DPH wellness ambassadors, including Ebony Thomas (center), work with the Office of Worksite Wellness to promote health and fitness among their coworkers.

Ebony Thomas, vaccine preventable disease epidemiologist for the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), got in the habit of promoting fitness among her co-workers when she started jogging during her lunch hours in 2011.

 

"I was always looking for people to run with me. I got on everyone's nerves asking them to run with me," Thomas said. "But the good news is I got a few people interested in running."

 

Now, Thomas is organizing those interested co-workers into a DPH walk-to-run group. She's planning a "Couch to 5K" training group to help her coworkers prepare for a 5K, many of whom have never been regular runners.

 

"Most people have said they've wanted to do a 5K before, but it's a tad bit intimidating if you say you're going to have to just start running," Thomas said. "We'll start everyone by just walking, then build up over three months to run three miles without stopping."

 

Thomas' "Couch to 5K" program is one part of her position as a DPH wellness ambassador, a volunteer program of the DPH Office of Worksite Wellness. Since the program began in September, 12 wellness ambassadors have volunteered to serve as health and wellness champions among their DPH coworkers at 2 Peachtree, Vital Records and the Public Health Lab.

 

The volunteer ambassadors work by disseminating wellness information, promoting health and fitness and relaying employees' feedback on the wellness programs DPH offers. Some ambassadors also lead group exercise classes and assist with department-wide weight loss programs and other health initiatives.

 

Susanne Koch, DPH worksite wellness coordinator, said the wellness ambassador program is designed to give DPH employees a voice in shaping the department's health and wellness initiatives. And, Koch said, the volunteers really help her out, too.

 

"What's great about the ambassadors is I am only a one-person show. It is awesome when we can pull from their expertise and desire to work with others," she said. "Plus, they are right there with their co-workers and can best motivate them to be healthy!"

 

Volunteers don't need to have any prior training to be wellness ambassadors, just an interest in health and fitness. Each ambassador needs his or her manager's approval to take on the extra responsibilities of the program. Ambassadors who want to lead group exercise classes will need to get group exercise certification, and Koch said DPH is partnering with the Arthritis Foundation and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America to offer certification programs.

 

Thomas' "Couch to 5K" program will start Jan. 22. Participants will meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and Thomas will lead them in walking and running intervals to train for a 5K race in March.

 

For DPH's more avid runners, Thomas is also signing people up for a weekly group that will run at a faster pace. She said she hopes to eventually get the certification required to lead group exercise classes and to teach others about healthy eating.

 

"If you're working out and eating healthy, you feel better about yourself, and that makes the work environment better," Thomas said.

 

To join the "Couch to 5K" or running groups, contact Ebony Thomas, esthomas@dhr.state.ga.us.

 

If you're interested in volunteering as a wellness ambassador or leading group exercise classes, contact Susanne Koch, eskoch@dhr.state.ga.us, or attend the next wellness ambassador meeting Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. at 2 Peachtree, Room 16-105. 

 

-Story by Carrie Gann, DPH Communications