Play hard. Get fit. Live well. Ever notice that these phrases are always used as a group? We like to think of physical activity and wellbeing as a package deal. You can’t have one without the other! To improve the wellbeing of our campus community, we work alongside campus groups including UHS, the Department of Kinesiology, and Exercise is Medicine (EIM).
Exercise is Medicine On Campus is a world-wide initiative by the American College of Sports Medicine. Its mission is to encourage universities to promote physical activity to improve wellbeing among its staff and students. UW-Madison’s on-campus EIM Committee consists of representatives from Rec Well, UHS, and the Department of Kinesiology along with two current students. The committee meets once a month to discuss the ways individual departments are encouraging physical activity on campus.
UW-Madison is one of more than 200 campuses from around the world who have joined the Exercise is Medicine movement. We’re proud that due to the hard work from our committee members and their departments, UW-Madison earned gold level recognition from the Exercise is Medicine On Campus Committee this year!
Exercise is Medicine initiatives can be seen happening all over campus through annual events like #ActiveBadger Day and the Light of the Moon 5K along with outdoor exercise options like BCycle and walking paths. Behind the scenes, the committee is working on making sure physical activity levels are assessed as a vital sign in campus health patients, having personalized physical activity prescriptions created for individuals, and overall promoting the importance of exercise and physical activity to the entire UW community.
By eliminating barriers to physical activity and creating more opportunities for staff and students to participate across campus, UW-Madison’s EIM committee is working hard to improve the wellbeing of our entire campus community.