Wellbeing @ Monash and Monash Sport newsletter – December 2018

Browse the Timeout newsletter for information on what’s new in Wellbeing at Monash. Read about the latest Wellbeing, Monash Sport and Team Monash events, services and activities. For information about latest events, special offers, discounts, and news, subscribe to the newsletter by emailing wellbeing@monash.edu

In the December edition:

 Now that’s a wrap! 10,000 Steps is now completed 

The 10,000 Steps has now concluded with 436 teams and 2180 participants who walked the virtual globe starting in in India, before moving through Asia, Europe, Africa and The Americas.

The challenge ended after 50 days on the 19th November, with a staggering 1,116,662,844 steps!

The top 3 winners across the challenge were:

  • The Original Scrambled Legs, Box Hill Campus
  • Do You Even Pokemon, Clayton Campus
  • Peppy Steppers, Caulfield

The individual with the highest number of steps was:

  • Jade Kerr, Peppy Steppers, Caulfield

Check out the winners from each campus and site here

 What’s your real health age this year?

Before the new year comes along and we begin to dread getting another year older, why not check out what you real health age is! We’ve teamed up with BUPA to provide Monash staff and students access to an online Health Assessment Tool to tell us just that.  If you took the assessment earlier this year, why not see how your health might have improved?

The online survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and looks at all areas of your personal health – from diet and exercise, to stress and lifestyle factors.

Once completed, you’ll get your own personalised report outlining your health age (as opposed to your chronological age), and some handy tips to improve your overall health and wellbeing to reduce your health age.   So take the time to find out your health age now(The information collected is confidential and is only used in aggregate reporting). 

The Staff Wellbeing Activity Program (SWAP) is changing for 2019 and we want your feedback! 

This year the team have been working in the background in improving the payment and registration processes for the SWAP classes.  Staff will now be able to register and pay for their SWAP program all at the one time. The new process makes it quicker and easier for participants to simply register for their SWAP program of choice, and then make their payment all in one go.

In conjunction with eSolutions and the Receivables and Revenue Accounting Services teams, we’ve made the process for registering and paying much simpler for our customers.

This year we had over 2,500 participants in our SWAP classes and, with the new system in place, we would like to see this number grow even further in 2019.

All Wellbeing at Monash programs – Mental Health, Nutritional Health, Physical Health and General Health sessions can now be purchased on the Monash Shop as they become available.

As we continue to improve the program, we want to hear from you! Get in touch with your feedback at wellbeing@monash.edu

  Seven tips to enjoy a healthy and sustainable Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching and social events high on the agenda, it can be hard to eat healthily and think sustainably at this busy time of year.The holiday season is a time to celebrate and spend precious moments with loved ones, but you can still find time to think about how to reduce your environmental and carbon footprint, and stay healthy, while you get into the festive spirit!

How can you make a difference?

1.  Beware the buffet

Buffets tend to encourage over-consumption. When faced with a delicious spread, most of us are struck down with FOMO (fear of missing out). We can misjudge what we actually need and pile our plates with a bit of everything. Load your plate with salads and vegies first, leaving less room for the fried or creamy. Most buffets usually include a dessert, so eat what you need and remember to leave room for a special treat.

2. If you’re catering

If you’re planning a fancy meal, or catering for a crowd, spend time planning the salads as well as the meats. Opt for a wide range of fresh vegies and grain salads, and try something a bit different, such as freekah or quinoa. Give your salad a kick with a delicious dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and freshly cut herbs. A flavoured vinegar can add a new dimension, too. Salads packed with nuts, seeds and fresh cheeses make for a wholesome side dish, or hearty meal on their own.

3. Buy local

Buying local food and drink not only supports your community, but also means it hasn’t been transported across the country, or even the world, to end up on your plate. Avoid excess plastic packaging, and make sure to plan ahead so you can store all your leftovers from Christmas dinner.

4. Manage your energy use

Reduce your energy consumption by turning off Christmas lights when they aren’t needed, and if you want to purchase some, consider LED bulbs or lights that are solar-powered. Batteries come out in force at Christmas so you can use your new gift, but once they’re flat, they never biodegrade and are hard to recycle. Use rechargeable batteries, or buy toys and products that don’t require them at all.

5. Customise your gifts and decorations

Christmas decorations are reused every year, but it’s always tempting to add something new to the display. Instead of buying additional decorations, consider making your own using upcycled materials made from recycled cardboard and paper. Be sure to wrap your gifts in recycled paper, newspaper or even last year’s wrapping paper!

6. Watch what you drink

Increasingly, employers are advising us to watch the number of units we consume over the festive season, particularly at work functions, and this isn’t just to limit our calorie intake! Not only does drinking alcohol add extra calories to your diet, serving no nutritional purpose, it also increases the likelihood of saying something you might regret! Enjoy a glass or two within your limits – your waistline and brain will thank you for it.

7. Stay on track

If you do pile your plate at the buffet, or have that additional glass of red, don’t despair! Stick to your usual eating and activity schedule, and avoid the “all or nothing” approach rather than continuing to indulge for weeks. This will ensure your treats remain one-offs, not your holiday routine.

Above all, have a safe, healthy and enjoyable festive season!

Webinar Series for parents and carers: Thriving during the holidays and return to school period

We understand that the summer holidays can be both a wonderful and challenging time for working parents and carers and this series, sponsored by Monash HR, aims to assist you navigate this period in a way that’s enjoyable for you and your children.

Featuring parenting expert, Dr Rosina McAlpine, the series of three webinars will cover:

Wednesday 12 December: Making the most of the school holidays
Wednesday 16 January: Back to school, starting the year on the right foot
Wednesday 13 February: Help your children develop healthy self-esteem and resilience

Webinars begin at 12.00 pm and run for approximately 50-60 minutes

Sign up using your Monash email address. Once you’re registered, you’ll receive a reminder and a link to join the webinar. You can attend the webinar live and ask questions or listen to the replay in the resource centre later.

Monash Sport News, Events and Offers

SWAP and the 2018 VicHealth Awards

Recently, Monash Sport and Monash Wellbeing put forward a submission for SWAP to be recognised as a champion in promoting healthy communities through the 2018 VicHealth Awards. We are proud to have been nominated as finalists in the category of “Promoting health through physical activity and sport”.

The VicHealth awards recognised the state’s leaders in health promotion, celebrating the impact of initiatives across Victoria in improving the health and wellbeing of Victorians.

You can view the Monash University SWAP submission here.

Congratulations to everyone who is involved in delivering such a large range of wellbeing activities to the Monash community and ‘thank you’ to all those who participated in SWAP in 2018.

Doug Ellis Main Pool Has Re-Opened!

The Monash Sport main and leisure pool is now Re-Open.
We would like to thank everyone for their patience over the past few months as we have worked to ensure we continue to deliver
high-quality facilities to the Monash University community.
View the opening times here and we look forward to seeing you all back in the water soon.

 

Employee benefits and discounts

Monash staff have access to a great range of employee benefits and discounts including accommodation, travel, travel insurance, airport parking and car hire and plenty more. Read more information in the range of employee benefits and staff discounts

Mandela My Life: The Official Exhibition at Melbourne Museum.

We would like to offer Monash University a 2-for-1 ticket offer to the Mandela My life: The official Exhibition at Melbourne Museum. Discover his story and learn about Nelson Mandelas role in dismantling arpathied and championing democracy and human rights.  Both the Sunday Age and The Australian both have reviewed the the exhibition with some great recommendations.

Here is the link to the official page: https://www.mandelamylifeexhibition.com/

To purchase tickets  at the discounted price please click here

Visit employee benefits and discounts for staff for more information

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