A free, six-week workshop geared toward University of Arizona employees will explore ways to boost energy levels while reducing health risks. 

The "You and Your Health" will focus on life choices and is designed to help participants begin to make the gradual changes necessary to improve health.

The series will be held June 23 through Aug. 4. All workshops will begin at noon and last about one hour. Attendance at all sessions is not required, and neither is registration.

The sessions will be held at the Arizona Health Sciences Center, Room 4978, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch.

Each session is packed with practical, easy-to-follow information to help employees set personal goals, said Nancy Rogers, a registered dietitian who will faciliate the workshops.

Rogers, also coordinator for the Worksite Wellness Program within the UA's Life & Work Connections, said she works to keep the workshops current with new research and other information and individualizes the sessions as much as possible.

"I want to get current research-based information out to faculty and staff and provide information they can use that will be beneficial to their health," she said.

The series, offered by Life & Work Connections, a unit under the UA's human resources department, is being sponsored by the UA pediatrics department and the Arizona Health Sciences Center.

The workshops are: 

June 23: "Nutrition Basics" will include a brief review of basic nutrition, what is involved in healthy food choices and what is a healthy weight, among other things.

June 30: "A Primer on Physical Fitness" will focus on the benefits of physicial fitness and provide an overview of the four components of a good fitness program – cardiovascular exercise, strength training, flexibility and balance. Participants will begin to set up individual programs.

July 14: "Realistic Planning" will cover healthy eating and physical activity and ways to incorporate both into busy schedules. 

July 21: "Building Individual Resiliency" will address issues related to wellness and life's difficulties. Dave Swihart, employee assistance counselor for Life & Work Connections and a licensed professional counselor, will faciliate.

July 28: "Smart Shopping" will cover shopping for healthy foods. 

August 4: "Work/Life Balance," the final workshop in the series, will cover a range of topics, including sleep, planning and food safety. 

"Part of this is about preventing some of the chronic diseases associated with increased body weight and poor diet," such as heart disease, cancers and diabetes, Rogers said.