Jennifer Greene, P.T., D.P.T., a UF Health Rehab Services inpatient physical therapist who splits her time between UF Health Shands Hospital and the UF Health Heart & Vascular and Neuromedicine hospitals, wanted to find a creative way to add more exercise to her day while avoiding parking challenges.

While watching her kids play with their scooters, Greene decided that using the same type of lightweight scooter could make her commute to and from work more rewarding.

“I longed for a different solution that didn’t include a 15-minute hike to work after sitting in traffic, and I was too impatient to take the shuttle,” Greene said. “At the end of my work day, I was walking or running to my car to make sure I was on time to pick up my kids. With it being so hot outside, I would be sweating and exhausted and it was really wearing on me.”

Greene has been using her $75 compact scooter to commute from her parking spot in Garage IX/9 down Archer Road to the hospitals for about two years. The scooter allows Greene to save time and money while getting some exercise.

“She came up with a positive solution that is creative, inexpensive and promotes activity, which we as therapists promote for others and ourselves,” said Michelle Musalo, P.T., UF Health Rehab Services manager.

Greene encourages other employees to try scooting as a form of transportation.

“It works for me. Once I got the hang of it and got over the embarrassment of what people might think, I started to really enjoy it,” she said. “It used to take me at least 10 minutes to walk to my department at the main hospital and 15 minutes to walk to my department at the heart and neuro hospitals. When I scoot, it takes me less than 5 minutes, so it really saves me time.”

Another wellness warrior, Christy Vitro, B.S.N., R.N., CCRN, a nurse in the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, is another active commuter.

Vitro has two approaches to getting to work. She either rides her bike from her home in Haile Plantation, a 7-mile trip oneway, or takes a hot yoga class and then walks 4 miles from the yoga studio to work.

Being healthy is her No. 1 priority and her dedication to health and fitness has even inspired some of her co-workers.

“I’ve heard other people say they are going to look into getting a bike,” she said. “And one of my friends just started doing yoga with me.”

Besides exercising, Vitro adds to her health-conscious lifestyle by meditating and eating a plant-based diet. She said she has never felt better and that her dedication to being healthy has brought her nothing but happiness.

Vitro’s advice to others who are interested in creating a healthier lifestyle: start small.

“Don’t try to change everything at once. Set a manageable goal like taking sugar out of your diet or walking a couple of miles a day,” she said. “Start small and then add to it. One change can make a huge difference.”