VU in Motion

Who wouldn't want to be healthy while working or studying at VU?

We are in an inactivity pandemic worldwide and the Netherlands is even the European champion of sitting still. The consequences of prolonged inactivity are not amiss. We are at greater risk of neck, arm and shoulder complaints, as well as diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, depression, cancer and even premature death. VU is also part of the sitting culture that has almost replaced natural exercise worldwide. And we want to change that!

Get up and move!
Fortunately, the solution is quite simple: get up and move regularly. VU in Motion aims to get staff and students to move a bit more on and around the VU Campus. Not with one-off activities or incentives, but with structural opportunities and facilities. It has been scientifically proven that (more) exercise leads to (more) physical and mental health. If you are in motion every half hour, you are not only less likely to get sick, but also more likely to have more energy, be in a better mood and experience focus and have a better weight.

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How are we going to interrupt the inaction?

Read more about the campaign

How is VU Amsterdam committed to good healthcare?

Discover stories, research and initiatives at VU Amsterdam

To overview

All VU in Motion activities are aimed at achieving the Health Council's exercise guidelines, with an emphasis on the first two:

Avoid sitting still a lot! Moving all major muscle groups every 30 minutes for a while has very positive effects on your well-being!
Exercise is good, more exercise is better. Preferably do 30 or more minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day. This not only prevents illness, but also contributes to more energy and better focus and mood!

If you want to enjoy all the benefits of a healthy exercise pattern, there is a third exercise guideline: do intensive(er) training of 30-60 minutes 2-3 times a week, focusing on strength and condition, combined with balance exercises for older people. Are you already provided for this through sports activities in your own living environment? Great! If not, for all employees (free of charge) and students (reduced student rate) there is the VU Sports Centre!

VU in Motion is a collaboration of the VU Sports Centre, VU Griffioen, HRM & HSE, Strategy Team the Social Campus, Dreamteam ProFit, the University Student Council, the Mindful Library and Erik Scherder.

_{With thanks to our sponsor}_{VU Vereniging}

Regular exercise not only makes you feel good and have a healthy body, but also increases your ability to concentrate. Moreover, it can offer a nice moment of joint relaxation. With this in mind, neuropsychologist Erik Scherder came up with the ‘Scherdertje’: a squat pose involving a movement with the arms that offers a moment of exercise every 30 minutes during a lecture.

Movement on the Campus Square
Tuesday and Thursday
- 12.30-12.45 pm Tai Chi
- 13.00-13.15 pm Salsa
Wednesday
- 12.15-12.30 pm Standing Yoga led by Sports Centre VU Yoga instructor and Personal Trainer Mickey Richards.
All activities are open to all without registration, No Sweat, No changing, just move😊
Walking trails

Theme routes
The buildings route
Find out the story behind the VU buildings by walking. Click here for the route.
The Bustling Campus route
Learn what's on offer on campus. Click here for the route.
Lunch-, bila- and meeting routes
Movement is an essential part of a healthy and effective working and studying day. VU in Motion therefore encourages the VU community to take enough steps per 24-hour period. The routes below leave from Campus Square and return here as well. Ideal for during a study break or walking consultation!
The office break (20 min)
A perfect route to walk when you need a break from desk. Click here for the route.
The meeting walk (45 min)
Why sit down for every meeting? Rather walk this route!
Your thoughts in green (+60 min)
Thinking time also counts as working time. And as the German philosopher Nietzsche said: "All really great thoughts are thought of while walking". So visit the Amsterdamse Bos.
Also fun to do
Besides VU Amsterdam, there are other initiators of walking on the Zuidas. Take a look at the following routes, for example:
Ommetjes Zuidas
Three themed routes varying in duration from one to two hours. For the routs, go to: https://zuidas.nl/ommetje/ (in Dutch)
Walking route Zuidas
A three-hour walking route that leads from the Amstelpark to the Amsterdamse Bos. Visit: https://www.bestemmingbuitenlucht.nl/wandelroute-zuidas/ (in Dutch)
Take the stairs

Take the stairs
Taking the stairs regularly can very effectively interrupt sitting still and bring appropriate moderate-intensity movement into your work and study day. Moreover, research shows that by regularly taking the stairs - both up and down! - strengthens leg muscles, lowers resting heart rate and lowers systolic blood pressure and LDL (bad cholesterol). All very positive effects on health.
VU in Beweging, together with the VU Dreamteam VU-Vital (led by Prof. Dr. Hein Daanen) and FCO, is committed to encouraging the VU population to use the stairs more instead of the elevator.
Beware of the chair

The risk of disease and death from prolonged sitting is independent of leisure-time exercise. Only daily intensive exercise works preventively, but is not feasible for most. Therefore, it is important to reduce sitting itself.
Therefore, ‘Beware of the chair’ and make exercise part of your working day. Don't sit for too long at a time, but alternate regularly with standing or walking so that at least the upper legs are active, as this reduces the risk of health problems. Stand up briefly every half hour (or at least every hour for 5 min), then walk through your home, workspace or outside, preferably moving your arms briefly as well.
Include movement moments in presentations, lectures or meetings to give colleagues or listeners a chance to move around a bit.
Walk to talk

'Towards a feet-on mentality'
Like students, VU employees also deserve a separate project to allow them to exercise more in a day. Therefore, the plan is to bring about a culture change in the workplace through small interventions: instead of standing as the exception, to sitting as the exception. This can be done by doing consultations and meetings (partly) standing or by interrupting them with a ‘Scherdertje’. And by conducting bilateral or annual meetings together while walking. Desks at which you can stand can contribute as well. VU in Motion furthermore advocates that exercise during working hours simply counts as active work.
Interested? Also take a look at: Sustainable employability – Work on yourself - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (vu.nl).
Events

May 16: Fiets naar je Werk Dag
Successful edition of the Bike to Work Day 2024!
Thursday May 16 between 08.00 and 10.00, it was a party on the VU campus!
Delegates from Administration, HRM, Repro and VU in Motion/Sportcentrum VU had the pleasure of welcoming nearly 100 employees, who came to the Free University by bike. Everyone was provided with a delicious cup of coffee, a piece of fresh banana bread and nice music. In addition, all participants had a chance to win a prize! In total, we gave away 8 individual prizes and 1 group prize. The group prize was won by the Administration Department, who collectively covered the most kilometers.
Make it a Bike to Work day every day.... and prepare as a team to beat the BZ department with the most participants next year!

Mariëlle Spekreijse (Project manager VU in Motion)

m.spekreijse@vu.nl

06-11363101

VU in Motion

Do the ‘Scherdertje’

The projects

Movement on the Campus Square

Walking trails

Theme routes

Lunch-, bila- and meeting routes

Also fun to do

Take the stairs

Beware of the chair

Walk to talk

Events

Successful edition of the Bike to Work Day 2024!

Do you have any questions? Do not hesitate to contact us.

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