{"id":65166,"date":"2017-03-01T09:43:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T15:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=65166"},"modified":"2017-03-02T16:52:57","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T22:52:57","slug":"february-blog-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/february-blog-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog: ‘Why I move more’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Andrea Jekabsons holds up a photo of her parents, who inspired her to ‘move more.’ Photo by Robert Jordan\/Ole Miss Communications<\/p><\/div>\n

Those who know me or meet me sometimes refer to me as the \u201cRebelWell Lady.\u201d The \u201cHR Lady\u201d is a close second. So, not being an exercise or nutrition professional, how did \u201cRebelWell Lady\u201d come to be?<\/p>\n

A few weeks after relocating to Oxford, my father passed away. My father was a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who went on to work in Human Resources (Personnel in those days) for Xerox and Ford. Then, finally hitting his harmonic gait<\/a>, he recruited minority engineering students for NASA programs.<\/p>\n

Dad described himself as \u201ca peaceable man,\u201d and everyone he met was a friend. He appreciated a hotdog, root beer float and my mother\u2019s cooking. Long gone were his collegiate baseball seasons and military exercise drills. The lack of exercise and a love of food led to obesity<\/a> and diabetes<\/a>, the demise of many Americans. My mother, who spent most of her years raising nine children, found herself caring for my father.<\/p>\n

After his death, I walked and I walked often. I had always enjoyed walking, but these were \u201cgrief\u201d walks, not power walks.<\/p>\n

In 2009, a colleague asked me to join her to meet with a personal trainer. So sure, this mom of two, with a full-time job, who had gained a little weight, agreed to go. That night proved to be my rock bottom. The sit-ups were challenging. The push-ups (on my knees) were nearly impossible. And who ever thought that high knee runs were a good idea for cardio never considered what might possibly jiggle on a 41-year-old. Sore and stiff the next morning, I thought of my parents (my mom was also suffering from diabetes), and I decided that I didn\u2019t want to wake up at 45, 50, 55 feeling old, sick and tired. I didn\u2019t want that for my children. The journey began.<\/p>\n

My schedule didn\u2019t allow for me to continue working out with that personal trainer, and the fitness classes were mostly attended by young flexi-bendy students. I began jogging and riding my stationary bike again. I ate out less. I also tried different home workout DVDs and programs that included Oxford Adventure Boot Camp<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jekabsons and colleague Jessica Hughes jog on the South Campus Rail Trail. Photo by Robert Jordan\/Ole Miss Communications<\/p><\/div>\n

As the story goes, I began to feel better. I have more energy, feel happier, and think more creatively and clearly with much more confidence. I recently shared with a colleague that since I began practicing energy management<\/a>, the world seems brighter, problems seem smaller, and my patience continues to grow.<\/p>\n

I recognized how my improved wellness was benefiting my work and have been fortunate enough, with the support of our university leaders, to be in a position to enhance our work-site wellness programs and policies. The benefits of a healthy workforce include increased productivity and lower absenteeism. Healthier employees also tend to be happier \u2013 and their co-workers appreciate that! Our RebelWell campus partners offer support, infrastructure, enthusiasm and programming.<\/p>\n

Why I move more? I move because of my family history. I move more for my family. And along the way, I have found my<\/em> harmonic gait.<\/p>\n

More on RebelWell: http:\/\/rebelwell.olemiss.edu\/<\/a><\/p>\n

More on harmonic gait: https:\/\/www.tugboatinstitute.com\/video-finding-your-teams-harmonic-gait\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Recommended Reads:<\/p>\n

The Power of Full Engagement<\/em> by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz<\/p>\n

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard<\/em> by Chip Heath and Dan Heath<\/p>\n

Andrea M. Jekabsons is associate director of Human Resources at the University of Mississippi.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those who know me or meet me sometimes refer to me as the \u201cRebelWell Lady.\u201d The \u201cHR Lady\u201d is a close second. So, not being an exercise or nutrition professional, how did \u201cRebelWell Lady\u201d come to be? A few weeks after relocating to Oxford, my father passed away. My father was a retired U.S. ArmyRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1313,178],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBlog: 'Why I move more' - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/february-blog-move\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blog: 'Why I move more' - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Those who know me or meet me sometimes refer to me as the \u201cRebelWell Lady.\u201d The \u201cHR Lady\u201d is a close second. So, not being an exercise or nutrition professional, how did \u201cRebelWell Lady\u201d come to be? A few weeks after relocating to Oxford, my father passed away. 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