Program aims to keep people active, healthy during pandemic.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – An innovative program addressing many areas where people need support during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is about to complete its first full month.
Living Well Together, a one-hour weekly online program by K-State Research and Extension agents and specialists, will wrap up its January schedule with the program, ‘Who’s Taking Care of You,’ on Jan. 28.
“Often times, we think about taking care of ourselves, but the reality is that we spend a lot of time taking care of others as well,” said Sharolyn Jackson, the northeast area extension specialist and one of the program’s organizers. “We wanted to focus on who is taking care of you. Make sure that you are giving that time and attention to take care of yourself so that you can in turn take care of others.”
Jackson said Living Well Together was tested in December with a pair of programs – Bonding Thru Board Games and Baking Together – and was well-received. Organizers then launched the series as a weekly program in January, airing online each Thursday night at 6:45 p.m.
“Whether it’s better health physically, mentally or financially, or even better health in your relationships, all of these things relate to how to live well,” Jackson said. “This program was designed to meet people in a way that was appropriate for the pandemic. The fact is that we are all in this pandemic together. To live well, you really do need support from others. So the term Living Well Together just made sense to us.”
Registration for the Jan. 28 session is available online, but interested persons can also contact their local extension office for more information.
A separate registration form is available online for a just-announced lineup of February sessions that includes:
• Feb. 4 – A Parent’s Guide to Social Media.
• Feb. 11 – Love Languages.
• Feb. 18 – Make Active Habits Stick.
• Feb. 25 – Living Well With Diabetes.
Most of the presenters are K-State Research and Extension agents and specialists in the northeast region of Kansas. The sessions are open to all people, regardless of where they live in or out of the state.
“Extension agents are really good at connecting with the public, and presenting and teaching,” Jackson said. “It’s been a little bit of a challenge for us during this pandemic because we haven’t done a lot of that virtually, so we’re all learning. We’ve made great strides in learning how to do that effectively with this virtual delivery.”
The series is scheduled to last through the end of March with sessions planned on such topics as checking your credit, Mediterranean style eating, family meal time and the science of sleep.
“We all know that when we get a good night’s rest, how much more productive we are and how much better we feel,” Jackson said. “The March session will look at what sleep does for the body, physically and mentally, how it restores us and allows us to be our best the next day.”
“It’s a good way to wrap up our series,” she added. “We hope it will set people up for success as we move into what I hope is going to be an active and healthful spring.”
Past sessions in the Living Well Together series are available to view online.
FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS: Links used in this story
Living Well Together, https://www.atchison.k-state.edu/living_well_together/living_well_together.html
Registration for Jan. 28, https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b7ttOFKPLvYQXiJ
K-State Research and Extension local offices, www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/stateandareamaps.html
Registration for February sessions, https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eFZogdZVlcap9fE
K State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Story by:
Pat Melgares
785-532-1160
[email protected]
For more information:
Sharolyn Jackson
785-532-2273
