Physical Well-Being

You will find information here about defining and evaluating ergonomic risks, creating ergonomically appropriate workstations, and preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. You also will find tips on taking stretch breaks and how to maintain proper posture at your desk, as well as information about the effects of highly repetitive movements, excessive force or strain and vibration for those working in offices or laboratories around the University.

Struggling with office ergonomics?  For those experiencing pain or significant, ongoing discomfort from their computer workstation, whether on Grounds or at home, UVA Environmental Health & Safety provides a 20-minute online office ergonomics self-assessment and training tool called ROSA by MyAbilities. EHS Occupational Health personnel provide further assistance as needed based upon the ROSA result. Click the link below to get started today!

A comprehensive occupational health- and team member-focused wellness clinic within the UVA Medical Center, which provides medical treatment of work-related injuries as well as occupational health and wellness services tailored to employer needs (including medical physicals, immunizations, drug screens, fitness for duty evaluations, and executive wellness programs. UVA-WorkMed team members include Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Exercise Physiologists, Registered Dietitians, and Wellness Specialists.

UVA’s Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) works to ensure that students, faculty, staff, and alumni do not have to choose between substance use disorder recovery and a world-class academic, employee, and alumni experience. This growing support network respects and fosters recovery through encouragement, empathy, and celebration of success.

UVA CRP hosts monthly social events, a support group called Hoos in Recovery (HiR) that meets weekly during the regular school year, Recovery Ally trainings, and much more.

Influenza vaccination is a critical step in protecting yourself, your coworkers, family, and your community from infection with influenza virus. Pursuant to promoting healthy lifestyle choices and a healthy workplace for all UVA employees, Hoos Well encourages annual flu vaccinations for all who are able. Each fall, Hoos Well hosts flu vaccination events across Grounds.

The UVA Exercise Physiology Core Lab offers body composition, metabolism, and fitness testing to UVA employees at a discounted rate. They work with everyone from elite athletes to people just starting an exercise program. 

Put numbers to your goals by finding out how many calories your body needs, what your current body fat level is, and/or what your heart rate should be during exercise. Each test they offer includes a consultation with their staff.

To schedule a Bod Pod, Resting Metabolism test, or Exercise Test, contact Lisa Farr: 434.982.3565 or lisafarr@virginia.edu

Charlottesville area residents with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes can currently join BEATDiabetes for FREE. BEATDiabetes delivers diabetes prevention or management tips directly to your mobile phone by text and offers financial rewards to help motivate you to take action. Texts focus on small, attainable changes that can add up to big improvements in your blood sugars and overall health. If you are successful in improving your blood sugars, you can earn entries in the $1000 BEATDiabetes Drawing held 3 times a year.  The 12-month program is currently free for people with Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in Charlottesville and the surrounding area. Sign-up is fast and easy, and you can discontinue the program at any time. To learn more or to sign up, go to www.beatT2diabetes.com or call 434-234-7676.

Participation is limited, so sign up soon to secure your spot.

UVA-WorkMed provides chronic care coaching to assist UVA team members and their families manage chronic health conditions, with the goal of improving health and wellbeing. There is no cost to UVA team members for this service, and eligibility does not depend on enrollment in the UVA Health Plan. For more information, call 434.243.0075 or click the button below.

Watch the recording of this August 2, 2023 webinar that highlights the reward-eligible monthly Triple Tracker challenge.

Eliminate the guesswork and trepidations associated with physical activity. Identify barriers and challenges related to incorporating and maintaining physical activity. Learn about and employ proven measures to set, accomplish, and examine goals, how to instill accountability and harness the power of visualization, as well as optimally leveraging Hoos Well resources to assist you in achieving your health and fitness goals.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn the science behind goal setting.
2. Examine and apply multiple constructs, including the Health Belief Model to goal setting.
3. Discover how to inculcate and celebrate the adoption of healthy behaviors requisite to achieving improved health.
4. Step back and appreciate the process of working towards goals.
5. Learn how to leverage Hoos Well resources, including the Triple Tracker within the Hoos Well portal to help you in achieving your goals.

About your presenter

Joseph Giandonato, MBA, MS, CSCS serves as an employee well-being coordinator within Hoos Well and holds masters degrees in exercise science and business administration and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He possesses over a decade of experience in higher education, where he's assisted with the conceptualization, deployment, and evaluation of employee and student wellness initiatives in tandem with responsibilities of overseeing recreational programming, fitness and athletics facilities, and varsity strength and conditioning. Giandonato also serves as an adjunct faculty member at a number of colleges where he teaches exercise science and health promotion electives. Giandonato is also pursuing doctoral studies in exercise science.

1. Open the Hoos Well portal or access the Virgin Pulse app. (Need help registering for an account in the portal? View step by step instructions.)
2. Locate “My Profile” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen if accessing the web-based Hoos Well portal, which should appear as a silhouette, if accessing the portal for the first time, or a picture of you, if previously uploaded.
3. Click on “My Profile” and scroll down the page until you locate the “Devices and Apps” section and “Connect a Device” button.
4. Click on the “Connect a Device” button and select the device or application you would like to sync with you Hoos Well portal account and proceed with the specific instructions associated with your chosen device or application. Note: As of February 1, 2023, Virgin Pulse is compatible with Apple Health, fitbit, Garmin, Google Fit, iHealth, nuyu Health O Meter, myfitnesspal, Polar, S Health (formerly known as Samsung Health), Strava, and Withings.
5. Begin to import activity from your connected device or app. Check to see if your activity appears in the “Stats” module within the Hoos Well portal. The “Stats” module can be located on the Hoos Well portal landing page upon logging in or along the tab at the top by scrolling over the “Home” icon, if navigating the web-based Hoos Well portal, or by clicking on it, if operating the Virgin Pulse app. Alternatively, you may manually enter your activity by clicking on “Steps”, “Active Minutes”, or “Workouts”.

Research has shown that adults who take 7,000 steps per day decrease their mortality risk by 50-70% in comparison to adults who take fewer than 7,000 steps (Paluch et al., 2021). Exercising 15 minutes per day was shown to reduce mortality risk by 22% (European Society of Cardiology, 2016). Engaging in 15 minutes of daily physical activity has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality by 14% while increasing life expectancy by three years (Wen et al., 2011).

Yes! You may have a colleague or friend who is an employee subscribed to either health plan invite you as a friend. You will be able to access the Hoos Well portal and use the Virgin Pulse app, however, you will not be able to earn rewards associated with the monthly Triple Tracker, among other reward-eligible activities.

UVA employees and spouses on the UVA or UPG health plans can earn a $25 reward for completing the monthly Triple Tracker. If your activity data meets the thresholds, or if you report completion of one of the three qualifying activities (20) days within a calendar month, your reward of $25 will appear during the following month. For example, if you meet the requirements of the Triple Tracker for February, your reward of $25 will be reflected in March.

The reward will appear immediately in your Virgin Pulse account when you complete the Triple Tracker. All Hoos Well rewards are directly deposited into the health plan subscriber’s paycheck after each quarterly rewards period. Please allow approximately one month for rewards to be processed after the close of each quarter. For example, rewards earned by March 31, 2023 will be paid to the subscriber by late April or early May.

Hupin, D., Roche, F., Gremeaux, V., Chatard, J.C., Oriol, M., Gaspoz, J.M., Barthélémy, J.C., & Edouard, P. (2015). Even a low-dose of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduces mortality by 22% in adults aged ≥60 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49 (19): 1262-1267.

Paluch, A.E., Gabriel, K.P., Fulton, J.E., Lewis, C.E., Schreiner, P.J., Sternfield, B., Sidney, S., Siddique, J., Whitaker, K.M., & Carnethon, M.R. (2021). Steps per Day and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-aged Adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. JAMA Network Open, 4 (9): e2124516.

Wen, C.P., Wai, J.P., Tsai, M.K., Yang, Y.C., Cheng, T.Y., Lee, M.C, Chan, H.T., Tsao, C.K., Tsai, S.P., & Wu, X. (2011). Minimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study. Lancet, 378 (9798):1244-1253.