The University of West Georgia’s Wolf Wellness Program has planned a variety of fun events and activities to keep students healthy and in shape this semester. Wolf Wellness is a program run by the Health services on campus.
For the past year and a half coordinators and graduate students have planned different and fun events that promoted a healthy life style free of drugs and alcohol as well as a great diet. Health and Wellness Promotion Coordinator Elizabeth Butts, talked about the upcoming events on campus. Tanner hospital is joining Wolf Wellness and hosting a Get Healthy West Georgia Weight Loss Challenge at the beginning and end of the semester. “People start January all gung ho with new year resolutions and eat healthier and lose weight. We are joining up with Tanner Hospital to do a weigh in,” said Butts. Students will get weighed on Jan. 21 and then at the end of the semester in April they will have the event again to see if they have lost any weight. “It’s the first year we are doing this kind of approach on the weight loss challenge,” said Butts.
Cooking Matters Classes will also be held in the Campus Center Ballroom so students can have recipes memorized and learn that support a balanced diet. “We’re going to do a mini cooking matters class, because there must be a real interest in healthy cooking. I’ll send an email to students who are interested,” said Butts. A culinary expert will work alongside Butts to teach students how to prepare healthy balanced meals. The students can meet for 2 hours once a week and groceries and nutrition lesson will be provided. “They get a free meal out of it but they also all finish with a certification in cooking matters,” said Butts.
A Pinterest page will be made by Wolf Wellness that will have a collection of nutritious recipes. “The idea we have is this wellness model and bring attention to over all wellness and to coordinate and collaborate. Wellness is critical to success and specifically academic success,” said Butts.
On the Wolf Wellness website the model is displayed with six different dimensions of how to lead a healthy lifestyle which are occupational, intellectual, physical, emotional spiritual, and social.
There are customized pages for students at UWG from workout videos to relationships and sexual health. If student do a survey they can enter for a 1000 dollar drawing on the website. “Who doesn’t need a thousand dollars right?” said Butts with a laugh. A Pinterest page will be made by Wolf Wellness that will have a collection of nutritious recipes. A Facebook and Twitter accounts have also been made for students to have easy access to health tips throughout the day. “We are really playing the social network game to get students healthy“ said Butts.
Wolf Wellness now has articles and videos for UWG students for an online magazine called Student 101.This is another media route to a better healthier lifestyle. Graduate assistant of heath education and health services Will Evans, helped promote Student 101 on the programs social media sources. “We at health services got on board with new student health magazine,” said Evans. Planning events and informing students on the upcoming events are some of the many responsibilities Evans has had with Wolf Wellness. Butts also spoke of all the benefits that are to be gained from making an effort to eat the right foods and exercise. “Typically when people exercise and eat better they deal with stress better. They’ll have better mental health and they can see a counselor for that,” said Butts.
Butts explained why she believed Wolf Wellness stands out from all the other programs on campus. “Its different because the focus is on balance and total wellness. We wake up every day thinking about wellness. Everyone does it but it’s our main focus,” She said. “We will not only have students go west but we’re going to have them be well when they’re here and stay well,” said Butts.
To access the Wolf Wellness Page go to www.westga.edu/wolfwellness
To contact Health Services call 678.839.6452
