Newsletter Archives - Page 2 of 24

Added Sugar- How Much is Too Much?

You might be surprised to hear that most Americans (including teenagers and children) consume about 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day. Too much added sugar can lead to increased health risks including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Added sugar contains calories, but no additional nutrition. With the lack of vitamins and minerals it’s important to limit your intake of added sugar. Let’s take a closer to look to discover how you can reduce your intake of added sugar. Different names for added sugar Added sugar comes in many forms including, but not limited to, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, coconut sugar, evaporated cane syrup, agave nectar, maltose, dextrose, and malt syrup. Regardless of which type of added sugar you use, you want to limit your intake. Finding added sugar in foods [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, label reading, sugar|

The Mini Workout

The Answer to “I Don’t Have Time to Exercise” The fact that mini workouts can benefit our health is an obvious advantage. However, there are many other benefits to incorporating these short bursts of exercise into your day. Due to our busy and evolving schedules, it can be hard to commit to long exercise sessions. Mini workouts allow you to incorporate physical activity more easily into your day. While planning for a thirty-minute workout can feel discouraging on an already busy day, it can often be more realistic to wrap our head around 5 to 15 minutes of exercise at a time. A few active moments throughout the day can feel more manageable and less stressful than scheduling a longer workout. This perspective can help our exercise become more consistent over time. Mini workouts help decrease our daily sedentary time [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, exercise|

Nutrition and Heart Health

Be Kind to Your Heart: Supporting Your Heart Through Nutrition Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The good news is that creating healthy habits can decrease your chance of developing heart disease. There are so many ways to be proactive in taking care of your heart health such as exercising, managing stress, reducing sodium intake, switching to healthy fats, and increasing your soluble fiber intake. Reminder: Don’t overwhelm yourself with lifestyle changes. Reflect on your habits. What is one thing that you would like to work on? Eating more vegetables? Going for consistent walks? Set yourself up for long-term success by making one or two achievable lifestyle changes. If you try to make too many changes at once, you have a higher chance of not meeting your goals. Let’s look at how nutrition [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, fiber, heart health, nutrition|

Heart Healthy Grocery Shopping

Use the tips below to create a heart-healthy grocery shopping list. Produce Choose a variety of fresh fruits and veggies No sodium added or low sodium canned beans & veggies Plain frozen veggies and fruit No sugar added dried fruit (raisins) Grains Plain brown rice, quinoa, or whole-wheat pasta Lower added sugar cereal (Total, plain Cheerios, Wheaties, etc.) and oats Protein Meats with loin or round in the name like pork tenderloin Salmon and tuna (look for canned tuna packed in water) Reduced sodium chicken or turkey deli meats 90% lean ground beef Skinless chicken and turkey Ground chicken or turkey No sodium added canned beans and lentils Fats Olive, canola, avocado oil Lightly salted or unsalted nuts Peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, etc. Avocado Dairy/dairy alternatives Reduced fat milk Reduced fat cottage cheese and cheese Reduced added sugar [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, grocery, heart health, nutrition|

Gratitude & Your Heart Health

Gratitude is a great way to change your perspective and create a more positive outlook on life. Did you know practicing gratitude is also a great way to boost your heart health? Research has found that being more thankful can help lower blood pressure and improve the function of our immune systems. It can also assist with promoting healthy behaviors like increased physical activity and having a more nutritious diet (American Heart Association). While there are many ways to express your graciousness, you can start with one of the options below. Your heart will be grateful you did! 4 Ways to Practice Gratitude Say Thank You. Whether someone just held the door open for you or a friend lent a listening ear when you needed it most, express your thanks out loud. Use your words to say thank you. [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, gratitude, heart health, journaling|

Exercise as Medicine

We all know that exercise is good for our health, but what exactly does it mean to use exercise as medicine? Research has shown that exercise can help to prevent and manage chronic diseases and conditions. In many cases, with physician supervision, it can be used instead of or in conjunction with medication to maximize health benefits. How Can Exercise be Used as Medicine? The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) launched the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) initiative to emphasize the importance of physical activity on our overall health. While physical fitness is important for improving athletic performance, preventing injury, and building muscle, its benefits go far beyond this. Exercise is key for preventing and managing diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Research shows it can also help manage bone and joint health, mental health, cognitive [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, exercise, heart health, heart month|

New Year, New You!

It’s that time of year again. New year, new resolutions. This year, set yourself up for long-term success by making one or two achievable lifestyle changes. If you try to make too many resolutions at once, you have a higher chance of not meeting your goals. Stay away from fad diets that make false promises which will often end in disappointment. Fad diets restrict your food options and do not create a healthy eating pattern that supports your body. How do you create resolutions which set you up for long-term success? Creating Realistic and Achievable Resolutions Start slow; pick an area to work on and focus on that, whether it is exercising more or changing your diet by adding in more fruits and veggies. Remember that healthy weight loss is considered 1 to 2 lbs per week. Resolutions don’t [...]

Tags: 2023, corporate wellness, goals, health tips, new year, new year new you, nutrition tips, resolutions|

Top Fitness Apps for 2023

Welcome to a new year full of new goals! There’s an ever-increasing number of apps that bring fitness right to your fingertips. If you’re looking to establish or change up your exercise this year, we’ve got a list of the top fitness apps you’ll want to check out. AllTrails Available On: App Store & Google Play Price: Free Version or Pro Version for $35.99/Year AllTrails is an app for outdoor fitness lovers. Search and explore nearby trails for hiking, biking, and running. This app helps you find the perfect one to fit your needs, such as being dog-friendly, wheelchair and stroller accessible, or full of scenic attractions. Each trail has a difficulty rating, description, user reviews, full map, and directions to the trailhead. With over 350,000 trails on the app, you'll likely find just what you’re looking for. The [...]

Tags: app, apps, corporate wellness, exercise, fitness, fitness apps, smart phone, wellness|

Winter Produce

Does your New Year’s resolution include eating more fruits and vegetables? Produce has many health benefits but unfortunately, most people are not meeting the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies each day. In fact, research has found that, “just 1 in 10 adults meet the federal fruit or vegetable recommendations.” Not only are fruits and vegetables delicious but having a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. Fruits and vegetables can be enjoyed all year round. Winter offers a variety of in=-season fruits and veggies including apples, bananas, carrots, celery, collard greens, cabbage, pears, oranges, winter squash, etc. In-season fruits and vegetables are usually more affordable and make great additions to meals and snacks. Winter Produce Highlights Cabbage Choose cabbages that are firm with [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, fruit, fruits and vegetables, nutrition, produce, vegetables, veggies|

Top Mental Health Apps for 2023

The importance and awareness of mental health have been gaining traction. The challenges we’ve all faced over the last few years have shown that taking care of our minds is an integral part of our overall health and well-being. The stigma around mental health is changing now that we have many resources at our fingertips. Let's explore several mental health apps that are trending for 2023. Calm Available On: App Store & Google Play Price: Limited Free Content, Premium Version for $14.99/Month or $69.99/Year Calm focuses on mental health and stress management. The premium version will give you access to a library of content, including meditations, music, stretching videos, and relaxing scenes. This app can be a resource when you need a quick and relaxing mind break in your day. It can also be beneficial for establishing a better [...]

Tags: app, apps, corporate wellness, mental health, mental health apps, wellness|