Posts Tagged: wellness

UC ANR staff eligible for up to $50 reimbursement for personal wellness expenses

Beginning March 1, 2022, UC ANR staff members will be eligible for up to $50 in reimbursements for personal wellness expenses. These funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis and staff are encouraged to submit receipts early. 

The Staff Assembly Council and Wellness Committee encourage you to expand your personal wellness activities and submit your receipts for reimbursement. 

What qualifies for reimbursement? Equipment, clothing, classes, memberships, personal training and books first come to mind, but applicants are encouraged to explain how the purchase is improving their personal wellness. 

What does not qualify for reimbursement? Food, medicine and supplements.

The Wellness Reimbursement Program is in a pilot phase with this rollout so the Wellness Committee is interested in the choices staff make for reimbursement; this will inform future ANR Staff Assembly Wellness plans. 

To apply, click on the application link below and submit the application with receipts. The first reimbursements will be announced in mid-March 2022.

UC ANR Wellness Reimbursement Application

If you have questions, email Scott Brayton at sabrayton@ucanr.edu.

ANR staff invited to take the Winter Wellness Challenge by Feb. 7

The UC ANR Staff Assembly Wellness Committee invites ANR staff members to participate in Winter Wellness 2022.

Now through Feb. 7, complete at least five individual health and wellness activities featured in the challenge. Be inspired to try to reach a new goal or complete an activity towards wellness goals you've already set for the start of the new year.

Choose five or more activities from the bingo card at https://staffassembly.ucanr.edu/Subcommittees/Wellness_Committee/Healthy_Over_the_Holidays. Staff may complete the health and wellness activities in any order, no need to complete items within the same column or row of the card.

Winter Wellness is designed to help employees incorporate six essential elements of wellness: purpose, community, social, mental, physical and financial. The program aims to increase individual well-being, engagement and awareness.

For a chance to win a gift card, submit your Winter Wellness entry by clicking “Submit Bingo Card” on the Winter Wellness website. Ten winners will be selected from the pool of participants. Complete the challenge by Feb. 7.

Ready, set, go! Start the Winter Wellness Challenge today at https://staffassembly.ucanr.edu/Subcommittees/Wellness_Committee/Healthy_Over_the_Holidays.

 

 

UC ANR Staff Assembly to reimburse staff members to grow food

UC ANR Staff Assembly is launching ANR Grows 2022. 

The UC ANR Staff Assembly program awards $50 reimbursements to cover the costs of materials and supplies related to growing a food garden. Staff members may submit reimbursement requests beginning Nov. 1, 2021. 

Soil, seeds, transplants, compost and tools are among the gardening supplies that qualify for reimbursement, according to David Alamillo and Vanity Campbell, Staff Assembly Ambassadors for the Second Street Building in Davis.

Applications will be accepted through March 30, 2022, or until funds run out, whichever comes first. Funding is limited for this popular annual program. 

For more information and to apply, please see the ANR Grows application form at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Staff_Assembly/files/360135.pdf.

 

Making UC ANR the healthiest place to work, learn and live

The University Of California's goal to make “UC the healthiest place to work, learn and live” acknowledges that in order to fundamentally change our health environment, campus communities must invest in a host of small changes that add up to meaningful shifts, thus producing a lasting culture of health. 

UC ANR is now part of the Healthy Campus Network and is actively promoting activities and resources like meditation, stress reduction and physical activity. As part of the Healthy Campus Network, UC ANR will also start to participate in systemwide initiatives like the Diabetes Prevention Program and Healthy Vending Policy. 

Mental hygiene, as a component of wellness, is not a new concept; it dates back to 1908. The World Health Organization formally defined mental health and mental hygiene in 1950. However, the ways in which employers and individuals foster wellness have changed. In the past, an employee may have taken a day off for a stomachache or headache, while not really feeling confident they could reveal the need for time off for wellness.

As the concept of wellness becomes more prevalent, new ways of incorporating wellness activities into our daily activities are emerging. UC ANR is committed to wellness beyond just the workplace. When working from home, there can be additional challenges to maintaining a healthy work environment.

Take a moment to make some small changes that add up to meaningful shifts toward your wellness: garden, meditate, walk, paint, practice your instrument and pet the furry kids.

Wellness resources are available to UC ANR employees at https://hr.ucdavis.edu/departments/asap/services.

A few thoughts about self-care

However, “health” is not just the absence of disease. The World Health Organization (WHO,) defines health as “… a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

As we work from home carrying out the UC ANR mission of helping others, we need to take care of ourselves as well. Walk, practice your musical instrument, stretch, eat well, pet your cat or dog and stay connected with friends, family and work colleagues.

Here are a few thoughts about self-care.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
- Anne Lamott, American author

“You yourself; as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” - Buddha

“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.”
- Parker Palmer, American author

Some opportunities for self-care

Physical wellness

• Daily desk stretch: 10 a.m. • 2 p.m. • 4 p.m.
  https://safetyservices.ucdavis.edu/units/occupational-health/ergonomics/office-computer/stretches
• Walking alone in groups
• ZOOMERCISE  Monday, Wednesday and Friday 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m. https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/239765343?pwd=QXF6R0FUVGU1bEZPejNrVEZtVlBvUT09

Emotional/mental wellness

• Guided meditation: 7-minute breathing session https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/sites/default/files/podcasts/02-Intro_to_Deep_Breathing.mp3
• Breathing and meditation sessions: 7 to 22 minutes 
  https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/sites/default/files/podcasts/02-Intro_to_Deep_Breathing.mp3
• Online live and pre-recorded stress reduction, mindfulness & compassion based intervention sessions https://bit.ly/UCSDMindfulCompassion  

Nutritional wellness

• Planting tomatoes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM98gSKtMhQ&list=PLoEJ_Pj7y9oexf2ZkyjEQ2YsXpWAN2qgd&index=5

• Swiss chard: Harvest of the Month https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/seasonal-produce-guide/swiss-chard

 

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