VCU news

By Carrie Carroll

Walking through Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center you don’t expect to see a spin class, complete with music and a disco ball, set up in the lobby of the Gateway Building, but that’s exactly what patients, visitors and employees encountered on March 20.

VCU Medical Center held a “pop-up spin class” to get employees moving and to promote its “Shift for Health” campaign and its exclusive medical sponsorship of the Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships.

Ten stationary bikes were loaned for the event from the MCV Campus Recreation and Aquatic Center, part of the Jonah L. Larrick Student Center. Led by Jo Gable, employee relations counselor in the Department of Human Resources at the VCU Health System, the class ran from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and was broken up into 15-minute sessions. Everyone who participated was entered to win a FitBit to kick their “Shift for Health” into gear.

Gable had participants working hard as she yelled out encouragement over the music to give participants the motivation to finish the intense 15-minute sessions. Some employees came dressed for the event, while others participated in scrubs or even suits and ties.

This event is to promote health, of course, so you can pay it forward and do something good for your body, and it’s also good mentally to take a break and get moving.

“This event is to promote health, of course, so you can pay it forward and do something good for your body, and it’s also good mentally to take a break and get moving,” Gable said. “We have people coming together who have never met before, from all walks and talks of life and from different roles in the hospital, and we’re having so much fun.”

The event encouraged employees, as well as the many curious spectators who crowded around, to “Shift for Health,” the medical center’s campaign to engage employees, patients and visitors to make small changes in their day that can lead to big differences in their lives. These small changes include such steps as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or biking instead of driving. The event also promoted and spun up excitement for the Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships taking place from Sept. 19-27.

“I greatly enjoyed the spin class and was surprised at how intense spinning could be,” said Corey Boone, VCU’s events and special programs coordinator. “It reminded me how good it feels to take care of myself. There was a time last year where I actively went to the gym and watched what I ate and like many of us with busy lives, I lost focus and stopped exercising. The pop-up spin class reminded me that it’s really as easy as hopping on a bike to get back to a healthy lifestyle.”

Visit VCUshift.com or follow #Shift4Health to learn more about the campaign and upcoming events.

Subscribe for free to the weekly VCU News email newsletter at http://newsletter.news.vcu.edu/ and receive a selection of stories, videos, photos, news clips and event listings in your inbox every Thursday. VCU students, faculty and staff automatically receive the newsletter.