Timeout Newsletter

Free Get Active classes – Parkville

Following the results of the Parkville health checks, Monash Sport are now offering free weekly classes. This is a great opportunity for Parkville staff to get out of the office and get active!

Boxing: Mondays 5pm, Cossar Hall
Boot Camp: Wednesdays 7.30-8.30am, meet at the Flagpole
Mindfulness meditation: Wednesdays 12-12.30pm, pharmaceutics meeting room
Pilates: Thursdays 5pm, Cossar Hall.

Enquiries: Contact Michael Jones, Monash Sport x51073

Faculty of IT – supporting Bowel Cancer research

Faculty of IT are selling the new 2012 | 2013 Greater Melbourne Entertainment™ Books as a fund-raiser with $13 from every book sold going to bowel cancer research.   Books are packed with hundreds of up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers for the best restaurants, cafes, hotel accommodation, attractions and activities.

Pre-order the new 2012|2013 Entertainment™ Books today and receive over $170 in additional offers!

Cost: $65 per Entertainment Book
Contact:  Margaret Croxford, Faculty of IT, Phone: 0447336374 or margaret.croxford@monash.edu

Confidential, external employee counselling and new Manager Assist Program

EAP is a professional, external, confidential counselling service available free-of-charge to all University employees and their immediate family members. The service can be of assistance when staff are experiencing work-related, personal and/or health problems.

Manager Assist is a phone consulting service available to University Supervisors and Managers, providing practical advice and support. The service is tailored to meet individual needs when step by step advice or a sounding board is needed.

Further information can be found on the University’s EAP website or phone 1800 350 359.

Weight Watchers at Work Program

Staff the opportunity to enrol in a new Weight Watchers Program. With the convenience of weekly meetings on campus*, you’ll get the guidance that you need to succeed and stay on track to achieve your weight loss and lifestyle goals.

About the program: The program consists of one weekly lunchtime meeting for 13 weeks

Cost: $246 for 13 week program (payment must be made upfront by cash or card at the first meeting). Some private health insurance providers provide a partial refund.

How to register: Send your interest to join a program to wellbeing@monash.edu with WW and your campus in the subject line. 12 participants are required for the program to proceed.

Gippsland walking group

Get out and about at lunchtime and join the Gippsland Walking Group.

When: Monday and Thursday 12.30 – 1pm
Meet: At the Knuckle – 1st floor, outside of eSolutions.
Leaders: Shane Paynter, Audra Glavas, Vonnie Boreham

Do you take public transport to Monash?

Public Transport user Have you ever taken public transport to get to any of Monash’s campuses? We’d like to learn more about your journey!

Participants are sought to complete a survey about their experience of travelling to the university by public transport. The online survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Participants must have travelled to/from the university by public transport at least once. Complete the survey online or contact Bernadette Fitzgibbon bernadette.fitzgibbon@monash.edu

Healthy Volunteers Needed for Social Brain Study

Research participants aged between 18-40 years are needed for a study investigating how our brain allows us to understand our social environment; for example, knowing other people’s thoughts and intentions.

This research is being conducted at the Alfred Hospital, and involves attending two one-hour testing sessions. Participants will be reimbursed for their travel costs.

If you are interested in participating, or to find out more information, please visit the webpage or contact Bernadette Fitzgibbon bernadette.fitzgibbon@monash.edu)

Competition winners and your chance to win

For your chance to win a Village Cinemas movie ticket tell us what you think of the new layout of the newsletter or provide a suggestion for Wellbeing at Monash or Monash Sport (or any wellbeing service you would like to see) Provide feedback via email wellbeing@monash.edu

Monash Sport news and offers

MPARC now open!

Monash Sport is taking a leap forward on the Peninsula with the launch of the new Monash Peninsula Activity and Recreation Centre (MPARC) facility.

This new facility is open to Monash University students, staff and the general community. It offers a large fitness centre, a group fitness studio, two court basketball stadiums with viewing platforms, an exercise physiology lab and a movement and performance studio.

The new centre is sure to enhance the campus’ ‘Health Active Community’ theme with its specialised teaching and learning spaces and facilities for public use.

Find out more about this fantastic leap forward for health and fitness on the Peninsula!

Easter Eating and Fitness Tips

Easter is a great time of family celebration; it can also be a rather indulgent time with Easter eggs, hot cross buns and lots of family meals to enjoy during the Easter get-together! While Easter eating should stay traditional and delicious; simple steps like reducing the fat and salt content or adopting alternative cooking methods can help you stay healthy and fit throughout this celebrative season.

• Follow these simple tips to keep your meals healthy:
• Use the freshest ingredients you can find.
• Choose oily fish such as salmon or ocean trout to give your omega 3 levels a boost.
• Use extra virgin olive oil for traditional roast meals.
• Make your own salad dressing.
• Try making your own Hot Cross Buns, and add some Gourmet Garden Ginger for added flavour and an antioxidant boost.

While healthy Easter eating is essential; it is also important to not forget about the workouts. Of course, continue going to the gym everyday during Easter can be seen as too obsessive. Therefore, a ‘condensed-but-intense-workout’ at home will help to keep the muscle growth/fat loss process going during this holiday.

“Condensed-but-intense-workout”

Customise your own 30-minute workout that combines THREE lower body workouts and THREE upper body exercises.

• Warm up with exercises like marching or jogging in place,
• Do 10-20 repetitions of a lower body exercise,
• Do 10-15 repetitions of an upper body exercise,
• Follow this with a minute of jumping jacks or jogging in place.
• Repeat this whole routine two or even three times.

Fit Camp at Monash Sport

People dream up all sorts of wild thoughts when you tell them you’re about to join a ‘fit camp’ program. They warn of endless push-ups and unrelenting army-style tyrant coaches, and buckets of sweat you’ll need a mop to wipe up.

Those warnings are only about half right, our fitness instructors at Monash Sport are no tyrants, but they will find a way to encourage and motivate you through a typical fit camp session.

Monash Sport has been running Fit Camp for about four years now, and in that time we have developed a loyal following amongst our participants. Fit Camp is designed to give people workouts they wouldn’t get using machines in the gym.

The beauty of working out outside is we can use the grass and terrain to our advantage, which allows us to design a workout in almost any sort of conditions. When the weather is great, the classes are held outside, when it’s cold, dark and wet, the workouts can be modified to be run inside our Fitness Centres.

Fit Camp is also a team effort, and the nature of the program provides support to those who are doing it for their first time. At Monash Sport we can tailor each session to suit anyones fitness level.

For more information on Fit Camp, please see our website, the next sessions will be starting at the Clayton campus on Monday 23 April.

Mother’s Day Classic Registrations Now Open!

Since 2005 TeamMONASH^TM has helped the Monash community celebrate the Mother’s Day Classic by participating in a walk, run or stroll through Alexandra Gardens and the Tan Track for breast cancer research.

Join TeamMONASH^TM at the Classic again on Sunday 13 May, 2012 along with your friends, family, and colleagues for one of four events; the 4km or 8km walk and the 4km or 8km run. For all first time TeamMONASH^TM participants, you can get yourself a fantastic FREE TeamMONASH^TM singlet or T-shirt just for taking part!

Early bird registrations are open now until Wednesday 11 April, so be quick and remember it’s FREE to register with TeamMONASH^TM for uniform eligibility and a free cloakroom service at the event once you have paid to register with the event organiser.

To make the day more special, you can dedicate your race to support or remember someone dear and their fight against breast cancer or even share your story to inspire others to take part. To register with TeamMONASH^TM for this truly unique event visit this page.

World Health Day – 7 April, 2012

Every year, World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation (founded 1948). This annual global campaign invites everyone to focus on new and emerging health issues. World Health Day provides great opportunity to start collective action to protect people’s health and well-being.

This year, the theme is all about “Good health adds life to years”. Life expectancy has increased dramatically, while birth rates are generally falling. Ageing concerns each and every one of us, but this social transformation represents both challenges and opportunities. Countries and health care systems will need to find innovative and sustainable ways to cope with the demographic shift.

For more information about World Health Day 2012, click here!

Looking to get outdoors on your lunch break? Visit the new Informal Sport Zone

The brand new Informal Sport Zone facility is now open and features a synthetic surfaced outdoor soccer pitch and basketball court.

And the best part of this modern venue? It’s free for Monash staff and students.

The Informal Sport zone is located at the Clayton campus tennis court complex on former courts 9 and 10. It’s available for use around the clock with automatic floodlights for late evening sessions.