Heather Shaw, Janice Allen and Donna Griffin named March Fittest Employees of the Month

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Jeremiah Hindman†(back) presents Heather Shaw, Janice Allen, and Donna Griffin†with fruit and †vegetable gift baskets for being named NTCC?s Fittest Employees



of the Month for March. To receive this award, an employee must†be caught practicing overt wellness behavior and attitude.†The Wellness Committee is on the lookout for a April recipient!




Here are a few words about their personal wellness plans?





Janice Allen

Thank you and the NTCC Wellness Committee for acknowledging the LRC staff.† I have been inspired by your wellness efforts and encouraged by my family and health professionals to become more active.† With this in mind, I have embraced First Lady Michelle Obama?s ?Let?s Move? campaign against childhood obesity and decided to make it a personal challenge for myself.† Therefore, I am utilizing the small amounts of time and space available to me throughout the day and spending seven to ten minutes, three times a day to walk from my office, between the library book shelves, and back (making it my own personal walking track). †This allows me to exercise and work at the same time.† During these walks I take time to straighten shelves, observe student?s needs, monitor the progress of my student workers, and browse the collection for needed changes or updates.†

This has turned into a productive and stress free fitness venture that has also been embrace by my LRC co-workers and we are enjoying it!† So, I would like to encourage my co-workers campus wide to utilize their available space and time throughout the day and ?Let?s Move?.† They are also welcome to come to the library, walk, and browse our shelves.† Rain or shine we are here to serve you.



Donna Griffin

Thanks so much for naming us Fittest Employees of the Month of March. I have been walking Ω mile a day in the Library as Janice, this will be our third week. While walking in the shelves I do check the book isles for trash,†and also during these walks I take time to straighten shelves, straighten chairs, monitor the progress of my student workers and check dusting areas. We do like to have a nice, neat, clean area for everyone when they come into use the Library. I would love to see more employees, faculty or staff come in to use our Library or walk the shelves with us.

We are always here to help and serve to the best of our abilities.† Please come over to visit the Library as soon as you canJ

Any healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables or whatever is ok with me. I truly enjoy walking and it makes me become a†healthier employee, too!



Heather Shaw

To be honest, I haven?t been doing the walking around like Donna and Janice have.† I know I need to do it, and it is easier to do it since my coworkers are too, it?s just that I have so much to do right now, I can?t take even a 5-10 minute break to walk, and since after Spring Break I have stayed late (Monday an hour late, and yesterday I didn?t leave till after 9pm).

I think what might have happened to get them to think that I was in on it was that one day, a few weeks ago, one of them was wearing a pedometer, and I was always curious as to how long the perimeter is of the inside of the library, since there are some days that I do walk around the perimeter multiple times as part of my duties for that day (or just too bored or just can?t think/focus or procrastinating on doing something at my desk), so I borrowed that device and found out it is 0.07 of a mile.

Now I do walk around the perimeter for closing duties, and tend to go and ask one of my coworkers face to face instead of sending them an email, which is semi frequent.

Now I have noticed that my back does feel better when I do get up and walk around, and other parts of me loosen up as well.† I have had multiple health experts tell me that I need to get active for a myriad of reasons.† I would like to join Janice and Donna in their walking.† I guess it is a matter of learning balance and having a change of mind set, since even as a young child I have hated exercise and P.E. because I was always one of the last in running (or any track and field things little kids can do), and was never gifted with a lot of talent in physical prowess.† I?d rather read a book than go outside and play.† In fact there was more than one occasion that my mom would tell me to put down the book I was reading and go outside.† Lucky for me that as a kid I was never overweight, but I know that I really do need to lose weight, and have continued to gain weight, little bit by little bit, since after high school.

I know that I don?t deserve the honor of being called ?the fittest employee of the month,? and I won?t try to persuade you one way or another on the matter, but to answer your question as to what healthy snacks I like, fruits of all sorts, and many different types of veggies.† I don?t know if Kudos granola bars (or its generic version) are considered ?healthy? or not, but I do like those.† However most of the snacks I like are of the sweet variety, since I have a major sweet tooth, and probably most of those are considered unhealthy.

Just an FYI, I did walk to the BSM from the library for their free lunch today, since I missed their free bus ride (I usually drive over though), but I did catch the bus back.