Wellness website, new campus hub for healthy tips

New wellness website

A few months ago, FIU’s Worksite Wellness Program was in its infancy. Now, officially called P.A.W.S, short for Panthers Active Wellness Services, the program has taken an important first step to meet its goal of encouraging a healthier lifestyle for faculty and staff: an updated wellness website.

“The website is not only a centralized location for faculty and staff to get information, but it shows that FIU is taking deliberate steps in creating an environment that promotes wellness for faculty and staff,” Wellness Program Manager Nathan Burandt says.

The new site is designed to keep faculty and staff in the loop about P.A.W.S initiatives and other health and wellness news. It features a list of current programs at FIU like the Fit and Lean weight-loss program at Biscayne Bay Campus and a list of events like Walking for Wellness held Wednesday afternoons at the nature preserve.

The new rubber walking trail around the FIU Nature Preserve is great a place for faculty and staff to jog or walk during lunch or after work.

Since sitting behind a desk all day can be stressful. The site also conveniently links to a variety of desk exercise videos produced by the Mayo Clinic and Deepak Chopra that range from Yoga and breathing exercises to neck stretches.

Another fun feature is the recipes section, where university community members can submit their favorite healthy recipes and swap ideas about healthy food choices with their fellow faculty and staff members.

Currently, faculty and staff can also take a wellness survey that asks how P.A.W.S can better serve them; what their needs are; and what areas of wellness programming they would like to have available.

“Whenever you have a hub as a starting point, it begins to allow not just free access of information, but information that people might otherwise have not had,” Burandt says.

He also sees the site as a powerful tool –a spark – for people to make healthier choices, effectively creating a healthier campus.

To visit the updated site, click here.