It may be hard to believe but the 6th Annual Bee Heart Smart physical activity challenge is nearly complete for another year. At last count, more than 125 participants and 15 teams had registered to take part in the annual challenge. My hope is that we meet our goal of surpassing last year's numbers (176 participants and 17 teams) by the time the challenge comes to a close.

I have heard many inspiring stories from those who have participated in the challenge this year, and you have all encouraged me to keep my numbers up. I was on the list of Top 10 Steppers for a short while, before being surpassed by some extremely dedicated participants. The continued determination of those top 10 folks (and my dog staring at me accusingly if I didn't take him for a walk) has helped spur me on to maintain my goal of 10,000 steps a day – even on those terribly windy, rainy or cold evenings.

The goal of the Bee Heart Smart challenge is to increase physical activity while participating in a fun challenge, and even if you don't win a prize, anyone who has participated is, in the end, a winner by striving to increase your own health and wellness. Congratulations to all who participated, and please check the Notice Board and Wellness website (www.uleth.ca/hum/wellness) for this year's winners.

The Wellness Committee has been working hard to develop a wellness plan for the U of L community.

In 2009-10, a number of Lunch and Learn education sessions were introduced, including: How's Your Financial Health?; Is Work Causing a Pain Your Back; Sleep Apnea; Holiday Eating Survival Tips; How to Maintain Your Brain; Recognizing Burnout; Stress Management Tools including Desktop Yoga; Eating for Cardiovascular Health; and Xeriscaping.

The Lunch and Learn sessions will continue in 2010-11 and some of the suggestions for topics include: back care and ergonomics; acupuncture, alternative or holistic health care treatments; humour and laughter in the workplace; emotional wellness; fitness evaluations; communication skills; stress management; and cardiovascular health.

If you have other suggestions or would like to explore a particular wellness topic, please let me know.

Other wellness planning includes the development of a U of L stretching and strengthening program (with a kinesiology applied studies student), the continuation of the employee vascular screening program and the possibility of another life balance fair in the fall. There will also continue to be the exploration and co-ordination of health and wellness resources on campus.

As usual, I welcome any comments, suggestions or feedback!

Suzanne McIntosh is the co-ordinator of wellness programs at the University