- University News Archive - ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock /news-archive/tag/employee-wellness-program/ ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock Mon, 28 Jan 2019 17:50:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Employee wellness step challenge begins Feb. 11 /news-archive/2019/01/28/spring-step-challenge-2019/ Mon, 28 Jan 2019 17:50:31 +0000 /news/?p=73225 ... Employee wellness step challenge begins Feb. 11]]> The Employee Wellness Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock encourages all faculty and staff to join its upcoming fitness challenge, “Step into Spring,” from Feb. 11 to March 24. The goal of the six-week program is to get ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock employees up and moving while improving their daily lives through exercise. The program format is based on the number of steps participants accumulate over the course of the program. Participants are encouraged to reach 40,000 steps during each week of the challenge. Steps can be acquired in a number of ways including walking, jogging, cycling, attending a group exercise class, as well as tackling daily activities such as walking the dog or running errands on campus. Employees are free to use tracking devices, such as Fitbits or cellphones, to calculate their steps. By 5 p.m. every Monday, participants are required to record their steps in a Google form. To get employees motivated, the first 100 people to register will receive a free T-shirt. To keep them on their toes, random prizes will also be awarded to participants who meet the minimum weekly requirement of 40,000 steps. For more information, contact Karl Lenser at kjlenser@ualr.edu, the Office of Health Services at 501-569-3188, or ]]> Fall Fitness Challenge starts Oct. 15 /news-archive/2018/10/09/fall-fitness-challenge/ Tue, 09 Oct 2018 17:04:02 +0000 /news/?p=72173 ... Fall Fitness Challenge starts Oct. 15]]> With the academic year off to a great start, it’s time to stay in shape this fall with ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock’s Fall Fitness Challenge. ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock’s faculty and staff are invited to join the Employee Wellness Program and keep themselves active from Oct. 15 to Nov. 25. Participants will begin the six-week challenge with a goal of accumulating at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Prizes will be awarded randomly to each participant who reaches this goal. T-shirts are guaranteed to the first 100 people who register. For more information, contact Karl Lenser at kjlenser@ualr.edu or 501-907-8974. Registration is available at /health/fall-fitness-challenge/.]]> Fitness consultations now available for employees /news-archive/2018/02/20/fitness-consultations-now-available-employees/ Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:03:32 +0000 /news/?p=69478 ... Fitness consultations now available for employees]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Employee Wellness Program is now offering individualized fitness consultations to university employees. “Scheduling a fitness consultation provides the employee with an opportunity to obtain some help and guidance in several areas,” said Karl Lenser, coordinator of the Employee Wellness Program. Employees interested in a consultation will meet with Lenser to learn about ways they can speed up their metabolisms, lose excess belly fat, and perform exercises that can be done at home with inexpensive exercise equipment. “Establishing a weight loss goal and then developing a plan on how to accomplish the goal is one benefit of a consult,” Lenser said. “I also demonstrate exercises that the employee may not be aware of. Overall, the consultations provide the employee a time to sit down and discuss their needs and get some direction and assistance that can help them.” To sign up for the free consultation, contact Lenser at kjlenser@ualr.edu. ]]> Computer sciences grad creates one-stop-shop health care app /news-archive/2017/05/22/jyothsna-lankireddy/ Mon, 22 May 2017 16:58:46 +0000 /news/?p=67227 ... Computer sciences grad creates one-stop-shop health care app]]> She is creating an easy-to-use app, “Digital Hospital and Medical Application,” that will allow users to input medical problems, find a diagnosis, and get medical advice. The app also will locate the nearest and best medical facilities, give first aid tips, and exercise and nutrition advice. The health app is Lankireddy’s final project for her master’s degree in computer science. She graduated May 13 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. When Lankireddy was searching for a master’s program in the United States, ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock came up as one of the top choices in her search. Coming to Little Rock was a welcome change after spending a week in Dallas when she first arrived in the country from India. “I was very shocked about the crowds and traffic in Dallas,” she said. “When I came to Little Rock, it was very pleasant, quiet, and cool. I enjoyed the greenery and parks.” Her first foray in the American workforce was Starbucks, where she learned how to make a lot of coffee, handle American currency, and better understand American accents. “At first, it was difficult, but I enjoyed working there,” she said. “American accents were very different, but now I understand how people speak.” Through a career fair at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock, Lankireddy found an internship at Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. She also worked as a technical assistant at Ottenheimer Library and as a research graduate assistant in Health Services. Working under Employee Wellness Coordinator Karl Lenser, Lankireddy was instrumental in supporting employee wellness efforts at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock.
Jo Lankireddy and Karl Lenser

Jo Lankireddy and Karl Lenser

“Her technical skills, work ethic and engaging personality have made her an exemplary contributor to the wellness program,” Lenser said. “Her motivation to succeed in both school work and as my GA has been impressive, and I use her as an example for my children when they begin to complain about work/school issues.” Her work in Health Services inspired her to create an app for her master’s degree project that would help people become healthier. “It’s a one-stop shop for health and wellness,” Lankireddy said. The app received second place during the Engineering and Information Technology Open House.   Lankireddy has recommended ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock’s computer science program to many of her friends in India. She was especially inspired by Dr. Mariofanna Milanova. “As a professor, Dr. Milanova teaches everything,” she said. “She doesn’t just explain the theory. She explains how the information is used in reality, what research is going on, and what competitions are going on in the field. She gives many opportunities to the students.” Now that she has graduated, Lankireddy hopes to find a computer science job in Little Rock, so she can stay in the city she has grown to love. “I don’t want to leave Little Rock,” she said. In the upper right photo, Jo Lankireddy graduates from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock May 13 at the Jack Stephens Center. ]]> “Poker Walk” to benefit Trojan Food Pantry /news-archive/2017/04/11/trojan-food-pantry-2017/ Tue, 11 Apr 2017 16:01:22 +0000 /news/?p=66823 ... “Poker Walk” to benefit Trojan Food Pantry]]> The event will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. outside the east entrance of the Donaghey Student Center. During the poker walk, participants will receive random playing cards along a three-mile walking trail. Those with the best poker hands at the end of the course win prizes.    For registration, participants must bring two perishable items for the Trojan Food Pantry. Most needed items include peanut butter, jelly, canned chicken, canned fruit, canned spaghetti sauce, tuna, cereal, dry pasta, macaroni and cheese, and oatmeal. The first 75 people to register and submit donations will receive a T-shirt. ends April 11. For more information, contact Katie Helms at kehelms@ualr.edu or 501.683.7206 or Karl Lenser at kjlenser@ualr.edu or 501.907.8974.  ]]>