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Work out at Work

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In case you missed the email from UCI wellness, they are now offering a few classes for FREE. You do need to sign up through the Campus Recreation site.

Here’s the info:

Work Out At Work. Sign Up Now For Free

Fit Squad Classes Starting September 27

As part of your UCI Worklife and Wellness Program, UCI Campus Recreation is proud to announce the return of Fit Squad, a fitness program designed to get you moving. Starting September 27, you are invited to join your UCI co-workers for a quick workout during your work-week.

These ten week classes are free for all UCI Faculty and Staff; pre-registration is required. Workouts will be held at different times and locations (UCI Main Campus and Medical Center), and include the popular Yoga, Zumba, and Pump classes. A new Yoga class has been added to the UCI Main Campus this Fall.

Click here to find out more about Fit Squad and the classes. To register simply click on the name of the class.
If you have any questions, please contact Kali Knapp at kaknapp@uci.edu.

 

 

Will I have a Great Week?

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Research has shown that asking yourself if you will do something has better outcomes than telling yourself the same.  This is self-talk, affirmations, that stuff we do in our head to motivate yourself towards change.  Say that you want to be healthier, eat better and exercise more, lose some weight, all of this may be achieved better if you ask yourself: Will I lose weight? Will I eat better?  You end up motivating yourself better than just simply stating I will eat better. I will lose weight. So instead of Just Do It, perhaps it should be: Can I do it?

A few articles about this:

Two scientific research studies:

Feel Good Exercise of the Day

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Seated Eagle Pose

This stretch helps strengthen triceps, shoulders and back muscles. It can also help prevent against carpal tunnel syndrome, perfect for combating all that keyboard and mouse work we do every day.

  1. Seated straight in your chair, cross your legs at the ankles
  2. Spread out your arms to either side of you, parallel to the floor
  3. Now bring the arms forward in front of you and cross your left arm over the right, bending at the elbows
  4. With bent arms bring the palms to touch or if that’s too much of stretch then touch the back of the hands
  5. Now lift the elbows and slight the shoulders down your back
  6. After a breath or two, switch to the other side, with right arm over the left.

Need a visual? Try this youtube video and soar like an eagle.

 

How’s your Sleep?

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Hey, did you know there’s a new campus wellness program going on? It’s called Rest and Revive Challenge. Week four has just ended and was: Protect yourself from common sleep thieves. Next up for this week is: De-stress with a sleep friendly bedroom.

Prior to the weekly challenge was a webinar series that can be accessed as video recordings. These may provide that extra boost to help you attain a restful and refreshing sleep.

More info on the challenge and the video links are located on the campus wellness page: http://www.wellness.uci.edu/restandrevive.html

Take a nature hike – on campus!

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Did you know there is an Ecological Nature Preserve on campus and it’s over 60 acres? The first chancellor Daniel Aldrich had a huge part in protecting this open space from being another housing or other campus development. Some of the natural habitat had been disturbed and invasive plant species have been a problem, but for the past 20 years there has been consistent work in keeping this preserve native and wild.

Recently students in the Ayala School of Biological Sciences wanted to draw more attention to the area and was able to get a grant funded to develop the trails and install signs. There are now trail head markers and trail signs pointing out the local flora and fauna. On May 25th, just a two weeks ago they had an Installation Celebration of the UCI Ecological Preserve’s Interpretive Signs.

It is so close you can easily walk over there within 10 minutes from the library and get in a quick nature hike during lunch, or right after work. It’s quiet and peaceful and has great views on the top of the bluff. On clear days you can easily see Catalina and downtown Los Angeles. If you have binoculars you can see the Hollywood sign.

California-Buckwheat

Interpretive sign for California Buckwheat

Trailhead

Trailhead marker on East Peltason Drive

trailRules

House Rules for Trail Guests sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where is this place?

It’s on East Peltason drive, across from the parking lot 12B and next to University Hills. An easy way to get there is to go to the UC Club, up to E. Peltason. Cross the street there at the cross walk and turn right towards Bison. The Eco Preserve will be upon you very quickly on the left.

The stewards said they plan on having campus and community guided walks in the future. Look for more info on that, in the months to come.

In long term there is a plan to connect the trails here to the trails around Irvine, such as Crystal Cove and Bommer Canyon.

In the meantime, go out and explore!

trail-towards-campus

Trail looking towards campus

trail

Trail with flowering Cactus

 

 

 

 

Photos by Pamela Gordon

Feel Good Exercise of the Day

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Cat-Cow Yoga Pose – Seated

Taking a quick break and trying out this pose may help you in many ways. The Cat-Cow pose is gentle and stretches the back and neck while helping to bring flexibility to the spine. This modified yoga pose for the office can help your back, neck, reduce anxiety and improve concentration. It also will help relieve stress and calm the mind by focusing on your breath and posture for a few moments.

For those with rollers on their chairs you may want to place a towel or something to block the wheels from rolling during this exercise.

• Sit straight on your chair with both feet flat on the ground
• Place your hands flat on your knees
• On your inhale: slowly arch your back and look up towards the ceiling
• As you do this roll your shoulders back and down, almost together
• You are now in the Cow position
• Hold for a moment

• On your exhale: round the spine in the opposite direction and look down bringing your chin to your chest
• As you do this your shoulders are coming forward as your head drops down. You may also tuck in your belly for a deeper exhale.
• You are now in the Cat position
• Hold for a moment

• Repeat for several breaths

Feel Good Exercise of the Day

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Hip Flexor Stretch

Do you feel sore in your back after a full day of sitting and working on the computer? One reason may be due to your hip flexor muscle that shortens and tightens up when we sit for long periods of time. This muscle runs through your pelvis to your back, so when it gets tight you feel it in your back.

While at your desk, stretch this out:

  • Sit at the edge of your chair but shift to face to your left.
  • Take your right leg and extend it behind you with as straight a knee as you can.
  • Sit tall and lift your sternum while trying to tuck your tailbone under.
  • This increases the stretch.
  • Repeat on the other side.
  • Repeat both sides 2-3 times.

Need a little more fun in your day? Try Laughter Yoga

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From the Laughter Yoga Institute: “Laughter Yoga is an evolution of body-mind medicine that combines simple laughter exercises and gentle yoga breathing to enhance health and happiness.”

Free event on campus this Friday May 13!
The laughter yoga session is part of the four-day comedy festival going on this week.  Limited capacity sign up here to join the fun.

Wikipedia says: “Laughter yoga (Hasyayoga) is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter. Laughter yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter yoga is done in groups, with eye contact and playfulness between participants. Forced laughter soon turns into real and contagious laughter.”

Can’t fit this event into your schedule this week? Try this laughter video. I can’t get through the whole thing without laughing myself. It really is contagious!