Mickelle Bisbee – Staff Writer
Creating a culture of well-being is central to the UW Wellness Campus Recreation.
“Everything we do is related to promotion of holistic health and well-being,” said Lena Newlin, assistant director of Wellness Campus Recreation.
When it comes to health and wellness, Newlin said it is multifaceted and includes not only a physical wellbeing but social, environmental, financial, mental and psychological well-being.
“A lot of the time, people think [health and wellness] is physical health,” Newlin said, “that it’s physical well-being when they think about health, but we look at it as being more comprehensive.”
Because health and wellness are multidimensional, the Wellness Center offers a vast amount of services and programs to help keep UW’s students healthy.
Among the services, the center provides massage therapy and personal and athletic training.
The center also has multiple educational programs, including stress management, nutrition, financing, sexual health promotion and sexual violence prevention.
One of the many programs the wellness center offers is the Big Sky Mindfulness Stress Management program.
“Students can learn how to use mindfulness and meditation to help them manage strong emotions like stress, anxiety and depression,” said Newlin.
The Wellness Ambassadors Program training was last Saturday. The wellness ambassadors are involved in many activities to promote health and wellness, such as the healthy POKE patrol and handing out beads at the football games, the smoothie bikes and much more.
“Our goal is to provide training, support and opportunities for UW students to become leaders in campus health promotion,” according to the Wellness Ambassadors Program webpage.
The Wellness Center is a “kind of hub,” Newlin said.
“The Wellness Center is a really friendly and supportive place for students to come and obtain the port and resources.”
