corporate welllness Archives - Page 4 of 4

Healthy Vision Month, July 2020

Healthy Vision Month Read Time: 2 min 4 sec According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 3.4 million Americans 40 years of age or older are blind or visually impaired. For most of us, a decline in vision and eye health is not an inevitable part of aging. In fact, many vision problems could be avoided through simple prevention measures and routine eye exams. Focusing on a healthy lifestyle and protecting your eyes from outside elements (UV rays) are some of the best ways to protect your eyes and vision. Even if you lead a healthy lifestyle and do not currently have any eye issues, it is still important to have your vision checked each year. According to the CDC, nearly one in five adults in the US are at high risk for serious vision loss, [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, eye injury, eyes, healthy vision, sunglasses, vision|

Outdoor Lower Body HIIT

Outdoor Lower Body HIIT Read Time: 2 min 42 sec Gyms throughout the country are reopening with increased sanitation and safety precautions. Despite these preventative measures, you might still be hesitant about returning too soon. Thankfully, the warm weather provides us with endless outdoor workout possibilities. The Benefits of Outdoor Workouts Routine physical activity can help improve emotional well-being, including symptoms of anxiety and depression. New research suggests this effect may even be amplified with outdoor exercise. A preliminary study published in 2016 found that individuals with mild to moderate depression reported greater improvements in mood when they exercised outdoors compared to indoors. One theory as to why the outdoors positively impacts mental health is increased vitamin D synthesis from sun exposure (specifically, UVB rays). Low vitamin D levels are common in the United States and strongly associated with depression [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, exercise, hiit, interval training|

COVID-19: Testing, June 2020

Coronavirus Testing Read Time: 2 min 24 sec For the most up to date information on the coronavirus, please visit the CDC website. Since the start of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, testing has been a main focal point for research epidemiologists, healthcare workers, and the public at large. There are two types of tests people can receive for the virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19. Viral Testing: Looking for a Current Infection or Carriers of the Virus The first type of test is used to see if the virus is present during a current infection. These types of tests are known as viral or diagnostic testing. Viral testing is typically done by collecting a sample from the inside lining of the nose (nasopharyngeal swab) or a sample of saliva to look for evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in the respiratory tract. If [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, COVID, covid testing|

Exercise Spotlight: Targeting Belly Fat

Can You Target Belly Fat with Exercise? Read Time: 2 min 11 sec Chances are at some point in your life you have wondered what the best way is to shed fat and lose inches around the waist. With much buzz around the “quarantine-15” and summer quickly approaching, this is a question on many people’s minds. Although everyone carries some amount of fat in their abdomen, having too much in the stomach area can cause problems. Having excess weight in the midsection, otherwise known as excess abdominal adiposity, is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance (a risk factor for type 2 diabetes) and heart disease. So how can I target this pesky belly fat? Despite what you read on the internet, there are no magic foods or workouts that target and burn just belly fat. When your body [...]

Tags: abdominal fat, belly fat, corporate welllness, myths|

Women’s Health Week, May 2020

Women’s Health Week National Women’s Health Week (NWHW) is being celebrated May 10-16. This campaign begins on Mother’s Day each year and serves as a reminder for women to make their health a priority. There are several steps you can take today to improve your health tomorrow. Stay up to date with well-woman visits and preventative screenings Keep an eye on your health by visiting with your doctor for regular checkups and preventative care screenings. Early detection of problems improves outcomes and makes treatment less invasive and more effective. Download and print this Screening Recommendation Guide from Be Well Solutions to see what screenings are recommended for your age and gender. Then, check with your insurance provider about which services are covered. Celebrate your body with movement Some view exercise as a chore, or simply as a means to lose [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, National Women’s Health Week, NWHW, womens health week|

Try a New Move: Bob & Weave

Bob & Weave When it comes to getting fit, we most commonly choose exercises that favor forward motion like walking, cycling, and running. We may move backward when doing reverse lunges or a backstroke, but lateral movements become an afterthought. Think about the last time you purposefully moved side-to-side. It might be challenging to recall! When we favor one plane of motion, the same dominant muscles get bigger and stronger, while smaller stabilizer muscles don’t get challenged and stay the same. Don’t get us wrong, forward and backward movements are invaluable, but moving in other directions comes with benefits. For muscles in the lower body, lateral motions even-out strength imbalances by working stabilizing muscles on the inside and outside of the legs. The “bob and weave” is a lateral (sideways) single leg muscle-strengthening exercise that requires heavy use of your [...]

Tags: bob and weave, corporate welllness, exercise, fitness, wellness|

Try a New Food: Fruit Salad with In-Season Citrus

Fruit Salad with In-Season Citrus We may have only been chasing winter’s fleeting daylight for about a month, but if you’re anything like us, you could use a dose of in-season sunshine. For those who aren’t getting any, the Cara Cara orange offers a little taste of summer in the winter, when it conveniently comes to harvest December through May. From the outside, Cara Caras may look like a run of the mill citrus, but don’t judge a book by its cover. Beneath its easy-to-peel skin, you’ll find deep, pink-grapefruit colored flesh that’s super juicy, low in acid, and seedless. Flavor-wise, imagine a cross between a naval orange and tangerine but throw in a hint of berries. Not to mention, Cara Cara oranges are nutrient-dense, just like other citrus fruits. One medium Cara Cara orange provides 1 ½ days’ worth [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate welllness, fruit, fruit salad, low fat, recipe|