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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIncoming Indiana State Bar President C. Erik Chickedantz is asking lawyers to get active as part of a new statewide initiative to promote health and personal well-being in the legal profession.
Chickedantz has appointed Donald R. Lundberg, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg and former executive secretary of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, as chairman of the bar’s new Standing Committee on Wellness. Terry L. Harrell, executive director of the Supreme Court’s Judges & Lawyers Assistance Program, will serve as vice chair.
“There is something about lawyering that is especially stressful, and for many of us, our commitment to an active lifestyle is the first to go amidst pressures at work and busy schedules," Chickedantz said. “With the State Bar spearheading healthy activities at lawyer functions, we aim to educate the legal community about ways to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes.”
The new committee will encourage positive lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity, healthier eating and tobacco cessation.
“The ISBA is committed to lawyers – not just lawyers as law-practicing automatons, but as real people who need to feel good about themselves,” Lundberg said. “We hope the Wellness Committee will be a catalyst for a new focus on a healthy legal profession and a resource for lawyers to stand out as leaders for healthier communities where they live and work.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2008 Indiana had the second highest cigarette-smoking rate in the country. The CDC also reports that in 2009, only eight states had obesity rates higher than Indiana’s.
The committee will officially kick things off at the ISBA Annual Meeting in French Lick with a 5K Run/Walk on Oct. 21. To find out more about the ISBA’s wellness initiative and for a schedule of upcoming activities, contact the ISBA at 1-800-266-2581.
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