Putting wellness into practice: BGSU chief well-being officer volunteers time to teach taijutsu on campus

Chief Well-Being Officer Ben Batey, MPH, RN, teaches a 90-minute weekly martial arts class at Student Recreation Center

Dating back to his teenage years, martial arts is the active hobby that repeatedly held Ben Batey’s interest.

Now the chief well-being officer at Bowling Green State University, Batey was drawn to how the Japanese martial art taijutsu provides a comprehensive workout and demands that students be active thinkers.

The activity not only provided a group setting through which Batey made lifelong friends, but also kept him moving in ways that he found enjoyable – a key part of wellness that he now shares with others at BGSU.

“In 25 years, I have never walked out of a martial arts class and felt like it was a waste of time,” Batey said. “I always walk out feeling energized and glad that I showed up.”

To promote wellness of all types, the BGSU Division of Community Well-Being oversees the Student Recreation Center, through which Batey volunteers his time to bring one of his favorite activities to others.

Once per week, Batey teaches a 90-minute martial arts class at the rec center, which now has a dedicated space specifically for martial arts classes, taekwondo and the campus boxing club.

Batey said regular, enjoyable exercise is a key part of wellness, so part of the Division of Community Well-Being’s mission is to encourage students, faculty and staff to explore ways they could become involved.

While the rec center naturally features ample space for weightlifting, running and swimming, it also plays host to dozens of clubs and classes that offer something of interest for all BGSU learning community members.

“Our role is multi-faceted, and we’re always looking for new programming,” Batey said. “My philosophy is very much to promote finding whatever your passion is that gets you moving. It may not be lifting weights or running laps, but maybe it’s basketball or swimming or martial arts or quadball. We can find something for you.”

This semester, Batey’s martial arts class meets Tuesdays from 6-7:30 p.m.

In addition to martial arts, Batey said the rec center and BGSU Office of Health and Wellness offers a range of other engaging activities to promote well-being.

Picking something enjoyable is often overlooked, Batey said, but is one of the most important aspects of physical well-being. People are significantly more likely to stick with a physical activity they enjoy.

“Some people are into grueling workouts, but I have never done a grueling workout and said, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to do this again tomorrow,’” Batey said with a laugh. “I’ve found in my life that doing the activity or hobby that you enjoy doing that gets you moving is much more likely to get you to show up. It has to be fun.”

Finding an activity that captures one’s imagination – whether it’s joining a team, finding a club or participating in a regular class – is often the easiest way to get moving.

And in public health, easy is not a bad word.

“In public health, we like to say that you should make the healthy choice the easy choice,” Batey said. “That’s how we reinforce the process. If traveling to the gym is a whole process – even though I had the best of intentions at the start of the day to go at 7 p.m. and stay for an hour – actually doing that after a long day might be different.”

Promoting a passion isn’t just one way to get moving, but also a way to make friends on campus, Batey said.

While a lot can change in 25 years, Batey said he has maintained his interest in taijutsu throughout every stage of life. Batey said he hopes every BGSU student can find and engage with their interest while they are on campus.

“Looking at it from my perspective in my role now, taijutsu has been a passion of mine that I always come back to that keeps me moving,” Batey said. “It uses flexibility, endurance, strength and it engages the mind, which is something that has always stuck with me for my whole life. I hope every person at BGSU in their lifetime can find the thing that drives them to keep moving.”