- Sports , People
- 04/03/2021
Much enthusiasm for extra Vitality Week
Working and studying from home, hardly any exercise and little social contact. All these consequences of living with corona measures made the organizers decide to launch an extra edition of the Vitality Week – the second one this academic year. It will take place between 8 and 12 March. “We saw that there is a great need for exercise and connection, and this is reflected in the high number of registrations,” says Joyce Schonenburg, event coordinator of the sports center and organizer of the Vitality Week.
The Vitality Week takes place once a year under normal circumstances. “In previous years, the activities are always held on the campus, in the sports hall or somewhere in the vicinity,” co-organizer Melissa Grunewald says. But due to the corona pandemic, practically all activities take place online now. “Think of yoga, fitness and mindfulness breaks.”
Increased number of registrations
“We’ve noticed much enthusiasm for the Vitality Week. That’s probably because so many people are sitting at home without any challenges when it comes to undertaking activities and exercising,” Schonenburg says. “We already saw a substantial increase in the number of registrations for this academic year’s first Vitality Week. For this second edition, we’re already at more than 1400 registrations. That’s a record.” Grunewald adds that students and staff members truly feel the need to work on their health and lifestyle. “Sitting at home makes you aware of your lifestyle.”
Guidance
The extra Vitality Week isn’t focused on corona specifically, but the program does aim to support participants in their efforts to become and stay as healthy as possible. “The theme isn’t different from previous editions as far as that’s concerned. We want to offer participants extra guidance on how to improve their health. This includes sleep workshops and workshops on nutrition.”
Even though most activities take place online, the organizers also tried to realize a few physical meetings in compliance with the regulations. “We organize cycling and hiking tours in which the physical aspect takes center stage, but the social aspect isn’t any less important,” Grunewald says. “People really miss chatting to each other, and that too has an impact on health. And loneliness plays a very negative role.”
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