delivered by Stephanie Michaels, a YMCA lifestyle coach trained in group facilitation beginning the week of Feb. 28 through the week of June 13.
There is a maximum number of 12 participants. All persons that watch the info session, qualify and express interest will be placed on a list. If there are more than 12 people interested, participants will be randomly chosen from the interest list. Stephanie Michaels will contact the selected participants.
Once you have been confirmed to be part of the BPSM program, you will need to:
- Plan a time to stop by Skytop Office Building the week of Feb. 21 to:
- Get your blood pressure cuff
- Sign payroll deduction form and enrollment forms (can also be completed and emailed ahead of time)
- Sign up for your weekly one-on-one time slot with Stephanie
Is there a personal investment?
The standard cost of the Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring is $100.
All participants enrolled in this program will contribute $60 via payroll deductions, but will have the opportunity for a full reimbursement by meeting the attendance criteria as well as blood pressure submissions.
- Weekly paid employees agree to have $5 per week deducted after taxes from their paycheck for 12 pay periods (March 9 through May 25) for a total of $60.
- Semi-weekly paid employees agree to have $10 deducted after taxes from their paycheck for six pay periods (March 15 through May 31) for a total of $60.
How would my personal investment be reimbursed?
All participants enrolled in the BPSM have the opportunity to receive full reimbursement of payroll deductions ($60) by meeting the criteria below.
Here’s how it works!
Reimbursement #1
You will receive a $25 reimbursement if you:
- Attend 6 out of 8 of your personalized check-ins (weeks 1-8)
- Take your BP a minimum of 2 times per week using your at-home cuff
- Provide weekly BP log to YMCA facilitator
You will receive an additional $5 reimbursement if you:
- Attend 1 of the 2 monthly seminars
Reimbursement #2
You will receive a $25 reimbursement if you:
- Attend 6 out of 8 of your personalized check-ins (weeks 9-16)
- Take your BP a minimum of 2 times per week using your at-home cuff
- Provide weekly BP log to YMCA facilitator
You will receive an additional $5 reimbursement if you:
- Attend 1 of the 2 monthly seminars
The above equals a total of $60 reimbursed.
Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)
Working together to prevent type 2 diabetes
Syracuse University continued its partnership with the YMCA of Central New York to facilitate the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) for active benefits-eligible faculty and staff. The DPP is a CDC-recognized, evidence-based lifestyle change program developed specifically to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. It is designed for adults who have prediabetes or are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, but who do not already have diabetes.
This small-group program offers peer support while helping people eat healthier, increase their physical activity and lose weight.
Please read through all the information about this program carefully. If you believe you may qualify and want to learn more, please register for an info session.
Do I qualify?
Individuals who have already been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes do not qualify for this pilot program.
In order to qualify for the pilot program, you must be at least 18 years old, overweight (BMI > 25) and at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes indicated by a confirmatory blood value* or a clinical diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM) during a previous pregnancy. If a blood value or diagnosis is not available, a qualifying risk score** may be used to enroll.
- Must be an active benefits-eligible Syracuse University faculty or staff member.
- Prediabetes confirmed via one of three blood tests*:
- Fasting glucose = 100 -125mg/dl
- 2-hour post prandial glucose = 140- 199mg/dl
- HbA1C = 5.7% – 6.4%
- If no blood test, qualifying score (9 or higher) on an American Diabetes Association or CDC risk assessment**.
I qualify, tell me more!
The DPP will be delivered by Stephanie Michaels, a YMCA lifestyle coach trained in group facilitation; Stephanie will transfer accountability to participants over the course of the year-long program.
Group: Tuesdays, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Bird Library, Spector Room (608)
There is a maximum number of 15 participants. All interested participants that qualify will be placed on a list, there will be 15 participants randomly chosen to participate in each group. Stephanie Michaels, the intake coordinator from the YMCA of Central New York will contact the selected participants between Sept. 28 and Oct. 1.
One-year commitment (26 one-hour sessions):
- Mandatory orientation session: Oct. 12
- 16 consecutive weekly sessions: Oct. 19—Feb. 15 (no session Nov. 23 or Dec. 28).
- Step down to 3 sessions every other week: Feb. 22, March 8, March 22.
- Step down to 6 sessions once per month: April 19, May 24, June 21, July 19, Aug. 16 and Sept. 13.
Two data points (data is recorded in a HIPAA compliant online tracking system) are collected from participants at each session: weight and minutes of physical activity.
Free YMCA family membership for the first 20 weeks of the program:
- All enrolled participants will receive the YMCA family membership (more than a $300 value!).
- The membership can be used at any of the six locations that are part of the YMCA of Central New York.
Is there a personal investment?
The standard cost of the National Diabetes Prevention Program is $429.
All participants enrolled in the DPP pilot will contribute $200 to the DPP program via payroll deductions, but will have the opportunity for a full reimbursement by meeting the attendance criteria as well as weight and physical activity session submissions.
- Weekly paid employees agree to have $5 per week deducted after taxes from their paycheck for 40 weeks (Oct. 27 through July 27, 2022) for a total of $200.
- Semi-weekly paid employees agree to have $10 deducted after taxes from their paycheck, approximately 40 weeks (Oct. 29 through Aug. 15, 2022) for a total of $200.
- How does reimbursement work?