5 Ways to Jump Start Your Wellness

The start of the academic year is a great time to create healthy habits. Schedules are new, motivation is high, and the energy across campus encourages exploration and participation.  The key to a healthy lifestyle is to aim for consistency and balance.  But, getting started with new activities can be intimidating. The five tips below aim to make it a little easier to jumpstart your wellness this fall.

1. Find Your Fit: Explore the many health and wellness options on campus and within your community. Utilize the Salazar Student Wellness Center to get active in climbing, sports, group fitness, and swimming or outdoor adventure activities. Explore personal wellness resources such as meditation rooms, the food pantry, or health coaching services.  Try out for a club sport or join a student organization that complements your personal wellness interests. Explore online wellness solutions like fitness classes, meditation apps like Headspace, or YOU@CU Denver, which is an app designed to help you navigate a variety of personal wellness needs and interests.


2. Create Balance: Maintaining a sense of well-being is a constant balancing act.  At times, life will require more focus and energy in certain areas, which can mean you might feel a little unbalanced. This constant ebb and flows are natural and maintaining awareness of your physical needs, thoughts and emotions can help you understand when you might be out of balance. Then, you can take intentional steps to create more stability and balance in your life. Further, you can think about wellness as a circular dimension, where all elements fluidly interact with each other. The 7 Dimensions of Wellness encourages balance amongst all areas of well-being to feel your best.   


3. Get Social: One of the best ways to try new things is to do it with friends. Social support can make it feel easier to start and maintain healthy habits. In addition, recreational activities can be a great way to meet new people who share a common interest.  There are lots of opportunities on campus designed to help you make connections with peers and colleagues, which can expand your social support network and make the university experience more enjoyable. CU Denver students also have access to an app called NOD, which is designed to build social connections amongst students.


4. Focus on Effort and Enjoyment: In order to make wellness habits consistent for the long haul, it’s important that you actually feel some sense of enjoyment, pride, and fulfillment from completing wellness tasks such as going for a walk or taking time to create an achievable budget plan. This sense of accomplishment can be fostered by focusing on the effort and completion of healthy actions, rather than solely focusing on the outcome or end result.


5. Use Your Resources: CU Denver is brimming with wellness resources and experts who are eager to help you take the first step towards new, healthy habits. All CU Denver students, faculty & staff members have access to a free wellness coaching session to explore health and wellness resources and craft a personal plan of action.  In addition, resources such as the Auraria Health Center, Student Counseling Center, and Phoenix Center are available to help you navigate physical, emotional, and mental health challenges.

It’s a great time to establish healthy habits. There are resources and people ready to help and encourage your participation and progress. By forming habits now, at the start of the semester, you are creating a routine that your mind and body will be more likely to maintain consistently over time. Consistency (or lack) of healthy habits is a large predictor of an individual’s general health. 

Jumpstart your wellness this fall to develop your mind and body into the best and most healthy version of yourself.

Presented by Amber Long, M.Ed.

Executive Director Wellness & Recreation Services

Certified Health Coach, Personal Training, Group Fitness Instructor