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The fourth year of the University’s employee health and wellness initiative HEALTHY YOU is under way, with new offerings as well as the return of the popular “Walk Across Campus” and Weight Watchers programs.
The fall slate includes a reimbursement opportunity for BC employees who are participating in the "Biggest Loser Revamped!" small-group training program organized through Campus Recreation. HEALTHY YOU will reimburse benefits-eligible employees who are Campus Recreation members 50 percent of the $240 program cost if the participant attends at least four out of five classes per week. Classes began Sept. 9 and run until Dec. 12 and participants must be Campus Recreation members.
BC employees subscribing to the University's Harvard Pilgrim PPO and HMO plans, and their covered dependents, are eligible for a $150 per year fitness reimbursement (total of $150 per family) if they belong to a qualified health and fitness club or have a membership in Campus Recreation. New this year is another $150 reimbursement opportunity, for fees paid by subscribers for qualified weight-loss programs such as Weight Watchers.
More than 1,400 employees have registered this fall for Walk Across Campus, which formally begins Oct. 1 (registration closed last week). The program began as an individual event several years ago through Campus Recreation and last fall was incorporated into HEALTHY YOU. Participants, who each receive a Fitbit pedometer to track their progress, form teams to provide one another with support and encouragement. Almost 1,200 employees on 67 teams were involved in Walk Across Campus this past spring.
Other HEALTHY YOU events and activities this fall include: "How to Build a Winning Nutrition Plan: The Art of Defensive Eating," a talk by Red Sox nutritionist Tara Madigan, on Oct. 15; a Health Fair on Oct. 24 in the Yawkey Center Murray Room; and two presentations by HPHC health educator Joanne Keaveney, "How to Survive the Holidays" (Nov. 5) and "Wine, Chocolate, and Warm Bread" (Dec. 3).
Information on HEALTHY YOU programs will be available at the Sept. 25 “Healthapalooza” event, and through www.bc.edu/healthy-you.