At a glance
In a time of busy schedules and frigid winter temperatures that kept many college faculty and staff from their lunchtime campus walks, Patty Amidon, coordinator of health & peer education at Alfred State College, decided to help employees exercise by taking wellness to their offices. Thus began the Wellness Office Workout Program.
In a time of busy schedules and frigid winter temperatures that kept many college faculty and staff from their lunchtime campus walks, human services management, (Amidon’s health education intern) took WO workouts “to the campus.” From Monday through Thursday, Amidon and Chace brought their 3- and 5-pound weights, along with their enthusiasm, to each office and helped faculty and staff perform exercises that they could continue on their own, either in the office or at home. “People spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else,” notes Amidon. “And much of that time is spent in front of a computer screen. In recent years, researchers have linked too much sitting to back pain, repetitive stress injuries, obesity, and even an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. We just wanted to help our colleagues avoid these possibilities.”