Milwaukee, Wisconsin — A healthy place to live

What words come to mind when you think of Milwaukee? Beer? Brats? How about healthy living?

To be honest, health and wellness are not words I would commonly associate with Milwaukee — until now. The Wellness Councils of America, a nonprofit organization promoting workplace wellness, has given Milwaukee a “Well City USA” designation. A recent article on BizTimes.com details the honor, which will enable Milwaukee to take a leadership position as a city committed to improving the health of its workforce. This designation was the culmination of a three-year effort, and is great news for a city that has made it a priority to attract and retain top talent.

On a smaller scale, Bader Rutter is doing its part to promote health and wellness among its employees. Our Wellness Team is helping associates make healthy choices not only at work, but at home. On any given day here at the office you can see Weight Watchers at Work members supporting each other in their weight loss efforts; associates utilizing their lunch hours to learn about health topics like nutrition and strength training; and after-work yoga sessions, soccer matches and softball games.

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Lost in the woods — over lunch

In an attempt to squash a pretty serious case of cabin fever, I’ve been looking for opportunities to get outside and do something active besides shoveling snow. In the warmer months I try to go running or bicycling over my lunch hour when my schedule permits, so I started to wonder — what could I do outside in the winter time?

Fortunately for me, Bader Rutter’s Brookfield offices sit in a rather unique campus called Bishop’s Woods. Bishop’s Woods is a true dichotomy — a suburban location set against an urban backdrop with a rural feel to it. I’ve often wondered, what’s in those woods lying so ominously to our east (ironically the same direction as downtown Milwaukee, only twelve or so miles away)?

So one day after a recent snow storm, I dusted off my snowshoes and decided to use my lunch hour to get some exercise and go exploring. Heading outside, I could hear the freeway (I-94) to my right, so I headed left. I shuffled down a gulley between two neighboring buildings and over a frozen creek and then stopped. As I looked around, all I could see was trees and snow. I could have been in a forest in the middle of Alaska as far as I was concerned.

Turns out, Bishop’s Woods actually is in the woods. I saw some deer tracks to my right and decided I would follow them. Grinding my way up-hill, I saw another building off in the distance.  The building looked familiar and as I approached I realized it was the building that Bader Rutter used to occupy before moving across the way a few years back. 

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