Get A Free Workout After Work

Duke’s employee wellness program hosts weekly workouts on East Campus through May

LIVE FOR LIFE fitness class.
Lauren Bullock, a LIVE FOR LIFE fitness specialist, leads participants in a workout on East Campus. Photo by Jack Frederick.

Staff and faculty are invited to East Campus at 5:30 p.m. on May 11, May 16, May 25 and May 30 for a free fitness class hosted by LIVE FOR LIFE, the employee wellness program.

As a complement to the Duke Run/Walk Club, fitness specialists with LIVE FOR LIFE will lead approachable 30-minute total-body workouts for colleagues at any fitness level. Sessions will take place across from 705 Broad Street.

Exercises will rotate among yoga and stretching, lower body exercises, core and arms, Tabata, Pilates and high-intensity interval training.

“The point of this is to try to help build muscular endurance and muscular strength,” said Stacy Rankin, Fitness Program Manager for LIVE FOR LIFE. “We want people to be able to see results in both areas.”

Participants in a recent workout session stop for a photo after the exercise is complete on East Campus. Photo by Jack Frederick.

Jayabalan Sundaravelu, a patient services associate at the Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center for five years, said he’s missed opportunities to gather for in-person workouts since the pandemic.

He has attended fitness sessions with his wife, Dr. Rama Arumugam, a lab research analyst in Behavioral Medicine and Neurosciences.

“I like the core and strength training because in our sedentary life, we are sitting all day at the computer desk and doing the same thing again and again,” Sundaravelu said. “These core exercises are giving us more strength in our body.”

Duke staff and faculty who attend sessions earn LIVE FOR LIFE dollars, a monopoly-like money that can be used for fitness related items like Fitbits and water bottles. Participants are encouraged to bring a yoga mat or beach towel to place on the ground during the workout. A towel and water are also recommended.

For more information, visit hr.duke.edu/wellness/exercise-fitness.

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