Reasons to NOT Workout (and why they're wrong)

There are many reasons why people choose to not workout and it seems as if those reasons multiply when you talk about strength training. Strength training often gets a bad reputation, even though it is SO beneficial to your health! 

Benefits of Strength Training 

• Helps you lose weight! Strength training burns calories looong after you complete your workout. This helps you to lose more weight then just a normal cardio workout.
• Strengthens your bones- As people age, the bone density diminishes and bones get weaker. Strength training helps combat this and slow the bone density loss. 
• Helps you sleep better- Working out makes you tired, this will make you ready for bed every night! Going to bed with a body that has been worked, will make your sleep even better! 
• Makes you feel more confident- Strength training builds muscle. When you build muscle, body fat is burned. When you lose  body fat, you will not only look more fit, but you will be able to lift more and be STRONG (not bulky)!

Common Excuses (and why they're wrong)

• "I don't want to get bulky"- This is often a common misunderstanding when you here 'strength training.' People think of the HUGE body builders that they see on the magazines at the grocery store. That is NOT normal. Those people are on VERY strict diets and workout regimens in order for them to look like that. Doing strength training for 20 minutes five times weekly will NOT make you look like that. Your muscles will be more toned and you will be slimmer.
• "I don't have any equipment"- If you don't have any equipment and don't want to head to the gym, that is totally okay! There are many strength training exercises that can be done without ANY equipment! You can also do exercises with homemade weights- a gallon of milk, a can of green beans, your dog, or even your child! (Be sure not to drop those last two) Here are some ideas:
• air squats
• lunges
• push ups
• triceps dips
• tricep push ups
• burpees (everyone's favorite)
• crunches
• wall sit
• Click here for even more ideas

If you aren't sure how to do one of the exercises above, Youtube them and there are great videos on how to do those properly. 

With all of the above being said, make sure that you are having fun with your strength training! Put on your favorite music and get in the zone, find a friend to work out with and push each other, take a class that you love, try something new. Make sure you aren't dreading the workout everyday. Find something you love and working out will be much easier to fit into your day.

Week 2 of the Summer Slim Down: The Wonderful World of Water

Week one of the Summer Slim Down is in the books! We hope that this week has been helpful in getting you focused on your health journey! Remember to keep your goals in mind during the entire challenge! If you ever notice yourself starting to go back to bad habits, really focus on your goal and remember WHY you're going on this journey. Use the resources you have- reach out to your teammates! 

Week 2

This week's challenge is to drink 100 ounces of water each day! This will be difficult for some people, and easy for others. Whichever it is for you, just remember it IS doable! You got this!! 

Why are we doing this week's challenge? There are many reasons why water is just SO good for you; it helps your skin, makes you feel more awake, and makes you feel more full! When you feel full, this can help deter you from snacking on calorie packed foods! Not only does water make you feel more full, it also will make you make more frequent trips to the bathroom- making you get up and move! It's a win-win! :) 

How can you get in 100 ounces of water each day?! 

• Bring a water bottle with you everywhere!
• Track how much water you have had by putting a rubber band on the bottle every time you drink it all!
• Create a schedule- Mark on your water bottle how much you should drink by a certain time!
• Hate luke warm water? Fill your water bottle half full and freeze it! Ice cold water for hours!
• Bored of plain water? Try some of these infused waters! 
• Try and get 50 ounces in by noon
• Get rid of all of the soda and sugary drinks in your house! No access=no temptation!
• Try apps like waterlogged and daily water to track your water consumption! 
• Order something spicy- you'll need some water after eating that!! 

Remember that you can do this! It will not only help you feel better, but it will help you shed the pounds! 

The Summer Slim Down Challenge!

During the months of July and August we're focusing on Physical Wellness as part of our 6 Dimensions of Wellness Challenge.  We've never done a weight loss challenge but thought it might be fun to try so we created the Summer Slim Down Challenge!

This is a team challenge that will run from Monday, July 6 to Sunday, August 23rd.  Gather your team of 4 and register here by July 6th.

Teams of 4 will participate in the challenge to lose weight and body fat percentage.  The team with the highest combined score of adjusted weight loss, body fat %, and points earned from completing the weekly challenges will be the winners!
You will need to pick up your Summer Slim Down weekly challenge booklet and weigh-in in office 2700 of the Health and Justice Building by July 10th.

Each week we will have a weekly challenge.  These are all basic healthy habits that we want you to continue to do even after the week is over.  There are a million fad diets out there that will come and go but it's developing these basic healthy habits that are going to help you the most throughout your lifetime.
Some will be more challenging than others but they are all healthy habits that will, if applied consistently, lead to weight loss.  Try them all for at least a week and try and make this the start of some life-long healthy habits.  They don't call it a wellness journey because it happens overnight.  It takes time and this could be the start of your journey, or the continuation of your journey!

We all have behaviors that are ingrained in us...some are better than others but they are all there and we do them without thinking twice.  Behavior change is a science.  It doesn't just happen overnight...it's complicated!  That's why they call it a science.  You must realize it's a learning process and will be filled with up and downs.  It's all part of the journey.

Who are you?  What defines you?  What is a part of you?  What can you not live without?

A father?  A friend?  A wife? A parent?

What if I told you that just by taking care of yourself- by taking that hour in the morning to workout, taking a little extra time to prepare a healthy lunch, getting enough sleep- would make you even better at all those things that are so important for you to be and do.....

It's true.  You must make yourself, your health, a priority.  Making yourself a priority will help you be your best self the other 23 hours of your day!
Prioritize what matters most to you and tie your health goals into your priorities.  You are important! Your health is a priority!

After you've thought about who you are, what's most important to you, what your priorities are, we want to to think of a behavior you would like to change.  This is the week 1 challenge.  To think of a behavior you would like to change, complete the behavior change contract and work on that week 1.

The rest of the challenges are listed in your Summer Slim Down booklet!
Each Monday we'll send out a link so you can report the number of points you earned the past week from completing your weekly challenges, and we'll provide some tips and tricks to help you with the next challenge.

Encourage and support your teammates!  We love team challenges.

There is a disclaimer....If for any reason you cannot do any of the weekly challenges, doctors orders, you can continue working on your week 1 behavior for that week.
That's it!
Get ready to feel great, lose weight, and Have fun!

How is your Intellectual Health?

Every two months Well4life is focusing on a different aspect of health! For May and June we are focusing on intellectual health.

What is intellectual health?

Intellectual health is taking time to focus on exercising your brain. Making your brain work in different ways. In order to increase cognitive function, we need to break our normal habits, learn new things, and stretch our brains.

How do I do this?

There are so many ways to exercise your brain! There are simple ways such as reading a book or an article each day, try and learn something new each day, or even taking a different way to work. These all make your brain work. A few larger tasks you can do to work on your intellectual health is to visit a museum, create something new, or do puzzles such as soduku, crosswords, or word searches! Do you have any ideas on how you can exercise your brain?! Leave a comment below!

How can I measure my Intellectual Health?

Physical health is easy to measure, but intellectual health is a little more difficult. So how do you measure your intellectual health? Click here to find a quiz you can take to measure and learn to increase your intellectual health.

Easter eggs and your health

We love the holidays and are grateful for the time we get to spend with our family and friends but we should also be thankful for how participating in certain holidays, like Easter for example, can benefit our health!

the following information was retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/easter-egg-health-and-nut_n_1409039.html

Here are eight reasons to indulge over Easter weekend

1. Eating eggs = better eye health by preventing muscular degeneration in cataracts 
2. Eating eggs = better cardiovascular health by lowering the risk of blood clots
3. Eating eggs = increased brain health, egg yolks have the largest source of choline (vit B)
4. eating eggs = breast cancer prevention (from choline as well)
5. Eating eggs = healthier hair, skin and nails because they are high in sulfur (helps with absorption of vitamin b)
6. Eating eggs = muscular development, 6 grams of protein per egg!
7. Eating eggs = helps with weight management, eat them in the morning and you wont crave as many snacks throughout the day.
8. some say that eating eggs will increase your cholesterol, however recent studies show that eating eggs has NO effect on total blood cholesterol levels.

Happy Easter!

March is National Nutrition Month!

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, also celebrated in March, increases awareness of registered dietitian nutritionists as the indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and recognizes RDNs for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.


The 2015 National Nutrition Month® theme is "Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle."





Click on the widget to the right to find out more information and read interesting articles on nutrition!

Many Americans don't get enough:
Potassium-only 4.7 percent of adults consume recommended amounts of potassium
Try eating a banana! (3 a day is required for your daily intake) also try squash or potatoes.


Fiber-only 11.3 percent of people meet the daily recommended intake
Try incorporating more whole grains, whole wheat and bran are high in fiber!


Calcium- can be found in spinach, broccoli and onions, not only milk, which contains mostly fat


Vitamin D-only 50 percent meet the daily requirements
Try taking a walk in the sunshine (15 min a day) or incorporating a supplement


Iron- try incorporating more healthy nuts and dark leafy green vegetables!


It may be hard to get all the nutrients you need in a day, you may want to consider taking a multivitamin

Don't Worry Be Happy

Did you miss the Brown bag last week?

if you did DON'T WORRY here is a little summary

What is worry? 

Worry is stress, some worry can be beneficial (Eustress) and can motivate us to solve problems and take action. However with the good also comes the bad, too much stress or worrying can be harmful and crippling (Distress) and leads to less efficient and productive lives. 

Below is the Yerkes-Dodson Human performance and stress curve it represents the connection between stress and performance.

As you can see on the left of the chart without any stress we are un-alert and unmotivated to get anything done.

On the opposite end you can see with too much stress we become disorganized and and unable to effectively complete tasks.

How can we control our worrying/stress?

Change your Belief System- only YOU can decide how you will react to situations

instead of thinking your a failure for doing something wrong, think of it as a learning opportunity, you can only get better with practice!

Have a Support Group- Close family and friends can help you through tough times, even if they are only there to listen.

Have a Hobby- have an activity that brings you happiness, something you can do that is uplifting after a long day.

Exercise Regularly- 3 hours per week

Obtain a Nutritious Diet

And Get Adequate Sleep- 7-9 hours per night

If you need assistance in managing your stress or just need someone to talk to, contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) @ 801-442-3509

***All services are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL***

Say "hi" to the quiet guy

Remember to work towards increasing your Social Wellness this month.

Be aware of the social impact you have on others, a simple conversation not only increases your social wellness but the wellness of others.

Respect what others have to say and be an active listener.

Have you Tested for Radon Yet?

RADON

January is national Radon action month!

I hope you all decide to take action by getting your homes tested!! Tests can be purchased at the Provo health department in the Environmental office for just 10$ or 5$ if you decide you would like to take a BYU survey regarding Radon (which took me approx. 5 minutes)

What is Radon??

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. It forms naturally from the decay of radioactive elements, such as uranium, which are found at different levels in soil and rock throughout the world. Often times we build on areas where radon is escaping the soil, this gas can become trapped inside our homes and cause serious health problems. It is estimated that 1 in 3 homes have elevated radon levels!

What can radon do to me and my family??

• ·         Long-term exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer.
• ·         Respiratory diseases, especially pulmonary fibrosis (scar tissue forming in the lungs that leads to shortness of breath).
• ·         Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (this includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis).
• ·         Some studies have also linked Radon exposure with the development of multiple sclerosis.
• ·         Some scientist suggests there might be a link between radon exposure and the development of Leukemia in children.

GET YOUR HOME TESTED!!!!!!!!

Resources for tests as well as solutions to dealing with high radon levels in your home can be found on the link below

http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html

Crucial Conversations

In review of our latest "Brown Bag" guest speaker we learned that a crucial conversation is any conversation where the stakes are high and opinions differ. Uncomfortable conversations can happen anywhere, at home or at work and without the proper communication skills these situations can quickly become HEATED!!

REMEMBER the authors also offer seven effective steps to mastering a crucial (effective) conversation:

1.  Start with Heart – What is the desired result from this conversation?  What exactly is at stake?  You have to ask yourself these questions to determine how important this conversation is to you and your career.  Knowing what is at stake going into the conversation will help you stay true to your convictions. 

2.  Learn to Look – Be on the lookout for a lack of mutual purpose.  Continuously ask yourself whether you are leading the conversation with dialogue or defensiveness.  And if you or the other party strays toward the latter, protect your conversation from going downhill with an expression like “I think we’ve moved away from dialogue” or “I’m sorry.  I’ve been trying to force my ideas on you.” 

3.  Make it Safe – When you notice that you and others have moved away from dialogue, do something to make it more comfortable.  Ask a question and show interest in others’ views.  Apologies, smiles, even a request for a brief “time out” can help restore safety when things get dicey. 

4.  Master your Story – Retrace your path to find out what facts are behind the story you’re telling.  When you have the facts on your side, it’s hard to deny your argument. 

5.  State your Path – Share your facts and conclusions in a way that will make the other party feel safe telling their story, too.    

6.  Explore Others’ Path – A dialogue allows you to actively inquire about the other party’s views.  Now that you both understand each other, you can emphasize which parts you agree upon and the areas in which you differ. 

7.  Move to Action – Come to a consensus about what will happen, document who does what by when and settle on a way to follow up. 

The authors believe that mastering these steps reduced the failure of team projects by half and showed effective results in many other situations – both personal and professional.  By knowing how to handle these crucial conversations, you can become influential; the type of person who can solve problems and get things done while also strengthening valuable relationships in the workplace. 

http://www.wikisummaries.org/Crucial_conversations_Tools_for_Talking_When_Stakes_are_High