‘Purdue Pursuits’: Pivio NOW

Sarah Starks had been itching for an opportunity to prioritize her health for years, but she wanted something that went beyond increased gym visits or a new diet — something that would force her to focus fully on her health and make intentional, long-term changes to her lifestyle.

“I wanted something to kick my butt for a while,” says Starks, an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts. “I needed something to just kind of kick me into gear with making better, healthier food consistently and then use that to figure out what’s sustainable for me and my husband in the long run.”

When registration opened for “Pivio NOW,” an on-demand, plant-based lifestyle intervention program offered by Purdue’s Center for Healthy Living (CHL) in conjunction with the Lifestyle Medicine Institute, Starks signed up, positive that it would give her the nudge necessary to achieve her health goals.

Pivio NOW is a 12-week, self-paced, self-guided program designed to help individuals make positive changes to their lifestyles through education, practical experience and reinforcement. The program features nutrition, exercise, and behavioral psychology tools and principles that encourage participants to think differently about how they move, live and eat in their day-to-day lives.

The program’s mix of long-form and short-form videos and readings guides participants through the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: regular exercise, plant-based eating, stress management, avoidance of harmful substances, proper sleeping habits and meaningful social connections.

Participants also receive a cookbook and journal, schedule check-in sessions with a health coach, and complete pre- and posthealth assessment surveys and pre- and postlab work to track their progress throughout the program. The assessments can help identify risk factors for cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

The lifestyle changes came quickly for Starks and her husband, who often watched the program’s weekly 45-minute videos together on Monday evenings. They immediately adjusted their diet by removing most dairy products, reducing their meat consumption and incorporating vegetables into every single meal.

Though the healthy eating aspect of the program appealed most to Starks, the material also helped reinforce holistic health concepts and habits she had previously learned in the Complete Health Improvement Program, a lifestyle program the CHL offered prior to Pivio.

“It’s just good to review periodically and remember, ‘Oh yeah, this is why I am eating healthy,’” Starks says. “‘This is why I’m taking care of my brain — so I can live a long, healthy life.’ It’s a good reminder to make health your No. 1 priority.”

Starks is proud of the progress she made over the course of the three-month program and will continue to find new ways to implement aspects of the Pivio NOW curriculum into her and her husband’s daily routines.

“It’s good for you to think about your health for a while, and this forces you to do that,” Starks says. “It definitely did kick me into gear, and I feel better because I did it and because I lost weight. Now we’re talking about where we want to go from here.”

How you can participate

The next session of Pivio NOW will begin March 2. Those who are interested should register by Feb. 1.

The registration link can be found under the “Activities” page of the new Your Path Wellness portal. Scroll down to the Pivio NOW box under the “Workshops” section, and click the “Details” button to learn more and register.

Your Path workshops and lifestyle programs are free to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff and their dependents covered on a Purdue medical plan. Pivio NOW supports all five of the Your Path Wellness Program pillars — physical health, behavioral health, social wellness, financial wellness and work-life integration.

Questions about the program can be directed to the CHL at 765-494-0111. More details about Pivio NOW can be found on the Lifestyle Medicine Institute’s website.

About Purdue Pursuits

A variety of programs, workshops, fellowships and trainings are offered to Purdue faculty and staff each semester. How can Purdue employees use these opportunities as small steps in reaching their personal and professional goals? Purdue Today’s “Purdue Pursuits” series will share employees’ stories of growth and development during their experiences as active participants of their campus communities. Suggestions for the “Purdue Pursuits” series may be emailed to purduetoday@purdue.edu.