Active For Life 2014 Kicks Off Sept. 12

LaKeasha Brown

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University will kick off its annual Active For Life fitness challenge at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, in the University Center’s Cypress Room. Any faculty, staff, and student employees interested in enhancing their overall health and well-being are encouraged to attend and participate in this special workplace event, featuring guest speaker LaKeasha Brown.

Brown graduated from Valdosta State in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in speech communications and in 2010 with a Master of Public Administration. Located in Los Angeles, Calif., she is the creator of #LaKeashaFit, a lifestyle brand, and 1987Juices, an organic juice line; works with athletes and entertainers individually and through special events; and recently kicked off a tour — The Drenched Experience — visiting college and university campuses across the nation to encourage students to pursue their passions while living a healthy lifestyle. She is committed to helping everyone — men, women, and children of all ages — live the best life possible.

Active For Life is a physical activity initiative designed to help VSU faculty, staff, and student employees become more active on a regular basis by setting some personal fitness goals, explained Rebecca Murphy, associate director of Human Resources for Employee and Organizational Development. These goals are established based on a person’s current activity level and can be moderate, like doing yard work or walking or taking the stairs more often, or more intense, like running or playing tennis. Men and women who engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes five or more days per week on a regular basis experience many health benefits, including a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases; weight loss; reduced stress; and increased energy.

Participation in programs like Active For Life has been shown to lower absenteeism and turnover, improve job performance and morale, lower medical costs and reduce disability days, and foster teamwork among colleagues. 

Active For Life is a 10-week program sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It is offered to VSU faculty, staff, and student employees free of charge.

“This is our fourth year offering this program …,” Murphy said.

“Last year we had over 200 faculty, staff, and student employees participate, with 60 percent obtaining 90 percent or higher personal fitness goal attainment over the 10-week period,” she added. “We hope to achieve even more this year.”

Contact Rebecca Murphy at (229) 259-5105 or rbowes@valdosta.edu to learn more.

On the Web:

http://www.lakeashafit.com

https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/finance-admin/campus-wellness/active-for-life.php

Active For Life Action Steps

1 — Visit www.activeforlife.org and select “Join A Team.”

2 — Enter company name “Valdosta State University” and password “VSUwellness.”

3 — Click the search button next to “Team Name” and a list of teams will appear.

4 — Select a team you want to join and then click “Join Selected Team” at the bottom of the screen.

5 — If you participated in Active For Life last year, log in using your email address and password. If you are new to Active For Life, you will need to create an account.

6 — Take a moment to review the terms and conditions. Don’t forget to check the box at the bottom before clicking “Submit.” 

7 — Answer a couple of questions regarding your current physical activity status and desire to participate in Active For Life.

8 — Choose your activity level — Bronze (10 to 29 minutes per day, 5 days a week), Silver (30 to 59 minutes per day, 5 days a week), Gold (60+ minutes per day, 5 days a week).

9 — Answer a few more questions regarding how motivated you are to reach your goal, your reasons for participating in the challenge, how confident you are that you will reach your goal, and your current health status.

10 — Finish setting any additional goals, including weight goals and nutrition goals, for the challenge. You, the participant, are the only person who can see these goals. No one else as access to this information. 

11 — Make plans to attend the 2014 Active For Life kickoff celebration from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, in the University Center Cypress Room.

12 — Begin working toward your fitness goals on Monday, Sept. 15. Earn 1 point for every 1 minute of physical activity. Track your activity at www.activeforlife.org. All participants who reach their goal each week will be entered into a bi-weekly prize drawing.

13 — Read the newsletter that will be delivered to your inbox every other week. It will highlight the top individual and top team performers, and it will include fitness tips, healthy recipes, and upcoming wellness sessions.

14 — Motivate your team members to reach their goals. The competition ends on Sunday, Nov. 23. Special recognition will be given to the top three teams and top two individuals in each activity level during the closing celebration from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.