That time of year has rolled around. Spring break has come to a close and the stress of school work has started once again. It’s time to ask yourself, “Am I doing well?” And not just well in your classes, but in a bigger sense.
This year, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Recreation, along with other sponsors, present Illini Wellness Week. The week of April 6 through 10 will bring a total of 13 wellness-focused events to campus in order to discover the true meaning behind what it means to be well.
Kathy Ruda, program director of Illini Wellness Week, has her own idea of what wellness truly means.“To me, wellness is more than just eating healthy and working out,” Ruda said. “Wellness is the proactive pursuit of becoming conscious of, taking responsibility for and making keen choices that help achieve overall healthy wellbeing. It is about finding balance in the seven dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social”
The idea for the Illini Wellness Week began last semester, when Ruda proposed the week as a student initiative to increase campus wellness. She began planning the events by researching pre-existing wellness programs, meeting and reaching out to department members and sponsors and coordinating the logistics of each activity.
The next task on Ruda’s to-do list was to spread the word and get students excited to participate. All of the Student Affairs units that are involved in Illini Wellness Week will help promote the events over their social media platforms. There is also a website and a Facebook page dedicated to the event with tons of information.
Ruda admits that she is most excited to attend the Yoga on the Quad event on April 8. Lululemon athletica will be promoting their spring line in a fashion show prior to the BODYFLOW yoga class on the South Quad.
“Yoga really helps me de-stress with my hectic schedule, so I am excited to share this experience with my fellow Illini,” Ruda said.
Some students are already planning on attending these events, like Nina Youssefnia, a senior in molecular and cellular biology. She plans on attending as many as possible, but is also most excited about Yoga on the Quad, as well as the Health & Fitness Expo and Wellness Checkup.
“The Expo sounds like a great opportunity to engage with different groups in a collective space,” Youssefnia said. “I love the idea of the Wellness Checkup, since a lot of people may not have the resources or means to learn where they stand in terms of body wellness and health.”
With the events starting so soon, Ruda’s preparations are coming together. She hopes to make an impact on the U of I community.
“I hope that Illini Wellness Week can inspire students to take action to make healthy wellbeing a priority and encourage them to take advantage of these great programs and resources already offered on campus,” Ruda said.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars with the help of this list of events below.
Photo Sources:
http://studentaffairs.illinois.edu/about/programs-students/illini-wellne…