Staff prepare for final week of fitness challenge
Staff who have teamed up with their colleagues to be more active throughout May are preparing for the final week of the challenge.
Staff enjoying a walk of the campus boundary during a sunny day in May 2013. Photo courtesy of Fiona Hurd in Life Sciences.
The 200 staff taking part in Sussexsport’s Commit To Get Fit challenge have spent the month running, walking and cycling; trying new sports and activities, eating more fruit; drinking more water; and making other healthy lifestyle choices such as cutting down on caffeine or sugar.
Karen Creffield, Head of Sport, said: “We have been really inspired by the team spirit and support, as well as the creative goals that some of the teams and individuals have set.
“The team from Life Sciences have set the target of travelling to Venice, and Admissions have set the challenging feat of covering the distance to Mordor, which I am reliably in formed is 1,779 miles or 2,863 miles!
“We have teams committing to Fruity Friday, and water on Wednesdays. Fencing, mountain-biking, kung-fu, racketball, tennis, yoga, power-hooping, juggling and trampolining are just some of the other activities staff have taken part in.”
They have also been blogging about their experiences with around 200 posts so far on the University’s social and learning networking site, SPLASH.
The writers of the best individual and team blogs at the end of the challenge will win a prize.
Joining Karen on the judging panel are Sue Carter, Health and Safety Officer; Peter Coles, Head of the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and a prolific blogger; Cathy Drew, Sports Assistant and running coach; Rob Read, Director of Communications; and Simon Tunley, Deputy Head of Sport.
Rob Read said of the blogs so far: “It’s inspiring to read about people setting goals and being helped and supported by each other in their teams and across the university. On a personal point of view, it’s been good for me to read – since I took up running at the end of 2012 and am trying to complete my first half marathon in June.”
Sue Carter said: “The comments of some of the bloggers have been witty and shown the dedication that teams are putting in to getting fit, with the occasional blip of a night out and the odd chocolate fancy!”
Commit To Get Fit got underway on 1 May with a guided walk of the campus boundary by plant and wildlife expert Dr Martyn Stenning.
The annual boundary run – which in previous years had taken place at the same time as the walk – will this year happen next Wednesday (29 May), during the final week of the challenge.