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Lauren Updyke, MS ACSM HFI Executive Director for Employee Experience, The Whole U Fitness Fitness Trainer and UWHR Chief Wellness Officer

Hi everyone, I’m Lauren, the Executive Director for Employee Experience and UWHR Chief Wellness Officer. I am also the weight training virtual instructor and moving break lead. My role is to lead our Employee Experience team encompassing The Whole U, UW Combined Fund Drive and WorkLife programs.

I have spent over 20 years of my career in Health and Wellness. I came to the USA from Canada on a track and field scholarship to University of Louisiana. I have my Masters in Exercise Physiology, am a Certified Personal trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine, and have coached over 10,000 individuals online from all over the world. I worked with the wellness program at Duke University and Hospital for 13 years as fitness and health education manager.

This is my tenth year at UW and I love being a Husky. When I’m not at work, I am either training for a marathon, doing lots of strength training, traveling with my family, or racing from one kid activity to the next.

Get Connected. Get Support. Get Social!

Selfies while out on a run. Group pictures after an impossible feat. A shot from the top of the most picturesque mountain or milestone. These images make me so happy when they pop into my social media feed. I love waking up in the morning while drinking my coffee and seeing who has already put [...]

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Take Your Daughter and Son to Work Day

What do your kids want to be when they grow up? My son always says a landscaper, just like Daddy, and my daughter says she wants to do wellness, just like Mommy. As much as we are flattered, we look at our children and see their interests focus more on technology, engineering, or science. Maybe [...]

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Assemble Your Team for the 3rd Annual UW Scavenger Hunt

Grab a colleague — it’s time for five rounds of head-to-head Husky trivia! The winner gets a free lunch… or at least bragging rights (You can find the answers at the bottom of this article). Which famous Husky graduated from the UW School of Law in 1935 and served as a U.S. Senator from Washington [...]

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Let’s Move! – UW Celebrates National Walk Day April 6

We’re spending more time sitting in front of a screen than ever before. This is making us less active and more prone to serious diseases, according to the American Heart Association. To some of us, leaving our work to walk for 15 to 30 minutes might seem pointless. It’s not very strenuous, and it won’t [...]

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We Dared to Do!

In January we committed to take our New Year’s resolutions to another level. Over 1,500 of us at the University of Washington signed up to make impactful lifestyle changes. Some tracked their progress in exercise and weight loss and the results were incredible. Together we took over 55 million steps — enough to go around the [...]

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Dare to Pause – Tips to Manage Stress

Ongoing stress can be detrimental to our health and well-being. But whether it’s before an event, an important meeting, a procedure, a presentation, a deadline, or a confrontation, we know stress is part of life. Luckily we can prevent many of its harmful effects with the simple act of taking a pause. Let’s focus on [...]

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Fitness Motivation from UW Experts

Ever wonder how those in the athletic and fitness industry have no problem staying active? Is it easy for them or do they have tricks for moving more every day? I had the pleasure of asking a few experts on campus that also happen to be our Dare to Do exercise coaches. Throughout the eight-week [...]

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Meet the Dare to Do Dietitians

Whether your goal is to have more energy, decrease your blood pressure or cholesterol, lose weight, or get more sleep, healthy eating is key. For Dare to Do, we’ve partnered with three experts at UW who really understand nutrition and weight loss. Read on for their insights on nutrition resolutions. Ben Atkinson currently works in [...]

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Dare to Move

Happy New Year and welcome to week one of the Dare to Do New Year’s Challenge. If you haven’t already registered, sign up here. It’s free and a great way to put your new year’s resolutions and goals into action! This week’s focus is on moving more. Did you know it is recommended that you [...]

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Stress Less Holiday Challenge Week Eight – New Year, New You

Congratulations! We made it through the holiday season with a little less stress. Now it’s time to reflect on 2015. Do you remember what your goals were for the year? Were you successful? No matter what your answers may be, carve out some time this week to try these tips for reflection and goal setting: [...]

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Dare to Do a New You!

It is already the end of December and before we know it, 2016 will roll in. What are your goals for next year? Do you want to lose weight? Exercise more? Eat healthier? Or are you interested in venturing into new hobbies, meeting new people, or volunteering more? More than half of Americans set a new [...]

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Parenting Styles – What Do the UW Experts Say?

The Whole U was so excited to partner with faculty from the Center of Family and Child Well Being to host a panel discussion on popular parenting styles. Free range, attachment, and helicopter parenting were all on the agenda. Our panel consisted of Dr. Liliana Leguna, director of the Center for Child and Family Well [...]

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