WAT! Adult - College Edition WALK Newsletter #5 – April 4th, 2022

W – WOW: College Edition Update

This is the time of year when we often spend time focusing on the end of the semester academic activities or other professional and personal happenings. With everything going on, physical activity may seem low on the list of priorities. However, physical activity contributes to wellness in so many ways. Walk Across Texas! is a fantastic way to practice healthy habits that are integral to wellbeing. 

As we near the completion of the WAT! Adult – College Edition program, we want to say that we believe in the power of healthy habits. Most importantly, we believe in YOU and your ability to create and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle!

We also believe that we can make improvements to the WAT! program to continue to enhance its effectiveness. Your feedback helps us to do just that! We hope you will take a minute or two to complete the Qualtrics survey below to help us out:

WAT! Adult – College Edition – Participant Survey

And look at that… if you complete the survey, you will be eligible for a prize drawing of a special Walk Across Texas! t-shirt! 

Your submission must be received by April 18^th by 11:59 PM to be entered. We will announce the winner in the final WALK newsletter scheduled for April 19^th, 2022. 

A – Action

Here are upcoming selected events during Week 8 – April 2^nd – 8^th: 

Texas A&M Yoga & Meditation – Multiple Events (04/04; 04/05; 04/08) – Click the link to register

The Local @ Lake Walk – In-Person – Tuesday (04/05) from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Click the link for more info

*Brazos County Event* Chair Yoga Class – Virtual – Wednesday (04/06) at 12:15 PM – FB Live (no FB account required)

Grocery Store Tour: Sorting Through Diet Trends – In-Person – Wednesday (04/06) from 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Click the link to register

Creative Corner – Virtual – Wednesday (04/06) at 2:00 PM – Click the link to register

Grocery Store Tour: Sorting Through Diet Trends – In-Person – Thursday (04/07) from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Click the link to register

Family Weekend – Multiple Events (04/08 – 04/10) – Click the link to learn more

*Bonus Event* 37th Annual Rock the CASA 5K – In-Person – Saturday (04/09) at 9:00 AM – Click the link to learn more

L – Leaderboard

As a league, we have reached over 15,750 miles! Here is the current team leaderboard:

*Mileage as of Sunday, April 3^rd at 11:59 PM

K – Knowledge – Being Rested

Coming from the perspective of many of our league participants, being a student and having a consistent sleep schedule is hard to maintain at times. One day you’re going to bed by 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM, the next it could be pulling an all-nighter to study for an exam. It’s simply unpredictable. However, what we fail to realize at that moment, is that a natural way our body processes information is by us going to sleep. 

In fact, for our brains to even process all the information we have learned and taken in throughout the day we need to sleep. During slow wave and REM sleep, our memories and experiences throughout the day are consolidated during this time. Moreover, our advice to you is to not sacrifice sleep to cram for an exam and instead allow your body and mind to rest an ample amount of time. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 7-9 hours of sleep, and I bet you will see a big difference in both your personal life and academics!

In 2015, 21% of TAMU students felt that their overall academic performance was impacted based on their quality of sleep. We can assume that the number has only increased in recent years. Some things to remember is that maintaining a regular sleep schedule improves overall health, wellness, and mood. 

Here are a few resources that further explain the importance of maintaining a regular sleep schedule: 

Health & Wellness: Sleep – TAMU Health Promotion

To Get an A You Need Some Z’s – TAMU Counseling & Psychological Services

14 Things To Try For Better Sleep – University of Michigan – Campus Mind Works

Sleep and Wellness – Dartmouth