Amidst the lockdowns, isolations and quarantines there is “We ‘B’ Wellness,” which is a “one month fitness challenge open to the entire campus,” according to Andrew Vaistas, Assistant Director of Athletics. The challenge runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 18.
“Undergraduate students, grad students, faculty and staff are all encouraged to download the We The Jury rewards app, participate in intramural, fitness and wellness activities, and earn points to spend in the app’s prize store, much like the regular ‘We the Jury’ rewards program that runs continuously throughout the year,” Vaistas told The Brandeis Hoot in an email interview.
Participants are able to earn points in various ways throughout the challenge. There are numerous virtual or in-person group fitness classes and intramural sports activities offered throughout the duration of the challenge. Participants are also able to check-in at Gosman when they work out or utilize activity spaces. Points are also being awarded for attending varsity athletic events in conjunction with the We The Jury program. A 30 point sign-up bonus with the code “WELLNESS22” is also available. Some of the prizes include gift cards, JBL speakers, Brandeis Judges gear and speciality mugs, among other things. “There will also be “We ‘B’ Wellness” prize drawings each week, and a grand prize winner will be crowned at the end of the challenge on Feb. 18,” added Vaistas.
The outcome that athletics hopes for the most is participation. “We are hoping that the “We ‘B’ Wellness” program brings more awareness to fitness and wellness offerings on campus, and gets our community more excited about those offerings. Our goal is to get as many people down to Gosman to try any activity, whether they are participating in an intramural event, attending a fitness class, working out or utilizing fitness areas or watching a varsity game,” Vaistas told The Hoot.
“We ‘B’ Wellness” started in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The athletic department had created a robust schedule of virtual events for the campus community to participate in while social distancing, and the “We ‘B’ Wellness” program was launched to promote and incentivize those wellness activities,” explained Vaistas. Exercising regularly has a positive impact on physical and mental health, so the department decided to create extra encouragement for the Brandeis community to get physical activity. “We wanted to make sure that the campus community knew about the resources and offerings available on campus—both virtually and in person in Gosman. The “We ‘B’ Wellness” challenge is a way to make participating in wellness events more fun, exciting, and rewarding!” The intention is to make this an annual challenge, encouraging and helping the Brandeis community to achieve their fitness and wellness goals every year.
The classes offered include ZoomBa, Barre, Cycle, Core, TRX, HIIT and yoga, among others. All events offered can be found in the “events” tab in the We the Jury app, which is available on the App Store or on the Galaxy Store.
Organizing activities is a “team effort by multiple professional staff members in athletics. Programming is mainly organized by our intramural coordinator, Julie Mizraji, and our fitness coordinator, Kat Page,” said Vaistas. They have “worked hard to build the program, create the schedule, staff the events, purchase prizes and successfully promote the challenge. Both have worked tirelessly to make sure that the “We ‘B’ Wellness” program offers options for everyone in the Brandeis community.”
“We truly have a lot to offer, and we hope that the “We ‘B’ Wellness” program helps motivate our campus community to explore those offerings, both during the month of the challenge and beyond,” concluded Vaistas.
The “We ‘B’ Wellness” challenge is run in conjunction with the We the Jury rewards program, which was launched in 2018. The We the Jury program allows fans to check in and earn points for attending varsity athletic events and showing their school spirit. It runs throughout the entire year. You can read more about “We the Jury” in a previous Hoot article or on the athletics website; more information about “We ‘B’ Wellness” can be found on the athletics website.
