UNIVERSITY WILL RECOGNIZE WELLNESS

Southeast Missouri State University will honor its fitness-minded employees when it celebrates National Employee Health and Fitness Day Wednesday.

Two events will be held as part of "Wellness Appreciation Day," part of the Wellness Advantage program.

The first event will be a one-mile walk beginning in front of Academic Hall at noon and winding across campus. All university employees are encouraged to attend, and participants will receive plaques, university officials said.

The second event will be an informational reception that will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.

Information will be available on aerobic exercise, smoking, nutrition, cholesterol and other health-related topics. Free nutritional food, including yogurt, vegetables, fruit, muffins and juice will be served.

At 3 p.m., a recognition ceremony will be held to honor employees who participated last month in the university's fitness assessment. Results of the assessment and T-shirts will be distributed to participants.

The fitness-assessment screening was made available to all employees during the last week of April. The screening involved testing of blood pressure, lung capacity, cholesterol levels and back flexibility. Participants also were screened for height, weight and the number of sit-ups they could perform in one minute.