Summer Wellness Review 2016

Go Read: Family Wellness

Gleeson Library and GoUSF partnered to offer the first ever Go Read programming. Throughout the month, faculty, staff, and their family and friends were encouraged to read in the Go Read Challenge. The feedback was quite positive: faculty and staff appreciated that the challenge inspired their kids to read in the summer time and that the Gleeson library staff offered a list of recommended and award-winning books.

Other events included:

  • Lib-R-Bocce Ball Tournament and Potluck hosted by the Gleeson Library for faculty and staff
  • Presentation by Alan Zjaika, associate vice provost for academic affairs and university historian, who discussed his fourth book on the history of USF
  • Get-to-Know Gleeson Library Tour

Gleeson Library is a wonderful resource with a very approachable, knowledgeable staff. For example, we learned that Gleeson offers a seed library, e-books, lawn and board games, and interlibrary books for loan. Keep reading, and be sure to take advantage of all that Gleeson Library has to offer!

Young Minds at Work

Thank you to all 90 children and 80 adults who participated in the 4th annual Young Minds at Work! Thank you also to our 40 volunteers and the following department leaders, all who helped make the day flow seamlessly: Juliet Spencer, Shanie Chambers, Dory Mercado, Glori Simmons, Nell Herbert, Fabi Hernandez, Bob Just, Mark Osborn, Craig Peterson, John Hawk, Lisa Sabatini, and Genevieve Charbonneau.

As in previous years, faculty and staff  brought their "kids" (including grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc., ages 0–18) to USF to explore various departments, engage in hands-on activities, and enjoy a complimentary brown bag lunch. New this year, kids over age 10 were invited to participate in more advanced activities, which helped organize age-appropriate activities and keep all kids engaged.

The activities for those under 10 years old included the Biology Lab, the Gleeson/Thacher arts and crafts, the Nursing Skills Lab, and Koret Free play. For those age 10 and older, activities included ice breakers with Student Leadership, a tour of St. Ignatius Tower, the SONHP Simulation Lab, and a tour of Gleeson Library’s Rare Book Room.

The day wrapped up with a group lunch, a visit from the San Francisco Fire Department, and pictures with USF's mascot, Don Francisco. For more pictures of the event, check out the GoUSF Facebook page.

Go Nourish: Nutritional Wellness

 In this team challenge, colleagues earned points for eating fruits and vegetables. Eating a team total of 100 servings entered each team into a raffle to win a prize. Beyond the prizes, the 15 participating teams shared many healthy and creative recipes to encourage a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Congratulations to Team ExecEd from the School of Management (pictured here) for consuming the most servings of fruits and vegetables during the challenge.

Go Learn Seminar: Fueling your workouts

Registered dietitian and GoUSF seminar-regular, Claudia Graetsch Vasquez, discussed the importance of sports nutrition. Topics included staying hydrated, fueling your muscles, and promoting optimal recovery to maximize training and compete at your best.

San Francisco Marathon

Starting in April, GoUSF hosted several seminars on racing including:

  • injury prevention and core stability
  • yoga for the runner, and
  • proper shoe and sock fitting.

Congratulations to all 30 GoUSF colleagues who finished the San Francisco full or half marathon or 5k! USF reimbursed participants 50% of their registration fee upon completion of the race.

The importance of proper hydration and good food choices was emphasized. The seminar was led by