By Kyle Gee
On his office wall hangs a crayon-colored drawing signed by his son, Elijah Bickmore. Atop his barely visible desk are piles of crisp, white paper stacked half a foot high. Beside the wall next to his office door is his cardio aerobic fitness machine.
Like his co-workers, BYU assistant professor of geology, Barry Bickmore, has the challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities while trying to find time for physical fitness.
BYU''s Wellness Program, directed by the Human Resource Development Department, focuses on full-time BYU employees and seeks to establish a work environment that promotes healthy lifestyles, decreases the risk of disease and enhances the quality of life, according to the program''s Web site.
The program encourages BYU employees and their families to strengthen and balance their health and well-being in six areas: spiritual, financial, social, physical, emotional and intellectual health.
Matt Smith, director of the Human Resources Development Department, said BYU began the Wellness Program in 1993 because no program at that time focused on the health and wellness of BYU employees.
Smith said the purpose of the program is three-fold.
'One purpose is to promote awareness for health related issues,' Smith said. 'Another is to promote a balanced and healthy life-style, and a third purpose is to help prevent and early identify health issues,' Smith said.
Autumn Michaelis, head wellness coordinator in the Human Resources Development Department, said her main purpose as coordinator of the program is to plan activities.
'One of our biggest things is trying to get our programs so that they''re convenient for BYU personnel,' Michaelis said. 'They have a lot to do in the office, and it''s hard to get away.'
Michaelis said she tries to plan activities that are on-campus during the lunch hour.
One of these daytime activities for BYU employees is the 3K fun walk held several times each year.
Bickmore said he has been on three fun walks with his wife and three children since he started teaching here two years ago.
'It''s an opportunity for my wife and children to see me during the day and to do something fun that we wouldn''t normally be able to do,' Bickmore said.
Lynn Leifson, administrative assistant over BYU facilities planning, has also attended several fun walks and said the walks are neither long and or strenuous.
Leifson said he likes how organizers incorporate learning as part of the fun walks.
Questions and answers about wellness are printed on posters and placed along the fun walk route to help participants improve their knowledge about wellness topics.
'I think the thing I like best about the Wellness Program is the personal knowledge you gain about fitness and wellness to help you make more healthy decisions with what you eat and how you exercise,' Leifson said.
Michaelis said the next 3K fun walk for BYU employees will be on Aug. 28 in conjunction with the University Conference.
In addition to fun walks, the Wellness Program also extends to university employees fitness and nutrition challenges that can be done easily during the day with co-workers, said Michaelis.
The 'Fruit Punch Challenge' and 'Indy Fitness 1200' were two recent wellness challenges that Michaelis said received a good response from BYU employees.
As part of the challenges, employees were invited to eat five servings of fruit each day and exercise for 120 minutes every week for ten weeks.
'Participants have told me that the activities have helped them do more then they would do on their own even if they didn''t complete the challenge,' Michaelis said.
The Wellness Program also provides other services to university employees including seminars on health-related issues, medical screenings and a bimonthly newsletter.
'Except for a few events, all of our events are free for BYU personnel with BYU insurance,' Michaelis said.
Additionally, the program''s Web site states that BYU''s Y-Be-Fit Program is the cornerstone to the university''s comprehensive Wellness Program.
Smith said the Y-Be-Fit program is an important sister program to the Wellness Program because it helps employees identify health risks.
'It answers the questions, ''How fit am I,'' and ''What should I do about it?''' Smith said.
The Y-Be-Fit Program is a separate program from the Wellness Program, but the two programs share funding and resources, Smith said.
'The Wellness and Y-Be-Fit programs both provide an excellent opportunity for BYU employees to become health conscious,' said Leifson, who has been an active participant in the Wellness Program since he started working at BYU ten years ago.