Spring wellness

Don't forget to attend the upcoming Adobe Connect sessions if you are interested!

By completing the occupational and spiritual wellness activity, you can learn some things you may need to work on to improve your well-being.

Check back on the blog at the end of this week for a review of our Adobe Connect sessions on how to improve your occupational wellness.

Adobe Connect sessions

Adobe Connect lunch and learn sessions at noon (will last about 30 minutes)

If you are interested in any of the sessions, let Melissa (bessmm@missouri.edu) know by Monday, March 29.

· How to Improve Your Occupational Wellness (choose 1 session, both sessions will cover the same material) Wednesday, April 7 or Thursday, April 15

· How to Improve Your Spiritual Wellness (choose 1 session, both sessions will cover the same material) Monday, April 19 or Tuesday, April 27

You will need a laptop, speakers, and an internet connection to listen to these presentations.

Spring 2010 wellness activity

We are focusing on spiritual wellness and occupational wellness during the month of April. Look over the bulleted statements under each area of wellness and check the ones that apply to you. If there are statements that do not apply to you, that gives you something that could be improved. The Adobe Connect sessions will focus on ways to improve either spiritual or occupational wellness. There will not be any points to keep track of; this will be based on individual self-improvement.


Spiritual wellness
• I make time for relaxation in my day.
• I make time for meditation and/or prayer.
• My values guide my decisions and actions on a daily basis.
• I am tolerant and accepting of the views of others.
• I am compassionate to others.
• I continue to seek purpose in my life and life is meaningful to me.
• I allow myself to feel love, joy, and fulfillment.
• When I get depressed or frustrated by problems, my spiritual beliefs and values give me direction.
• I am constantly trying to improve my spiritual wellness and realize that it is a continual process.
• I have a clear sense of what is right and what is wrong and I act accordingly.

Occupational wellness
• I enjoy going to work most days.
• My job contributes positively to my overall health and well-being.
• I feel that I can talk to my boss and co-workers if problems arise.
• I find satisfaction in being creative and innovative at work.
• I am happy with the balance of work and other aspects of life.
• My job responsibilities and duties are consistent with my values.
• I am happy with my career choice.
• My job allows professional and personal growth.
• I feel as though my job makes a difference in the world.
• I am able to control my workload in a manageable way.

Greek yogurt, what's the big deal?

Many of you have probably seen advertisements for Greek yogurt, touting it's higher protein. Here is some information to help you decide if you want to make the switch.

Greek yogurt is creamier and thicker than regular yogurt. Greek yogurt has been around for awhile, but has become more noticable because popular brands have started making Greek yogurt. It's about twice as expensive as regular yogurt ($1.00 for 5.3 oz of Greek vs. $.58 for 6 oz of regular in the grocery store here), but also has twice as much protein. Regular yogurt does have more vitamin D and vitamin A than Greek yogurt. Otherwise, nutritionally speaking, both varieties are similar. Make sure to buy the fat-free or low-fat version whether you are buying regular yogurt or Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt also has the active cultures that help promote digestive health.

There is a different taste and texture to Greek yogurt and not as many fruit flavors are available.

A few good uses for plain Greek yogurt would be:

• Use on a baked potato in place of sour cream. Some people already do this with plain regular yogurt, but Greek yogurt has a texture more similar to sour cream. It also adds more protein than regular yogurt.
• Use in a smoothie. The smoothie will have added protein and a thicker texture with Greek yogurt.
• Use to make sour cream-based dips. The Greek yogurt will be thicker than regular plain yogurt and add protein when you replace the sour cream with it.

Stay tuned for more information about the spring wellness activities!

Spring wellness activity preview

Our spring 2010 wellness activities will start at the end of March and run through April. We will be focusing on occupational and spiritual wellness.

Here are some things to think about before we start our wellness activities:

Occupational wellness

• Do you enjoy going to work most days?
• Do you have a manageable workload at work?
• Do I feel as though I can talk to my boss or co-workers when a problem arises?

Spiritual wellness

• Do I make time for relaxation during the day?
• Do I make time for meditation and/or prayer?
• Do my values guide my decisions and actions?

Stay tuned for more information in March!

Sitting too long?

Have you been sitting too long? Does your hands/wrists/arms hurt from typing and using the computer for too long?

Here are some easy stretches you can do to get the blood pumping and give you a little energy boost and some much needed stretching.

Hold each stretch for 10 - 30 seconds and repeat each stretch a few times if necessary.

Neck stretch

1. Slowly look to your right shoulder until you feel a good stretch in the neck. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.

2. Slowly turn your head to look over your left shoulder until you feel a good stretch in the neck. Hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds.

3. Repeat as necessary.

Shoulder stretch

1. Stand against a wall if you wish.

2. Bend elbows, point fingers toward ceiling until you feel a stretch (or touching the wall if you are against it). Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.

3. Let the arms slowly fall, keep elbows bent, point fingers toward floor until you feel a stretch (touch wall if you are against it). Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.

4. Repeat as necessary.

Back

1. Sit in a study chair, scooted forward in the chair.

2. Lean forward, keeping neck and back comfortable, relax the neck and shoulders.

3. Continue to lean forward, hands on lower legs, until you feel a stretch. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.

4. Repeat as necessary.

Upper back/shoulders/wrists

1. Sit in a chair or stand, hold arms in front of you at shoulder height. Face palms outward.

2. Reach forward until you feel a stretch. Keep shoulders relaxed. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.

3. Curl and make a fist with hands, then straighten fingers. Repeat 2-4 times. Wriggle fingers. Repeat 2-4 times.

Pictures are from Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging. http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ExerciseGuide/

Work and Life Balance

The presentation from yesterday's Work and Life Balance lunch and learn session is posted at
S: SCRegion/Camden/Melissa/Lunch and Learn Presentations

Recap:

Keeping a healthy balance involves 3 aspects:

Self-care (personal health and wellness)
Others-care (family, friends, relationships)
Meaningful work (contributing to society, challenging, stimulating work)

Most of us don't ignore one of those things, but we try to do too much. This causes us distress, rather than peace.

It's a challenge to find a healthy balance, but we need to see our limits to do this properly. We cannot always think of just ourselves, or always say yes to others.

Circle Balance Activity

Draw a circle and divide into 3 segments, one for each of the healthy balance aspects. Draw each segment based on how much time and energy you put into the following: self-care, others-care, meaningful work. Next, divide the self-care section into how much time and energy you put into physical, mental, relational, and spiritual with a dotted line. Divide the others-care into family, friends, and reaching out. Divide the meaningful work into job and service to other causes.

This will help you see how you are balancing yourself between those 3 things.

Finding a healthy balance is an ongoing process and you must decide on it, no one else can decide for you.

We all have limits and must recognize those limits in order to keep a healthy balance. We should accept our limits, set priorities, make clear commitments to keep ourselves healthy.

Planning Guide - To Keep a Healthy Balance

Step 1: Clarify your values
◦What is your purpose in life, what are your goals?

Step 2: Set healthy balance goals
◦Use the circle exercise again to define ideal balance, your goals

Step 3: Rebalance regularly
◦Keep testing until you find what works well for you, adjust and revise until you find a style for you

Regarding rebalancing:
The goal is balance, every small change you make will help lead to a healthy balance. Perfect adjustment is never possible. Imbalance will not ruin you, as long as it doesn’t remain out of line for too long. Balance is an activity we engage in over and over again, as we make corrections throughout life.


That will be the last lunch and learn presentation for fall 2009. Look for more information coming out for the spring wellness activities!