The President’s Council for Campus Well-being is scheduled to host the NDSU Walk to Well-being Week Sept. 29 through Oct. 20. The event encourages faculty and staff to get outside to walk and connect with colleagues during the workday.
Upcoming walking opportunities include:
- Thursday, October 5, Time TBD: Renaissance Hall tour
- Wednesday, October 11, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Athletics Facility tour. Go the tour website to sign up.
Participants are encouraged to utilize the outdoor routes on campus outlined by the Wellness Center if they can’t join a walking tour or are looking for additional options to get out and moving.
Ideas to prioritize physical and social health that week include blocking time on your calendar to remind yourself to get up and walk or switching an existing meeting to a walking meeting.
Participants are asked to track their walk time throughout the week, how they feel during the day and if they felt more or less productive.
Each day counts as one entry for a chance to win an NDSU water bottle or a free visit to the wellness center. Bonus entries are available for participants that upload a picture of where they walked, their walking buddy or their team during a walking meeting.
“Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote, ‘Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day, I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it,’” said Danielle Wright, a biological sciences student and student well-being educator. “I really like this quote because walking is not only great for physical health but can also help with mental health.”
The council was formed to support the academic mission of the university by taking a holistic approach to increasing and sustaining all aspects of campus well-being. The council brings together a multi-disciplinary group of NDSU faculty, staff, students and community partners to address a range of social and environmental factors that strengthen the health and well-being of our campus community.
“There are so many thoughts that weigh on our minds everyday and sometimes it is good to be able to walk away from them, both metaphorically and physically,” Wright said. “Walking can be quality time with family or catching up with friends or even alone enjoying the beauty of the remaining natural environment.”
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