This fall staff from Recreational Sports, University Health Services, and the University Partnership Program, along with undergraduate and graduate student representatives, collaborated with Under Armour to launch the Berkeley Active Lifestyle Fitness Challenge. The group’s goal – to inspire the Berkeley campus community to participate in a more active lifestyle.
Over 660 students, faculty, and staff participated in this semester’s Active Lifestyle Challenge through Under Armour’s MapMyFitness mobile app. A total of 4,375 workouts were logged, with the most popular entries including, walking, running, and the gym. Participants were encouraged to log 40 workouts over 60 days. Those who successfully completed a minimum of 20 workouts by the end of the challenge were invited to a celebration event where they could meet other lifestylers, share experiences, and win additional raffle items such as Cal basketball tickets and Under Armour earbuds.
The university currently offers a variety of programs and resources committed to campus health and wellness including, services provided by the Tang Center, classes led by Recreational Sports, online digital resources, and student and staff programs that promote healthy initiatives such as UC Walks and Be Well @ Cal. However, one of the biggest challenges for UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff is finding time for self-care. “We often prioritize other things ahead of our most basic needs thinking that those needs require a huge chunk of time,” said Devin Wicks, director of fitness and wellness operations at Recreational Sports. “In reality, being active can simply mean adding a few extra steps in our day or taking the time to stretch for five minutes after working for an hour. The goal should be to keep it simple and enjoyable.”
Wicks would love to see UC Berkeley be the “healthiest, happiest, most active campus” and believes campus events focused on health and nutrition can help make it happen. The university is currently planning a similar challenge for this coming spring which will focus on inspiring the campus community to adopt healthy nutrition habits. For Wicks, “It was great to hear everyone's stories and how much better they feel after having participated. I think they are all awesome and I hope to see them for our Spring Nutrition Challenge!”