State Bar urges Hoosier lawyers to get healthy
State Bar president, C. Erik Chickedantz, is asking Hoosier lawyers to get active as part of a new statewide initiative to promote health and personal well-being among judges, lawyers, their staffs and law students by encouraging positive lifestyle changes through increased physical activity, stress reduction, healthier eating and tobacco cessation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2008, Indiana had the second highest cigarette-smoking rate in the country. The CDC also reports that in 2009 there were only eight states more obese than Indiana, with about one-third of U.S. adults being obese. And specific to the legal profession, studies show that lawyers drink too much and are more prone to depression than most every other profession and society at large.
"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," said Chickedantz. “With the State Bar spearheading healthy activities at lawyer functions, we aim to educate the legal community about ways to incorporate healthy lifestyle changes.”
Chickedantz appointed Donald R. Lundberg, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg and former executive secretary of the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, as chairman of the State Bar’s Standing Committee on Wellness. Terry L. Harrell, executive director of the Supreme Court’s Judges & Lawyers Assistance Program, will serve as vice chair.
“The ISBA is committed to lawyers – not just lawyers as law-practicing automatons, but as real people who need to feel good about themselves,” said Lundberg. “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.”
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Noteworthy Online Resources
Indiana Resources:
Judges & Lawyers Assistance Program
Indiana Region of Narcotics Anonymous
Central Indiana Area of Narcotics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous Indianapolis
Alcoholics Anonymous Indianapolis
Indiana Healthy Weight Initiative
INShape Indiana
Indy Runners
Running in the USA: Upcoming Indiana Races
Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association
Top 10 places to walk, run and bike in Indianapolis
Indiana Yoga Association
Good Earth Natural Food Company - Indianapolis
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