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Physical Well-Being

How can we incorporate movement and physical activity into our lives in ways that will actually stick? In this two-part episode, Michigan’s chief health officer, Dr. Robert Ernst explores the relationships that are important for our physical well-being. Then, Ellen Taylor, senior assistant director of fitness & wellness from the Rec Department, explains how physical activity can function as a balance to the competitive, results-driven focus of our graduate careers. Listen in and learn about all the fitness classes, skills workshops, outdoor programs, ropes courses, equipment rentals, and more that are available here at Michigan to help you best achieve your movement goals.

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Give this episode a listen and let us know what you think! Follow GradWell and join us on our journey to greater well-being for graduate students at the University of Michigan.

Guests

Dr. Robert Ernst

Dr. Robert Ernst serves as the chief health officer for the University of Michigan and associate vice president for health and wellness in the university’s Division of Student Life. As chief health officer, he is a key advisor to the university’s president on the promotion of health and wellness, disease management, public health preparedness, and other topics related to community well-being. His vision is to embed well-being into all aspects of campus culture and to inform the institution in its aspirational goal to become a health-promoting university.

Ellen Taylor

Ellen Taylor is a professional with over 20 years of experience in fostering wellness and fitness within the collegiate environment. As the Senior Assistant Director of Fitness & Wellness at the University of Michigan Department of Recreation Sports, she specializes in developing comprehensive programs that emphasize holistic wellbeing. Ellen holds a BS in Dietetics from the University of Wisconsin and is an ACE certified personal trainer and health coach. Her expertise lies in crafting initiatives that promote student development and broader understanding of physical activity, highlighting the myriad benefits of movement beyond just physical improvement.

Resources

Something small to do right now for your physical well-being: Check out MHealthy’s Physical Activity Videos for quick movement breaks you can incorporate throughout your day.

Transcript

Sam Hobson:

Hey, welcome to GradWell, a limited series podcast that explores various ways the University of Michigan can support its graduate students in their journey to greater well-being in our everyday lives. Brought to you by Rackham Graduate School. Each episode, we’ll explore a different dimension of well-being by interviewing a resource on campus that can help you thrive a little better. I’m Sam Hobson, a PhD candidate and a GSSA in Rackham’s Professional Development and Engagement Office. My fellow grad students, it’s time we start placing as much importance on ourselves as we do our work. You’re worth the effort.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Wellness is not the absence of physical ailments.

Sam Hobson:

Today we have the pleasure of hearing from two guests about physical well-being. Up first is Dr. Robert Ernst, the university’s chief health officer. And then we’ll hear from Ellen Taylor, the Recreational Sport Department’s assistant director of fitness and well-being. I’m excited to have y’all here with us today. All right, let’s dive in.

Okay. So, Dr. Robert Ernst serves as the chief health officer for the University of Michigan, and the associate vice president for health and wellness in the university’s Division of Student Life. As chief health officer, he is a key advisor to the university’s president on the promotion of health and wellness, disease management, public health preparedness, and other topics related to community well-being. His vision is to embed well-being into all aspects of campus culture, and to inform the institution in its aspirational goal to become a health-promoting university.

Hi, Dr. Ernst.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Hi, Sam. Thank you for having me here today.

Sam Hobson:

I’m so glad you’re here with me today. Before we jump into well-being, can you please tell me a little bit more about how you got into this role?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Sure. I’ve been at the university for a really long time. It’s been a very supportive and rewarding place to have a professional career, both for me and my partner. I’m a primary care physician now, but when I was first completing my training, my first role was in really complex care. I took care of a lot of really challenging folks, both in and out of the hospital.

So, I really made a big shift probably 20 years ago. I came to campus for the first time as medical director of the health service. And while there may be true, that a lot of the folks who come through the health service for clinical care have comparatively less serious illnesses, A, I don’t minimize the disruptive nature of episodic illnesses on students. So, I really think that it’s a priority for our health service to be timely and efficient in the way we manage those episodic care needs for students. But also, I was really impressed by the complexity of the behavioral health issues and emotional well-being of students. So, it really became my interest in making the campus more conducive to thriving for students, while at the same time, bolstering some of the clinical resources, both for medical and behavioral health, and better integrate some of the health and wellness resources.

Sam Hobson:

I appreciate how well-rounded that background is. It’s not just one linear path, and I think that’s cool.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

I’ve been able to reinvent myself several times without ever having to move. It’s really great.

Sam Hobson:

That’s the dream, right?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Yeah, it’s been really wonderful.

Sam Hobson:

I’m glad, I’m glad. Okay, so, Dr. Ernst, the focus of this episode is on the physical facet of well-being. What do you think that looks like, particularly for grad students, particularly for grad students here at the University of Michigan?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Yeah, physical wellness is one that, it seems on the surface an easy one to get your head around. A lot of folks in the wellness space actually, I think, probably cringe a little bit when many come to the work thinking their physical wellness is the same thing as health. And then that’s a tricky model, when you talk to medically-trained people. Oftentimes, we physicians, you need to coach us up to say that wellness is not the absence of physical ailments, right? So, we’re not the same thing as our physical health.

And there’s some complexity to, I think, just physical wellness in general. I’m a big proponent of movement and activity, and wellness from a physical standpoint can be a lot of options around physical movement. This is why I think it’s important that the campus recreation facilities and programs are fully integrated into our health and wellness portfolio, so that our recreational offerings are not just buildings to go to, but embedded within the recreational spaces are multiple programs to help students explore a range of different opportunities to just use their bodies in space. And I think movement in general is just super healthy and really enjoyable.

And for me, it’s actually connected directly to my emotional well-being. I’ve always been someone who, when anxiety seems like it’s getting higher, I just need to get out and move. And whether that’s riding a bicycle, or jogging, or swimming, it just helps bring down that internal temperature on me. Even though for many, that feels more like stress. And so it’s not a one-size-fits-all. But for me, physical movement really helps me feel better. We try to help students explore different opportunities for that.

The other thing that I love about the physical dimension of wellness is that it has the ability to bring community together. So, I mentioned a range of fitness classes. So, some people like to… Whether it’s a spinning class, or a yoga class, or a dance class, or something like that. So, many people find that this is more motivating, to do some things in groups, and then you get a benefit of connecting with other people in the process, which is super healthy, right? And there are other ways to do that, too.

And then the last thing I would say is that, and I alluded to this a little bit for me personally. For me, I like being outside when I’m doing some of my physical activity. And that ability to connect with nature and create almost an experiential learning activity in the process of movement is something that I think is really great. And we’re intentional about that here in our program. So, again, within our campus recreational portfolio, we have an entire Adventure Leadership program, where students can be part of outdoor activities, or even in groups, sign up for group activities that are intended to provide access to a physical movement thing, whether it’s a canoe trip or a ropes course, or something like that, but in the process do the community building and connect with nature all at once.

That’s one of the things that I really like about the physical facet of well-being, is it’s more than just the absence of illness. It’s a lot of these other issues.

Sam Hobson:

So, it seems as if it’s not just movement, although yes, movement is definitely contributing to our physical wellness. But it is connecting other dimensions of our well-being to our physical body, and in doing so, really amplifies our physical wellness and physical well-being?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

All of these dimensions of well-being are interconnected. They’re just not connected in the same way for each of us, because we’re complex people.

Sam Hobson:

Definitely. Okay, so, what are some of the unexpected or underrated things that can affect physical well-being for graduate students?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

I would say probably the one thing that I would leave you with, Sam, and your colleagues there, is that sleep is a super important and often overlooked component of our physical wellness, and it’s something that we can manage. And it’s not really well understood, what happens during sleep. It’s been studied like crazy. And much of what we know about sleep is what we observe in people who aren’t getting enough of it, or don’t have as high quality of sleep. We see the consequences of inadequate sleep and infer benefit.

So, I think that one of the pieces of advice I would have, and this is hard, because I know graduate students particularly have really difficult and unpredictable, sometimes, schedules, but to really prioritize and think about a schedule for your sleep, because that’s what our bodies seem to want, is to have some set of stability. And actually, what it wants more than anything else is it’s going to be programmed to get up at the same time. This is the frustrating part, sometimes, is the schedule is different at the end of the day. The body is actually programmed to wake up at the same time, so that’s why I think to get sufficient amount of sleep, we have to try to find some regularity at our end of day routine. Which is difficult for students, I get it.

One of the things I think is exciting to play around with is actually some of the new smartwatches that can track some of our biometric data, whether it’s our heart rate variations or even the quality of our sleep, and can give some feedback to us about sleep. I’ve been watching some of that on myself. I don’t even know how that number, that they give me a sleep score, is generated, but it motivates me if I start seeing a trend of lower number, that it helps me, remind me to think about my sleep schedule. So, think about sleep.

Some of the other things is that I’d encourage people to try some new things, because I think for physical well-being, if it’s going to be trying to explore physical activity, there’s a lot of options. We talked about some of them. Just movement is some, connecting with nature outside is another one. But I’d encourage students to just be curious about more than one thing. It’s not just about running, or something like that.

I would say, and I think maybe grad students more so than undergraduate students, is to start think about preventative health visits and interacting with medical services in a different way than just episodic care when something’s wrong. So, that’s a transition that happens, and having an established relationship with a primary care provider can be really helpful, so they can get to know you, understand what some of your priorities are, and then start thinking about some preventative health things. Many students are still thinking about how to take care of bronchitis when it happens, or how to get a sprained ankle better. But I think as you think about your physical health as we progress, having a relationship with a primary care doc. We have a great team of primary care providers at the health service, and part of their job is to do preventative work that’s in the context of the individual.

And while some of the physical movement stuff, we think of it as recreational and individual, some of the things we do are actually therapeutic. Physical therapy is actually something that we use as a modality. Most people may not think about that at this stage of their life. So, those are just some of the things I would offer.

Sam Hobson:

Thank you, yeah. As a person who has deeply entered into their 30s, the recognition of preventative care, of going to the doctor on a regular basis, has definitely come into a normal routine for me, one that I did not have about a decade, five years ago, even. But it’s now, as I’m feeling my body more, I’ve come to learn how important it is. Not just for those visits, but also for the relationship that it builds as well.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

I have to say, that’s some of the most rewarding part of being in the medical profession, is to have that kind of relationship with people, and get to know them, understand their priorities, understand their fears, their risks. And then to not be prescriptive, in terms of telling people what they should do, but just to explore a range of options for them to feel healthy.

Sam Hobson:

I really appreciate you bringing in the idea of exploration and how that’s possible with a deeper relationship with one’s physician. Yeah, I never thought about it like that.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

It’s a real privilege. It really is, I have to say. In all the stuff I’ve gotten into, I’ve had a lot of great administrative opportunities, and I really enjoy being in a leadership role for the university. But I have to say, I’ve always continued… I still practice medicine. Every Thursday, I’m in the clinic, seeing patients over at the health service, and it’s just the best day of my week almost every week, just because of everything we just talked about. It’s really rewarding.

Sam Hobson:

That’s wonderful to hear. Yeah, maybe my doctor actually wants to talk to me, I never thought about it that way. Okay, so, Dr. Ernst, it is something difficult to make our physical well-being a priority. As graduate students, we have incredibly busy schedules, as we’ve talked about, and numerous responsibilities. What are the resources that are available here at the University of Michigan that graduate students can access that can help them on their physical well-being journey?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

We talked about some of the clinical resources at the health service. We actually brand it as University Health and Counseling now, because administratively, our medical services are fully integrated with our behavioral health offerings for students. So, we have a whole cohort of trained physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, who are all trained in what we would consider to be the most important and pressing issues for students, and those are episodic care needs, so understand that I would hope that the health service would be the first place students would think to go if they’ve got an episodic healthcare issue. But also for primary preventative services we talked about, for gynecology and sexual health issues, mental health issues, musculoskeletal sports-related injuries. These are all very much core work for our campus health center.

We talked a little bit about the campus recreational offerings. And I say it as offerings because we do have three facilities on campus: the Intramural Sports Building, and the North Campus Recreational Center, we’re building this fabulous new central campus, Hadley Center, that will be open in the fall, and in the meantime, we’ve been able to provide some recreational offerings on The Bubble on Palmer Field there. That’s where my son goes every day. He’s goes up and he says, “I love The Bubble.”

In addition, we do have these wellness coaching opportunities through Wolverine Wellness. This is your opportunity to sit with a trained non-clinical person to just explore whatever dimension of well-being you’d like to focus on. And there’s a whole range of services throughout Student Life, I think, that has the holistic well-being of students in mind.

Sam Hobson:

It does feel nice to know that there, like you said, is something for everyone. And that, if we’re willing to put in just a little bit of work, we’re likely able to find the thing that connects to us, in terms of how can we best activate and pour into our physical wellness. Because I’ve also found, in my well-being journey, that doing something because… I have to really enjoy it. And I don’t necessarily know what I enjoy, and so just to try things out and say, “Oh, actually this doesn’t work.” Or, “This works for me because X, Y, and Z.” And so the diversity of offerings at the university, I think, provides an abundant space, it seems, for us to try to figure out ourselves and what works best for us.

So, do you have any strategies, any tips, any tricks that can make physical well-being a little more accessible?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Yeah, I think everybody’s a little different here, when it comes to motivations and preferences. I think these are super important concepts, when it comes to our physical well-being, because I know finding time is hard, but I think it is helpful to remind yourself of the consequences of people who don’t prioritize their physical health. It’s hard to know that as a student, but I’ll tell you. You get deep into your 30s, I tell you, you start feeling it more as each decade goes by. And I actually do feel like it’s a hard thing, as a human, to get motivated to do something now that might really only pay dividends decades later.

Sam Hobson:

Right.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

That’s a tough sell, right? So, it’s tough. And it’s really not a contest with anybody. I think sometimes you’ll see people feel like they’re up against, whether these artificial, “I’ve got to be doing the same thing that a friend is doing.” Or actually, if you choose to go into a recreational facility, that suddenly everybody is watching you and you’re trying to compete with these strangers, when it’s really a deeply personal thing.

The other part that I think is really helpful around the motivation, and this has been proven time and time and time again, which is that even very small investments matter here. And it doesn’t have to be a two-hour workout, or run a marathon. 10 minutes a day can really both make you feel better, and provide some sort of physical benefits over time if you maintain that continuity.

I think a couple of other things, when I think about motivations and strategies, are, again, figure out if you’re the kind of person who does this in a zen, individualistic way, or finding a partner. For many people, having a partner or a group can be really the secret ingredient to sustainability. So, it becomes not just your own intrinsic motivation, but you become pulled along by a group and build community. So, for many, many people, again, there’s not a one-size-fits-all here, but that’s finding a partner, building community. That can be a thing.

But for me personally, I read a book by, it was a UofM faculty member, Michelle Segar, I think, wrote a book. I don’t remember what it was called. Something like Get Moving. Oh, it’s called No Sweat. It was called No Sweat. It really helped me at a time. I think I was at a thing where, for me, milestones matter. That’s another strategy I use. When I was in my late 30s and I was trying to imagine what I wanted out of my physical well-being as I was entering another phase, I was trying to focus on my physical well-being because I saw that coming up. Other people do this when they’re looking ahead to vacations, or other people look at it when they’ve got to fit into their tux, or stuff like that. There’s different times when they’re looking downstream at a time, and then use that as a way to keep motivated in the meantime.

But I read this book and it really got me thinking about this issue of variety of things. I like to be consistent with investing in my physical health, I think that’s important to me. But I think it’s important to maintain that and sustain that. I’ve got to mix it up. I enjoy swimming, I enjoy running. I enjoy doing some strength conditioning stuff when I got to the gym too, and stuff like that. But I think just walking the dog, for me, I see it as a variety of things. That it’s keeping me moving, and that variety is helpful, and I’m not doing it for anybody else, I’m doing it for myself. So, I’ve got out of the whole feeling like I’ve got to impress anybody with it.

Sam Hobson:

I really like the emphasis you’ve placed on variety. I’ve found that in honestly anything that I need to keep consistent, I need to be able to bounce around a little bit. And what I also liked, when you brought in the small, little things, like even walking your dog, how that can contribute. And sometimes we don’t celebrate that. You walk your dog two or three times a day.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Oh, I take credit for it.

Sam Hobson:

Right!

Dr. Robert Ernst:

I take credit for that. Heck, yeah.

Sam Hobson:

Yeah, right? I’m sure there is a lot of movement and a lot of little things that we do towards our physical well-being throughout our day that we don’t give ourselves credit for, and in not giving ourselves credit for it, I wonder to what extent does it not necessarily play as deep of a role in our physical wellness, because we don’t acknowledge it as playing a deep role in our physical wellness? Do you know what I mean?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Yeah, and I think raising the awareness, as you just talked about, is important. That’s why you hear some people about take the stairs instead of the elevator. That’s a little way you can just say, when you’re feeling busy and you’re not going to have time to do anything, you just work it in and then acknowledge it. “Look, I made an investment there.”

The other thing that we’ve hinted around is to actually have a plan and a strategy of what you would do if something really felt wrong and you didn’t know what it was. And sometimes this can be your shoulder aching, or just you’ve got a pain and your back’s hurting, just something doesn’t feel right. What would you do? So, in the moment, now you have to do something. But I think everybody can plan for that. What would you do? And as we talked about, some of the campus resources that are available, we talked about sometimes having the recognized name of somebody who you’ve seen you before. And having some continuity isn’t necessary, but sometimes people like that. To say, “I’ll plan to go see my person if something doesn’t feel right, so we can take this concern in the context of what we’ve talked about before.” So, that’s another sort of approach we don’t necessarily think about, which is to do that forward planning not just on how I’m feeling today, but what if something were different, what would I do?

Sam Hobson:

When I moved to Connecticut, my partner was very adamant about healthcare. And I was like, “I’ll get a doctor when I need a doctor.” And she was like, “That’s not how that works. You have to wait six months to get a primary care physician. Get one now.”

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Good advice.

Sam Hobson:

And when something came up… She’s quite smart. When something came up, I was very fortunate to be able to have a primary care that I could go see because I was not a new patient. And so I think that’s really prudent advice, to start building those relationships before you need them. Yeah.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Well stated.

Sam Hobson:

Okay, so, Dr. Ernst, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our community about physical well-being, or well-being in general, for grad students?

Dr. Robert Ernst:

I know grad students have a bit of a unique experience, so we’re open to ideas. There’s, I think, ways where students, if they have ideas to improve our continuum of care, we’re open to that. Our well-being collective has a number of different student networks on it that are specifically intended for participation in our ongoing work to help create this thriving ecosystem.

I think raising awareness about the existing resources. I’m always amazed. I have a student advisory committee, and I’m really privileged to work with Rackham Student Government folks who are interested in health and wellness. They’ve got some really good people there. And I’m sometimes amazed at we spend so much time, as administrators and professionals, in our systems that we create, that it’s easy to think that all the students know about it. So, oftentimes, it’s really helpful to spread the word.

I think students are understandably vocal when there’s a negative experience, but we have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of experiences with students when they have a favorable experience, and they tend to talk less about those. And just if there’s, “Oh my God, I didn’t know I could get my glasses at the health service.” We have an optical shop there, and it’s a great service. I get my own. These, I got them there, these crystal ones that my daughter put me up to. I got them at the health service. I’m always amazed, we think we have a great resource, but the students may not be aware of it, and if they don’t know about it, it’s not going to be helpful. So, I think just raising awareness and providing input, and help us continually try and improve, I’d leave you with that.

Sam Hobson:

Okay. Thank you, Dr. Ernst. Thank you so much for your time, and your wisdom, and your presence today with us. I appreciate it.

Dr. Robert Ernst:

Well, I hope it’s been helpful for you. It has certainly been really enjoyable for me, so I appreciate the invite and the opportunity. Thank you.

Sam Hobson:

Now to dive deeper into the numerous offerings of Michigan’s Recreational Department that Dr. Ernst mentioned, I’ve invited Ellen Taylor, senior assistant director of fitness and wellness, to chat with us. Ellen Taylor is a professional with over 20 years of experience in fostering wellness and fitness within the collegiate environment. As the senior assistant director of fitness and wellness at Michigan’s Department of Recreation Sports, she specializes in developing comprehensive programs that emphasize holistic well-being, highlighting the myriad benefits of movement beyond just physical improvement. Ellen holds a BS in Dietetics from the University of Wisconsin, and is an ACE-certified personal trainer and health coach.

Hi, Ellen. Thank you for being here with me today.

Ellen Taylor:

Hi, Sam. Thanks for having me.

Sam Hobson:

So, Ellen, just to get us started, can you help us understand the wellness component of your role?

Ellen Taylor:

Yeah, so, the wellness component of my role is ever-growing and ever-changing, and with that, I will say that the core work of what we do within the fitness programs is rooted in wellness. We all know that physical well-being is one of the main components of any wellness model that you’re looking at. However, when you look at fitness and the industry of fitness, it can be polarizing. There are a million wonderful effects of moving your body and of the fitness industry, but there are also some really negative things that happen in the fitness industry that can have a negative effect on your mental health. It can also have a negative effect on your physical health if you are going to places where that culture is more focused on the aesthetic appeal.

So, within my role and within Rec sports, taking that to the other side. Using the well-being narrative in all of our fitness programming, of making sure that you are finding movement that you find enjoyment in, you’re listening to your bodies. You’re coming into a space that you feel welcomed in, that you can find a community. So, that’s where I’ll say that all of our work is rooted in well-being. With movement, we want to make sure that we are inspiring people and creating an environment that is a positive part of their well-being.

Sam Hobson:

Ellen, that is so warming to hear. Particularly as a person who was a collegiate athlete, and who’s coming from a very particular type of focus, in regards to a perspective on fitness, to hear that our college Rec department, our graduate college Rec department, that the focus is on wellness and how you feel, and how that perhaps is the ultimate goal, rather than maybe how much you can do or accomplish. It feels really inviting.

Ellen Taylor:

It sounds like you’ve been in an environment that has been more of a competitive environment and results-driven.

Sam Hobson:

Well said. Yes.

Ellen Taylor:

That’s also why we have the take that we have, because this university is very competitive and very high demand in pressure, and we want to use physical activity to help balance those things out. So, we don’t want you coming in and thinking, “I have to be still competitive here. I have to be giving everything that I have in every single session, workout, every single time I move.” No, you don’t. Let’s use that physical activity as a moment of enjoyment and release.

Sam Hobson:

Yes! Oh, I love it. This is very healing to hear, so, thank you, Ellen.

Ellen Taylor:

Good.

Sam Hobson:

Thank you. So, Ellen, how can the Rec department help us on our journey to greater physical well-being?

Ellen Taylor:

Yeah. Recreational sports has a lot of opportunities for you to engage in physical movement. And that, I think, the big component of that is find what speaks to you. We do have three comprehensive indoor facilities. You have access to a variety of cardio equipment, weight equipment, multipurpose spaces. And then there’s a variety of courts: racketball, squash, basketball, volleyball, badminton, courts of your imagination. And then there is an indoor pool and a track. So, all of those amenities are things that, as a registered student, you have access to utilize them.

And then from there, you can go into our programs. We have our fitness programs. We also have our sports programs. So, we have intramural sports, so that’s a lot more recreationally. You can register as a free agent or as a full team, and you have your games scheduled for you. And then club sports, that’s more of our participants of those who were athletes and are missing that competitive edge, because they have structured practices and they do compete outside of the university.

And then our Adventure Leadership program. That is a program that, when we were really looking about physical well-being and really physical activity within that program, we do rentals of equipment. Really, that program is trying to get people outdoors and engaged with outdoors. So, you’re looking at rental equipment to go camping, and we have bikes, we have snowshoes and cross-country skis. That program also does take people on trips, and like I said, their goal is to get people outdoors, so the trips are usually outdoor activity-based trips, such as dog-sledding. And then they do some spring break trips, some ice-climbing trips, a variety of different things.

So, that’s a lot of the different programs that we have. More specifically, with the fitness programs, we have group fitness classes at all three of our facilities. And those classes, we have a whole variety. We have here dance or choreographed things, which would be Zumba or HIGH fitness. We have more strength or traditional cardio-strength athletic-based classes, which would be total body strength, cardio, core, metabolic circuit. Then we have mind-body classes, which we have three different types of yoga. We have Power Flow, which is more like a vinyasa style yoga class. We have Slow Flow, which is kind of a mix between a slow vinyasa and a yin class. Then we have Restorative, which is definitely more like your yin class style of yoga. And we also have indoor cycling classes, barre classes, Pilates classes, a wide variety of those. And students can either purchase a pass for the semester and go to as many of the classes as they want, or they can pay as they go.

If you’re looking for something that is more specific and you want a little bit more individual attention, then we do have specialized group trainings and personal training. Specialized group training is a smaller group of individuals, and that is a program where you’re usually learning a skill or focusing on a goal-specific adaptation. And with those programs, they run from four to eight weeks, and when someone registers for it, they’re registering for that whole time period. So, there’s also the community aspect in there too, because you know you’re with that same group every time, and you guys are progressing together with that. And then there’s personal training.

But I think I’ve hit all of our different areas to help students move on campus. I’m probably missing something, because our department does a ton of things. But really trying to have an opportunity for anyone to move their bodies on campus. Find something that speaks to them that they can engage in.

Sam Hobson:

This is just so cool. I had no idea the variety, the diversity, honestly the complexity of the offerings of the Rec department. Can you say more about your Adventure component? I really do think it’s the coolest thing I’ve heard in a really long time. I know that y’all have trips and rentals, but I saw that you can train to be a Wilderness First Responder?

Ellen Taylor:

Yes, yes. So, our Adventure Leadership program has a lot of components to it. We do do training for outdoor first responder. We also have a program called MOLES, which is a six-workshop series learning all the different skills for outdoor things. A lot of camping skills are in there, and things like that. And with that program, people can register for the entire six-session workshops, or they can just register for the one of interest. So, that series, it’s finding your outdoor connection, setting up camp, meals for outdoors, safety and exploration, multi-day trips, and then an evening hike and celebration.

Another educational pillar for them is more along the lines of group and team building and dynamics. Out by the Botanical Gardens, we do have our Outdoor Education Center, which it does have a high ropes course there. So, that’s where that adventure piece comes in, with the experiential learning, and that team-building and leadership skill-building is all done based off of that. You can choose what you want to participate in in the challenge, challenge by choice. But bringing in that physical component of putting yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Sam Hobson:

I really appreciate how you framed it, in terms of opportunities to put yourself outside of your comfort zone. I think those are hard to come by, or at least hard to create for one’s self. And so the fact that the Recs department really provides that for us, and also the educational component that you need in order to be able to do that safely and well, I think is really special.

Ellen Taylor:

Yeah, and especially, “Intrigued about camping, but I don’t know how to do it.” Great, then we have these workshops that can teach you. But then, the other thing is, if you’ve never camped, do you really want to make that financial investment?

Sam Hobson:

Right.

Ellen Taylor:

Hey, we can help you with that, because we’ve got equipment you can rent instead of having to go and buy everything.

Sam Hobson:

Right. Camping gear is incredibly expensive, nobody told me.

Ellen Taylor:

Right?

Sam Hobson:

Yeah.

Ellen Taylor:

And I love that that program does have all the levels of if you want to be really individual in this, and learn and go as your own. Or, “You know what? I’m interested in this, but I’m terrified, and I need my hand held all the way through.”

Sam Hobson:

Yeah.

Ellen Taylor:

“I can do a trip with a group of people, probably very similar to myself, and have a trip lead that I know I’m in good hands, and I don’t know how to set up a tent, but they will assist me.”

Sam Hobson:

Yeah.

Ellen Taylor:

“Anything I don’t know, they will definitely assist me with.”

Sam Hobson:

Yeah, yeah. We’re really fortunate to have access to that, and I really hope that folks are able to take away the notion of just wanting to take advantage of all that we have access to here while we do.

Ellen, what are some tips or tricks that you can suggest that can make physical well-being a little more accessible for graduate students?

Ellen Taylor:

So, when I think about tips and tricks, and my focus is around physical activity and getting movement in your day, the biggest things I can say are, one, find a movement that you enjoy. Whatever that is, whether that is you’re running, you’re lifting weights, you’re dancing, any kind of movement that inspires you, find something you enjoy, because ultimately, what we want to see is physical activity on a very regular basis, and if you don’t enjoy it, you’re not going to be consistent with it.

Two is something is always better than nothing. I know, with our busy schedules, it gets really easy to push physical activity off to the side. “I don’t have time for this. I got to go to this meeting, I got to really prep for this project, this exam.” And physical activity is the first thing that gets cut. Or, “I’m running behind, so I know I’m not going to have time to get in what I had planned that day to get in.”

Sam Hobson:

Don’t worry about it.

Ellen Taylor:

Can you get 10 minutes of that in? Get 10 minutes of that in. It doesn’t have to be a full hour all the time, it doesn’t have to be a full 30 minutes. Get in what you can, something is better than nothing.

And then number three, plan for your activity. So, I’m sure a lot of grad students are already planning out almost every minute of their day. Start putting physical activity in there where you can. And whether that is a five-minute walk, a five-minute stretch at your desk, or if it is a gym session, or if it is an outdoor activity, put it into your day just like you would schedule any other meeting or class, or anything that you have, to help you stay consistent with it.

And then number four, social support. So, think about those people that are in your circle and how are they supporting you in physical activity? Are they helping you create extra time in your day, so you can get your physical activity in? Are you participating in things where you feel like you’re in a supportive environment? Even thinking of, in some of your work environments, or offices, or research labs, what is the culture and the environment in there and the social support to get movement in in your day?

So, thinking about those four things: finding something you enjoy; keep in mind, something’s always better than nothing; plan for your activity; and consider your social support.

Sam Hobson:

That really resonates with me. Honestly, the fact that one’s approach needs to have multiple components, as a person who will try to do one thing and then wonder why it didn’t work because I did one of the four on your list. But recognizing that it has to be hit from multiple dimensions of our lives in order to be incorporated into our lives makes sense.

Ellen Taylor:

Yeah.

Sam Hobson:

Is there anything else, Ellen, that you’d like to share with our community about physical well-being or just well-being in general for grad students?

Ellen Taylor:

When you think about physical well-being, physical activity is a large component of it. But also, be thinking about how are you fueling your body? And how are you allowing your body to recover, rest, and rejuvenate, as more of those proactive components of physical well-being?

I think the other thing that I would stress, once again, when we’re looking at physical activity to help with our physical well-being, keep in mind that you should be doing stuff that feels good for your body. And that you want to listen to your bodies as you are going through an exercise, going through workouts, and finding what you enjoy to do and really trying to build movement into your regular schedule. Getting movement in, intentional movement in, almost every day. If that’s starting out five minutes a day, great. If you’re already pretty consistent, stay consistent with that, and keep that as a part of your lifestyle habits.

And I think you will notice that that will start to become a necessity for you. You will start to see those benefits of, “Oh, I can manage the day-to-day stressors a lot easier when I have this regular activity in my life.” And then along with that, all of the other just physical feelings that you have, that you start to notice improvements on. But first and foremost, I think you’ll start to see the improvements in your mental and emotional states.

Sam Hobson:

That makes sense, what you were saying about, A, intentional movement. Not just movement, but movement that you’re consciously aware of having a positive effect on your well-being. But also, the consciousness that’s required of the noticing. “I’ve been doing this movement, and now I feel as if I can manage X, Y, and Z better as a result.” What I’m hearing from you is that it is noticing that connection and that relationship that will really help us to stick with it.

Ellen Taylor:

Yes.

Sam Hobson:

And really incorporate it into our lives.

Ellen Taylor:

Yes.

Sam Hobson:

Oh, yeah.

Ellen Taylor:

Yes. Once you start to notice those things, the advice of something is better than nothing, that becomes easier to follow when you start to feel and notice the effects of your physical activity that you’re engaging in, that, okay, now it’s like, “Okay, I know I don’t have 45 minutes for this planned activity, I’m cut down to 20.” And instead of being like, “Oh, I’m tired, I’m going to go do something else.” You start to be like, “I’m almost craving that, because I know that, even in that 20 minutes, I’ll be able to come back to my work more focused. I’ll be able to come back to this difficult conversation with more clarity.”

Sam Hobson:

That’s definitely a really strong takeaway that I will be holding with me after this conversation.

Ellen, I want to thank you so much for your time, and your wisdom, and your presence here today. It has been a joy and a pleasure, and I’m very, very grateful.

Ellen Taylor:

Thank you so much for having me, and I hope to see some of the graduate students in our facilities, or even if you don’t come in our facilities, hopefully this has inspired you to find some sort of movement that you enjoy and you can do on a daily basis.

Sam Hobson:

Here are three takeaways and something small that you can do towards your physical well-being right now.

One, check out the movement classes offered by the Rec department. They offer different strength and cardio, dance, mind and body, and cycling classes throughout the semester. They also offer free self-defense workshops. Two, check out the Rec department’s outdoor equipment rentals. You can rent just about everything for your next adventure, from camping tents to sleeping bags, snowshoes to yard games, backpacks to bicycles. And three, remember that physical wellness is not only the absence of physical ailments, it’s also about the presence of, well, presence. I know that there are things that you’re likely already doing that contribute to your physical well-being. Make sure you honor those, and just build from there.

And for something small that you can do right now for your physical well-being, check out MHealthy’s Physical Activity videos. They have a lot of content to support your movement goals, from Zumba to cardio kickboxing, to even movement that can be done from your chair. What I love is that they offer numerous ideas about quick little movement breaks that you can include throughout your day.

You can find all of these links and more at rackham.umich.edu\gradwell. Please email us with any questions at [email protected]. And be sure to join us next time, when I chat with Dr. Gautam Kaul from the Ross School of Business about financial well-being. See you then.

Hey, hardworking grad student, thank you for tuning in to GradWell. I hope you can take something away from this episode with you. If you like what you heard, be sure to write a review, like, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more information, check us out on social, @umichgradschool.