wellness Archives - Page 5 of 13

Celebrate with Healthy Nutrition

The holiday season is a time of celebration, family gatherings, and, of course, holiday parties. While it's often easy to over-indulge in festive treats and decadent dishes, it's also possible to maintain a commitment to health. With a little planning and some mindful choices, you can enjoy the festivities while keeping your nutrition on track. We want you to maximize holiday fun and feel good about the decisions you make throughout the season. Here are a few strategies from our dietitians and health coaches to help you balance celebration and wellbeing at upcoming holiday parties. Plan Ahead Holiday budgets are a great idea. Whether we are budgeting finances or calories, it is helpful to understand reasonable limits. Know what a healthy amount of food and drink should be for a person of your size and stature and keep that in [...]

Tags: exercise, health, Healthy Dish, healthy holidays, mindful eating, nutrition, wellness|

5 Ways to Show Gratitude and Give Back While Staying Active

As the year winds down and we enter the busy season of celebrating the holidays, it’s easy to lose sight of counting our blessings. It can be even harder to keep up with healthy habits like exercise. One of the best ways to express gratitude is by finding ways to give back to your community and loved ones. According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, “Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood, and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain, and [the] risk of disease.” Did you know there are ways to express gratitude while staying active? Talk about a win-win situation for your health and wellness! Celebrate this season of thankfulness by trying out these active opportunities to give back. Incorporate an App You can find an app for just about everything these days, [...]

Tags: Accountability, Giving, gratitude, health, volunteer, wellness|

Building a Home Gym

Remote work and varying schedules have caused home workouts to become increasingly popular. This rise in popularity has encouraged people to consider creating space in their homes specifically for exercise to make it more convenient and consistent. Building the proper space might feel daunting, so you might be wondering where to start when it comes to setting it up. Consider the following aspects to help you design a space that fits your needs within your budget. Plan Your Space Start by planning out your space. While it might be a dreamy option, home gyms do not need to be large spaces filled with expensive equipment. Even the corner of a small room can offer plenty of space if planned appropriately. Think about the type of workouts you intend to do, how much space will be adequate, and what equipment, if [...]

Tags: health, Home Gym, home workout, wellness, Workout Equipment|

5 Tips for Managing Stress this Holiday Season

The holidays bring laughter and joy, but they often become overwhelming and stressful in a hurry. Schedules fill up while our wallets empty, and endless obligations can leave us feeling exhausted with little time to think about healthy routines. Use the tips below to stay on track and enjoy the season. Be Mindful Take a moment to be present. When practicing mindfulness, you can be more intentional about your daily decisions. Think about how much you’re committing to and where you can create more balance in your day. You can practice mindfulness in every aspect of your holidays, including planning, spending, eating, and exercising. To be more mindful, pause, practice deep breathing, and ask yourself reflection questions. These questions help to understand the what and why behind your choices. Plan Ahead It’s so easy to get caught up in the [...]

Tags: Be Mindful, Enjoy, Expectations, health, holidays, wellness|

5 Ways to Avoid Burnout

Overpacked schedules seem to be the norm these days. Whether our plate is full of work deadlines, family obligations, or a combination of both, the stress of a packed routine can quickly get overwhelming. Consecutive seasons of busy schedules can leave us feeling burnt out and exhausted. As we try to keep up with the day-to-day agenda, it’s common to see healthy habits slip down on our priority list. Learning to avoid burnout can help us succeed with daily tasks, manage stress, and stay on track with goals. Prioritize Sleep Sleep affects almost every aspect of our health and wellness, so allowing your body adequate rest should be on top of your priority list. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine,[1] “The results identified ‘too little sleep (< 6 hours)’ as the main risk factor for [...]

Tags: health, healthy habits, Resiliency, Set Boundaries, sleep, wellness, Work Life Balance|

Keep Your Immune System Strong This Season

The cooler temperatures and crisp Fall air are here, but along with it usually comes a season prone to more illness. Between back-to-school, cooler temperatures, and more time spent indoors, germs spread much quicker this time of year. Use these tried-and-true tips to keep your immune system strong all year long. Eat Your Fruits and Veggies Incorporate an assortment of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. The different colors in these foods correspond with various necessary nutrients. When you vary the colors of your fruits and veggies, you know you’re getting assorted vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These nutrients can help keep your immune system working strong. Get a Good Night’s Sleep Sleep is imperative for our immune system because it allows our body to produce antibodies and natural killer cells that help ward off viruses and infections (UCI Health)[1]. [...]

Tags: fruits and vegetables, good hygiene, health, managing stress, sleep, staying active, strong immune system, talk to your doctor, wellness|

Cancer Screening Saves Lives

No matter how healthy we live, cancer can touch our lives. Two out of five Americans will receive a diagnosis of cancer at some point in their lives. One of the best ways to improve our survival chances is to discover cancer as early as possible. We do this with preventive screening exams. What is a Preventive Screening Exam? A preventive screening exam looks for a disease, or signs of a disease, in a person who has no symptoms or history of that disease. Preventive screenings allow doctors to detect conditions before symptoms appear, which increases the likelihood of effective treatment. Recommendations for preventive screening exams come from various groups of experts, but the two most notable in the US are the US Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF)[1] and the American Cancer Society (ACS)[2]. The USPSTF assigns letter grades to their [...]

Tags: cancer prevention, cancer risk factors, corporate wellness, health, healthy lifestyle, preventive screening, well-being, wellness|

8 Tips for Exercising Safely

Regular exercise provides many health benefits, from weight management to disease prevention. However, safety is paramount to avoid unnecessary injuries or setbacks. We’ve compiled eight tips to help you exercise safely and get the most out of your workout session. Get the Green Light from Your Doctor Before beginning a new exercise routine, or if it’s been a while since you’ve consistently exercised, you should consult your physician first. Working with your doctor helps determine your readiness for activity, guidelines and adaptations for injuries or conditions, and when an exercise professional could be helpful. Start Slowly, Increase Gradually Incorporate exercise in small bouts as you’re getting started. Then, slowly increase your duration, intensity, and frequency. Starting slower will allow your body to adapt and develop endurance and strength. If you begin with too much too fast, you can increase the [...]

Tags: cool down, corporate wellness, exercise, exercise recovery, health, hydration, nutrition, rest, warm-up, wellness|

Goodnight Sleep Tight with Good Sleep Hygiene

Sleep influences almost every aspect of our health, yet we’re constantly searching for ways to get enough restful sleep. Our environment and habits affect the amount and quality of daily sleep we get. Sleep hygiene is a buzzword that is gaining traction among wellness terms. Let's look at what it is, its benefits, and how we can practice it for a good night of rest. What is it? According to the Sleep Foundation, “Strong sleep hygiene means having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep.” It involves preparing ourselves and our space for a restful sleep. What are the benefits? When we create good sleep habits, we can get more quality sleep. Our bodies need adequate sleep for better health. It can boost our immune system, help with weight management, and even lower the [...]

Tags: exercise, Goodnight Sleep, health, routine, sleep, sleep hygiene, wellness|

Get Pumped about Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common health concern that affects nearly half of adults nationwide. It's often referred to as the "silent killer" because it can go unnoticed for years while quietly damaging your arteries and increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other serious health conditions. Fortunately, there are effective lifestyle strategies you can implement to help control your blood pressure and promote overall health. These measures include exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco and nicotine and using healthy eating strategies. What do the Numbers Mean? Blood pressure is a measure of the amount of force (pressure) generated by the heart when it contracts and during rest. Blood pressure measurements are recorded as two numbers, known as systolic and diastolic values respectively. Systolic pressure represents the pressure when the heart contracts, diastolic pressure represents the amount of force [...]

Tags: balanced diet, blood pressure, corporate wellness, health, prevention, wellness|