Health & Happiness Month

July 3, 2019

“The options for helping are unlimited. You only have to open your mind to the possibilities for kindness; if you look with fresh eyes, they are all around you. Furthermore, no particular talent, measure of time, or amount of money is required. The deed may not be grand or complicated. […] You don’t have to be a Mother Teresa or the Dalai Lama; the acts can be small and brief.”

– Sonja Lyubomirsky

In the spirit of increasing both your own happiness (be selfish!) and starting a chain of positive events, we invite you to join the One Week Daily Deed Challenge. The details are simple: for one week, do at least one good deed, big or small, every day.

Suggested Good Deeds/Random Acts of Kindness

• Open the door for someone

• Carry groceries or other items for a stranger

• Pick up a piece of trash

• Buy a stranger’s cup of coffee

• Write someone a gratitude or thank you letter

• Buy a stranger’s meal

• Donate blood

• Donate or serve a meal to someone less fortunate

• Buy someone a book

• Listen to a friend (or stranger) going through a challenging time

• Let someone go ahead of you in line

• Send flowers to someone for no reason

• Give a heartfelt compliment

• Give a random person a small gift

• Leave a generous tip

• Buy a homeless person a meal and listen to their story

• Offer a stranger a hug

• Do something special for a brother or sister

• Support somebody’s creative project

• Call a friend on their birthday

• Welcome a new colleague to your work

• Offer your seat to the elderly or expecting mothers

• Help someone move

Think happiness isn’t all that important to health? Read more at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/happiness-and-health#section6.

July 10, 2019

This week, plan a lunch break with your co-workers!

“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.” – Orson Welles

When is the last time you really indulged in your lunch break? Do you feel guilty for taking this time, like there’s too much to do, or just no one to go with? “Lots of people love to go to lunch with their co-workers, and for good reason. Eating together lets colleagues unwind, catch up, dish on their personal lives and share frustrations about the job, all the while creating valuable personal and professional connections.” Finish the article here: https://work.chron.com/share-lunch-coworkers-18774.html

Eating lunch with your co-workers can boost productivity, create opportunities to network, and can influence your happiness. https://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2016-02-03/3-reasons-to-eat-lunch-with-your-co-workers

Stop Sacrificing Your Lunch Break To Do More Work by Alison Ives: https://www.girlboss.com/work/how-to-reclaim-lunch-breaks

This week we challenge you to really take time for yourself. You deserve an uninterrupted lunch, and better yet, a lunch with friends. If your budget has no wiggle room, plan a picnic lunch AWAY FROM THE OFFICE with friends. There are likely several people who would jump at an invite. Ask a friend or a few (you may make new friends) to join you in the next week for lunch grub. And don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

July 17, 2019

Have you thought about stopping smoking, or helping someone else stop, but don’t know where to start?

“Don’t think of it as quitting smoking. Think of it as gaining health.”– Anonymous

Did you know that 5800 adults die in Arkansas each year from tobacco related deaths, and that there is no safe exposure limit to secondhand smoke? Here are some interesting facts about our state: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/about/osh/state-fact-sheets/pdfs/arkansas-2019-h.pdf. According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Although there are benefits to quitting at any age, it is important to quit as soon as possible so your body can begin to heal from the damage caused by smoking. For instance, 12 hours after you quit smoking the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. Carbon monoxide is harmful because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives your heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen.” It is estimated that for smokers who smoke one pack a day, the cost savings can be around $150 per month. But what about time added to your life? An article in the British Medical Journal estimates that stopping around age 60 added at least three extra years of life, around age 50 added six years of life, and around age 40 added nine years. “Those who quit smoking before age 35 added 10 years of life — and had a life expectancy similar to men who had never smoked. They “avoided almost all” of the risk.

“Some people think that smoking is just a bad habit. But smoking is more than a habit. Most smokers’ bodies need the nicotine in cigarettes or they go into withdrawal. Needing something that much is called addiction. That’s why most smokers keep smoking even when the cigarette prices go up. That’s why a smoker will go outside to smoke even if the weather is raining, cold, or blazing hot. Most smokers are addicted. If a person reaches for a cigarette within 30 minutes after waking up, that tells the tale. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the nicotine in cigarettes can be as addictive as cocaine or heroin. Many people say they smoke cigarettes to unwind and to feel more relaxed. But studies show that smoking actually raises a person’s blood pressure and heart

rate.” Excerpt from “Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight Against Tobacco” by Robinson, R., Sutton, C., James, D., Orleans, C.T.

Thinking of being a quitter (yes, this is good!)? We have some great support sites available to help you with this.

For support in quitting, including free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational materials, and referrals to local resources, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
Here is a comprehensive website dedicated to helping you quit smoking https://smokefree.gov/. You will also find information specific to Veterans, women, teens, 60+, and in Spanish. Live chat is available.
There is a free Quit Guide App you can download on your smartphone that helps you understand your smoking patterns and build the skills needed to become and stay smokefree. Use the app to track your cravings by time of day and location, get motivational messages for each craving you track, track your mood and smoking triggers, identify your reasons for quitting, and monitor your progress and milestones.
Receive 3-5 daily smoking cessation texts for 6-8 weeks. Sign up at https://smokefree.gov/smokefreetxt.
Here is a 12-page guide for smokers and other tobacco users with tips, quit date goals, and medications that may be of assistance in cessation: https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/professionals/clinicians-providers/guidelines-recommendations/tobacco/clinicians/tearsheets/helpsmokers.pdf
Want to know about FDA approved products for cessation and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)? https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/want-quit-smoking-fda-approved-products-can-help.

You also can connect with others and grow your support network through Smokefree’s social media resources:

Facebook ─ SmokefreeUS and Smokefree Women

Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest ─ SmokefreeUS

July 24, 2019

This week our focus is on your annual check-up.

“Maintaining good health should be the primary focus of everyone.” – Sangram Singh

Did you know that if you carry our insurance through United Healthcare, it covers your Wellness & Annual Physical in full? Also covered are certain preventative screenings, immunizations, and child/well baby exams.* Delta Dental, if carried, also covers Diagnostic and Preventative care at 100% and waives the deductible. This equates to two cleanings and one set of x-rays/exam per year.

*This is only a summary. If you want more details about your coverage and costs, you can get the complete terms at https://www.myuhc.com/member/prewelcome.do. If there is a difference between this summary and your plan documents, the terms of your plan documents will apply.

Benefits of Regular Check-Ups

Lower Healthcare Costs
The thought of a huge doctor’s bill is daunting to the best of us. If one wants to cut down on the healthcare costs they may incur it is important to schedule a regular health screening.
These regular check-ups can save money in the long run. Regular health check-ups mitigate the risk of potential health ailments that can turn out to be dangerous. It can also, in certain cases, help reduce the risks of undergoing surgery and other serious medical expenditure.
Nip Diseases in the Bud
Regular medical check-ups can help the doctors diagnose a disease before it advances to greater proportions.
These screenings are done on the basis of an individual’s age, sex, history, and lifestyle choices.
Physicians can advise various tests and preventative screenings to help detect any risk to the patient. These screenings can identify diseases at the onset making it easier to treat or cure them.
During a regular health screening a doctor may also ask you to do a blood test. These are done in order to eliminate the risk of diseases that can show up in your blood and may include cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, anemia, HIV/AIDS, as well as coronary artery disease screening. Blood tests also help doctors to properly evaluate the functioning of various body organs like liver, kidneys, heart and thyroid.
Identify Stress-Related Diseases
We live in an extremely fast moving world with hectic work schedules and lifestyles. This can ignite a variety of diseases in the human body that are brought on by stress.
Increase in stress and anxiety have been found to be directly related to a number of different diseases that are both physical as well as psychological. These include hypertension, high blood pressure, weight gain, mental disorders, Alzheimer’s, depression, asthma, and even gastrointestinal problems.
Regular medical check-ups make it is easier to diagnose and detect problems before they are too severe. A regular check-up can make sure that you get the advice and support you need from your doctor to help stave off the ills of a high stress lifestyle.
Keeps You Abreast of Your Health
Your screening results will tell your doctor all they need to know about your health.
Results may prompt the physician to warn you and/or give you advice on how you can better maintain your health.
A simple example is how so many people ignore their dental health. This can exacerbate very rapidly and cause problems at a later stage. When identified at an early stage problems can be handled with small changes in lifestyle. On the other hand, if the problem is detected at an already exacerbated stage, it becomes very difficult to manage and can even be a major financial drain for you. Regular check-ups are a great way to stay aware of what you can do to improve your health and reduce your risk of diseases.

Read more for how to get the best out of your annual checkup visits: https://www.self.com/story/annual-checkup-tips.

July 31, 2019

This week our focus is on personal safety.

“Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.”

~Jeff Cooper

The ABCDEF approach to personal safety

The ABCDEF basics apply to everyone, are easy to remember, and easy to teach others.

Avoid being alone.
Be ready.
Check in frequently.
Don’t distract yourself.
Expect trouble.
Fight if you can’t flee.

Avoid being alone:

Travel in packs because criminals are predators and opportunists, and a pack is harder to deal with than someone alone. This is especially true if you’re in an unfamiliar location.

Be ready:

When you leave work, home, or wherever you are, is your phone charged?
Do you have your keys in an easily accessible place, and have you practiced unlocking car, office, and house doors with one hand?
Have you practiced using the emergency call feature on your phone?
Are you wearing shoes and clothing that permit you to run at full speed if you need to?

Check in frequently:

Do your friends or loved ones know where you are? Consider posting a little more frequently to the social network of your choice. Check in a little more often (especially when traveling, but you don’t have to let people know you are gone with your home unoccupied in doing this), just to let others know about you – and have your friends let you know about them. If someone goes quiet who normally isn’t, check in on them.
Don’t be distracted. The person who has their face buried in their phone, earbuds in, or is obviously not paying attention to the world around them is the easiest target. It seems like a common sense tip, but then, people have died recently walking off cliffs while playing Pokémon Go. Avoid distraction – be present!

Expect trouble:

Paradoxically, this is the best way NOT to be paranoid:

When you walk somewhere, look for the places which would be a good place to hide like stairwells, behind blind corners, or next to vans or big trucks in a parking lot.
If you own, are licensed in, and have trained in the use of pepper spray or other defensive tools, practice walking and moving through life with them so that you’re accustomed to drawing and readying them quickly.
When you walk into a new place, immediately locate the exits.
In a restaurant? Know where the kitchen is – there’s always a door out through the kitchen.

Fight if you can’t flee:

Your safest bet is generally to flee, to escape danger if you can. However, if you cannot, be prepared to protect yourself. Police response times nation-wide have increased, and in about a third of violent crimes and 3/4 of property crimes, police take anywhere from 11 minutes up to an hour to respond (Source: US Bureau of Justice Statistics). These response times mean you can’t count on someone to save you. You are responsible for your own safety first. Commit to fighting your way out of any situation you can’t immediately escape – and escaping as soon as you can.

These are just a few basic things to keep in mind; if you’re concerned for your personal safety, take a self-protection class from a qualified instructor on an ongoing basis.

Arkansas Hospice Employee Wellness Council (EWC) Keeping you Well – Mind, Body, & Spirit

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