Registration opened today (Nov. 4) for UC Davis’ popular Mini Medical School on aging and medical science, to help prepare participants for life’s second half. The campus’s WorkLife and Wellness unit is launching a health program of its own: Maintain Don’t Gain, to help you keep from adding pounds during the holiday season.

• Mini Medical School — Early registration is advised for the 2015 school, to be held on the Davis campus on six consecutive Saturdays, Feb. 7 to March 14.

The course is free, targeted at “novice seniors” and “foresighted middle-agers,” but all ages are welcome — anyone who wants to learn about memory, brain function, cardiovascular health, vision, hearing, fitness and other aspects of the aging process.

With demand high and space limited, the organizers say people should register only if they are able to attend all six sessions and the graduation ceremony.

“This isn’t a community health fair,” said UC Davis geriatrics specialist Michael McCloud, who created the program in 2002. “This is medical school. Attendees should be prepared for some serious study to earn their diplomas. But they should also plan on some serious fun, too. Everyone who attends comes away more empowered with knowledge. I like to think of it as ‘do-it-yourself geriatrics.’”

The organizers said Jeannine English, the new national president of AARP, will speak at the graduation ceremony (after the final class)..

More information is available online or by calling (916) 734-4680. Look for the registration button ("Enroll for Class of 2015") on the left side of the website.

Read the complete news release from the UC Davis Health System.

• Maintain Don’t Gain — WorkLife and Wellness has teamed with UC Living Well and Kaiser Permanente to present this free, eight-week program, Nov. 17 to Jan. 9.

According to the program’s website, “Most Americans gain an average of 1 to 3 pounds during the holidays. While this may not seem like a lot, these ‘bonus’ pounds are usually not lost and can add up over time.”

Maintain Don’t Gain is designed “to help you stay focused on eating healthy and fitting in exercise — so you can keep off those extra pounds.”

Online registration opens Monday, Nov. 10, and you are encouraged to complete this step by Nov. 14 so that you’ll have your Maintain Don’t Gain starter kit (delivered by campus mail) for the first week of the program. Registration will close at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21.

The registration process will ask for your campus address (for delivery of your starter kit), and your email address for weekly motivational emails with challenges, and supporting tips and resources.

The starter kit includes a Maintain Don't Gain group pledge, if you would like to organize an officewide or unitwide pladge; a personal pledge and tracking sheet; a “Count Me Out: Please Don’t Tempt Me with Your Sweets” table tent for your workspace; Maintain Don’t Gain Post-it Notes; and Kaiser’s Fresh Approach recipe booklet.

You can choose to report your participation each week and be eligible for weekly prize drawings, or not report at all … it’s up to you. People who complete the program will be eligible for the grand prize of a foldable bike.

More information is available online. Use this same website for registration, Nov. 10-21.

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