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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.

Summer Fitness Challenge: Week Three

Exercise Tip of the Week – Include Strength The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout your day. So how to build strength? You can attend a class, work with free weights, or use your body weight. If you struggle with fitting it in, here is the secret to strength training: Use [...]

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Summer Fitness Challenge: Week Two

It is week two of the Summer Fitness Challenge. Almost 1,500 UW faculty and staff have committed to making their summer more active and full of new healthy recipes. This is the last week to join the fun so register now! Exercise Tip of the Week: Rate of Perceived Exertion Having a variety of intensities [...]

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Summer Fitness Challenge: Week One

Welcome to Week one of the Summer Fitness Challenge! This eight week program will have you moving more throughout your day, trying new activities, and adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals. If you haven’t registered, it’s not too late. Register now and receive your free fitness passes. Exercise tip of the week – [...]

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UW Wide Stair Challenge – Let’s reach 500K in 24hrs

Choose the stairs on Wednesday, July 15 and help us reach 500K stairs in 24 hours! Choosing the stairs increases muscle tone, is quicker than taking an elevator for five flights or less, and is good for the environment. Need more incentive? During the challenge, The Whole U will be hanging out swag in stairwells [...]

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Men’s Health Week – Celebrate Your Advantages But Know Your Numbers!

The third week of June is Men’s Health Week to increase the awareness of preventable health problems and to encourage early detection and treatment of disease. The good news for men is that they’re genetically predisposed to some qualities that make attaining a healthy body easier than it is for women. For starters, their skin [...]

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Find a Free Gym Near You This Summer

Ready to try something new? Join the Summer Fitness Challenge! In addition to events at the UW, we’ve partnered with nine of our Discount Fitness Network facilities to offer free gym passes to everyone who is part of the challenge. You can also add team members as guests in your challenge registration, including family, friends, or colleagues. [...]

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Talking Fitness with UW Athletic Director Scott Woodward

With The Whole U Summer Fitness Challenge launching in June, we thought it was the perfect time to interview UW Athletic Director Scott Woodward about what health and fitness means to him. He has been an innovative leader in sports, higher education and government for more than 25 years. The UW’s athletic programs have flourished [...]

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Summer Fitness Challenge – It’s Time for Some Fun!

The sun is out and the days are gloriously long. If you’re like me, it makes you want to move more and spend as much time outside as possible. Let’s make the most of summer together! Register for the Summer Fitness Challenge, an eight-week checklist for making sure we squeeze every moment out of the [...]

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UW Community Races Through Time in 2015 Scavenger Hunt

The Whole U Scavenger Hunt is my favorite event. Not only does it create an opportunity to learn about the UW campuses in an active way, but it also fosters team bonding and fun family experiences by bringing the whole community together. Of course it is not all fun and games, this year’s hunt was [...]

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The Girls in the Boat – Rowing for a Purpose

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing three UW women who have teamed up to row the distance for blood cancer research and patient care. They are taking part in the Team In Training (TNT)/Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Learn to Row” program, and will be competing in a regatta at the end of June. Along [...]

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Celebrate Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 23

I often wonder if my kids really know what I do at the University of Washington and the incredible opportunities the UW has to offer. Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is celebrated throughout the nation on Thursday, April 23 as a way to share an enriching educational experience with children ages 8 [...]

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Whole U Team Finishes the 5K and 15K Hot Chocolate Race!

As my alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m., I roll over thinking, “Ahhh, Sunday, my rest day.” Just as I am about to drift off again, I realize there would be no sleeping in. This Sunday is race day. I shoot out of my warm bed, get my breakfast, change into my racing gear nicely [...]

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