Pioneers Together — Our Community Responds to COVID-19: Jason Milsap By Robert W. Dalton This article appeared originally in the Fall 2020 issue of Frontiers Magazine.
Jason Milsap knows the importance of staying active.
It’s in his blood. It’s in the degree that hangs on his wall.
Milsap, an Assistant Enrollment Counselor, was finishing his degree in Kinesiology at the University of North Georgia when the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic exploded. He was shadowing a strength and conditioning coach, and one of his assignments was to create a movement pattern plan.
It didn’t take long for Milsap to put his assignment to into practice. When the pandemic forced employees to work from home, Milsap created a plan to help them stay active.
“Once I saw that we would not be coming back to work, I knew a lot of people in our office wouldn’t be able to access our facilities or even get their normal daily movement from walking around campus,” Milsap said. “I decided to create a movement pattern screen that faculty and staff could use. Then I created one for students.”
Students received a more advanced version, which included information on the expectations for daily exercise, such as being active for 30 minutes a day.
Milsap focused on movements to strengthen the core, promote motor coordination, and aid in balance. He said he received a lot of positive feedback.
“My wife and I were working from home, sitting at a desk a lot,” Milsap said. “I knew that everybody was doing this every day, and you can have aches and pains, mostly in the lower back, from sitting in a chair all day. I was trying to do something for myself, and I thought everyone could benefit from being active and moving a little bit.”
Milsap’s initiative has created a new opportunity for him. Head Men’s Basketball Coach Nori Johnson has asked him to create a strength and conditioning program for the team.
Whether you’re still working from home, have always worked from home, or are back in your office, Milsap wants to remind everyone to set aside time each day to take care of your body.