1100 JOIN BU SARGENT COLLEGE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHALLENGE TO DATE

Wednesday, December 1, 2004

(Boston) – More than eleven hundred students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Boston University (BU) have already committed to taking the BU Sargent College Healthy Lifestyle Challenge, a yearlong program that encourages participants to incorporate healthy habits into everyday life. With five challenges completed, participants are staying committed, leading healthier lifestyles and enjoying the program according to online comments.

In celebration of the success of the challenge so far and the holiday season, BU Sargent College would like to invite the BU community to an informal holiday cookie reception in their lobby at 635 Commonwealth Avenue on Thursday, December 16 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Along with representatives from the College, Stacey Stimets, coordinator of the Nutrition and Fitness Center will be handing out cookies that have had a “makeover” so they still satisfy a sweet tooth but are healthier and more nutritious than their original versions. This event is part of challenge #6 that shows participants ways to makeover their favorite holiday recipes.

Even though the challenge is well underway, new participants are still encouraged to join and those not yet signed up are still welcome to attend the cookie reception. The challenge is open to anyone interested including BU students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends as well as the greater BU community.

Each challenge is a lifestyle tip, change or recommendation created by BU Sargent College students and faculty members that promote healthy living. Although these steps are small and easy to incorporate into daily life, they can make a big difference in energy level, weight and overall health and wellbeing. Challenges come from all program areas in the college including health sciences, communication disorders, nutrition, athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation counseling.

We will unveil a new challenge on the website every two weeks through April 2005. Registered participants receive an e-mail with a link to the new challenge where they are asked to answer a brief questionnaire about their experience with the previous challenge before viewing the new one. After completing the survey, participants are entered into the bi-weekly raffle for a variety of prizes including gift certificates to healthy restaurants, Barnes & Noble, City Sports as well as other area vendors.

“With our 75 th anniversary at BU this year and 125 years since our founding in 2006, the Challenge is a way for us to share our many years of knowledge and expertise with members of the BU community and beyond,” said Lois Nunez, associate dean of BU Sargent College. “Our goal is to show participants that small lifestyle changes can make a big difference in their overall wellbeing.”

For more information or to register for the challenge, please visit http://www.bu.edu/sargent/challenge.

The Nutrition and Fitness Center (NFC) at Boston University is a division of Sargent College Clinical Centers. For more information on this and the other centers, go to http://www.bu.edu/nfc/.

Boston University (BU) Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is an institution of higher education, research and clinical centers whose premier academic programs prepare dynamic health professionals and whose research and leadership in the health and rehabilitation sciences is actively shaping health care. BU Sargent College is the only private institution in the country offering five nationally ranked graduate programs in health and rehabilitation sciences. For more information and to learn about degree programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, communication disorders, health sciences, athletic training, nutrition, and rehabilitation counseling, visit http://www.bu.edu/sargent.