Strive for Five Begins With Quad in Motion

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., The Strive for Five program kicked off Wednesday morning under the Quad in Motion umbrella to promote faculty and staff health and wellness.

Strive for Five is a unique program that gives faculty and staff the opportunity to create a healthier lifestyle by choosing any combination of five concentrations to focus on over a five week period. The five areas the program focuses on are eat, sleep, think, move and drink.

Carolyn MacVicare, the program coordinator for the office of health promotion and wellness, believes the university employees have much to gain by participating. MacVicare said the main goal of Strive for Five is “to keep faculty and staff healthy. We have programs that cover not just physical activity, but nutrition, sleeping, mindfulness and financial wellness.”

“We have a beautiful campus,” she said,  “so we really just want to take the opportunity to get employees to get outside and enjoy it. We encourage each department to have somebody from their office to represent them on the Quad.”

Many of those who help run the program also participate, including MacVicare. “One of my goals I always pick is drinking. I don’t drink enough water, so with that goal we just ask that you try to drink at least 5 cups of water a day,” she said.

“I recently found out that on my mother’s side of the family they have a history of cardiovascular disease,” said Rosetta Ingram, wellness coordinator for transportation services, as she explained her motivations for using Strive for Five to manage her weight.

David Bertanzetti, director of benefits, has slightly different motivations. “If I didn’t participate and I didn’t get exercise my wife would tell me to get out of the house and go exercise and then I can come home. So it’s more for my own sanity,” he said jokingly.

The deadline for Strive for Five passes Sunday night, but MacVicare assures the opportunity for university employees to up their health game is always available. “We have close to 6000 employees here at UA, so we do programs year-round.”

“We would want everyone to try to select all the goals,” said MacVicare, “but what I like most about Strive for Five is that employees can kind of tailor it toward what meets their needs and what’s going to help them be healthier.”

Faculty and staff interested in getting involved can contact the Office of Health Promotion & Wellness at (205)-348-0077 or their website, wellness.ua.edu .