Yesterday I was honored to be on a panel of MHealthy Champions. Over the past week I went over and over what I was going to say when it was my turn to answer my question. It sounded so good, so humble, so genuine... and then when it was my turn to speak the words didn't come to my lips. I stumbled on my words, but I got the gist of what I wanted to share across. In some ways that is very humble and real. My question was, "Keeping people engaged can be a challenge. What do you do to keep things fun?" For a week I let this question marinate. I really felt like I had no answer. And then some answers did come to me. I use different ways to reach people: encouraging emails, fun eye catching flyers, walks on campus or to the farmers market, & workshops. I have been the captain of our departments ActiveU team for the last three sessions. ActiveU is a program where we are all on a team to encourage each other to be active while offering a sense of a "community". It is a pretty awesome thing to be a part of. What else keeps people engaged? Let's face it. People like incentives. What can I offer as an individual at a HUGE university? When I give Wellness Workshops I also give a neck & shoulder massage as well as teach healthy ways to make smoothies. Everyone needs human contact, and adding in knowledge is empowering. Since I have partnered together w/ MHealthy I now lead a "To Market" walk. Participants that join me in walking to the local farmer's market on our lunch hour receive a MHealthy reusable grocery bag and recipes that are relevant to the current produce. All of these things don't seem like much to me, but when I take a moment to pause and look behind me I see how these little things have impacted others in a HUGE way. It is one of the most rewarding things to feel; how a little bit of effort and care on my part can really help someone else to blossom.
stay tuned...more to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment