Employee Wellness

Here are the most recent Show Your BIB challenge photos submitted by our employees.  Submit your photos of bibs or t-shirts from any active event to wellnessemp@welia.org for a chance to win one of two $150 gift certificates.  Hurry-challenge ends November 30th!

 

Congratulations to our September Employee Gym All Stars!

Roxy F. – 18 visits

Mel N. – 14 visits

Kayla – 11 visits

Korissa and Amanda – 10 visits

Do any of your athletic socks look like this?

A new employee wellness challenge starts November 1st!

ALL EMPLOYEES WHO PARTICIPATE in WALK YOUR SOCKS OFF and meet requirements will get a fun, quality pair of socks.  Also, one grand prize winner will be drawn for a $100 Visa gift card at the end.

Walk or jog for 150 minutes each week, record your minutes on the log sheet, and turn in your log sheet to Deb in Wellness by Wednesday December 14th to get your new pair of socks.

Get a small BONUS prize if you weigh in at the start of the challenge and end of the challenge and maintain your weight throughout the 6 weeks.

Challenge dates:  November 1st – December 10th.

Check out the flyer below for details.  You must sign up for this challenge!

walk-your-socks-off

FirstLight recently donated a used high-low treatment table and portable massage chair to a clinic in Paupa New Guinea. Kristy and Derek Johnson, from Mora, along with their three sons are currently serving as missionaries in Paupa New Guinea and Kristy is setting up a physical therapy clinic there. FirstLight worked with a freight company that donated shipping costs to send this overseas. The equipment should arrive in PNG in about 3 months and we hope to get pictures after the equipment is set up in the clinic. A special thanks to the Rehabilitation Services Department for donating the equipment and Brett Anderson for assisting with loading of the equipment.

 

Did you know that taking the stairs can benefit your health?

Stair climbing is a great way to get fit.  It’s actually a unique form of exercise that can have a powerful and positive impact on your health over time.

While most of us think of exercise as a specific type of activity or ‘sport’, evidence shows that everyday activities that are easily sustainable, like walking and stair climbing, are closely associated with improved health.

Here is why stair climbing matters:

• Burns more calories per minute than jogging
• Reduces cardio risk
• Helps control weight and builds muscle tone
• Improved respiration

Stair climbing is also easy to build into your life:

• It doesn’t require any special skills, training or sporting prowess
• It’s efficient – saves up to 15 minutes a day and cuts carbon
• It makes use of the world around us and does not cost anything
• You can start with just a flight or two and build up over time
• It’s a routine you can sustain
• No Lycra required!

Is stair climbing for everyone?  Certainly not.  Those with joint problems in their legs may not be able to tolerate the stairs.  But if your joints can tolerate it, try going up and down a flight of stairs, then do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and see how easy it is to incorporate this everyday activity into every day, while positively impacting your health.

 

 

 

 

This week the nation is shining a light on mental illness by observing Mental Illness Awareness Week October 2nd-8th.

A startling 1 in 5 adults in America experience mental illness(source: www.nami.org).

Negative attitudes and false beliefs about those with mental illness can cause significant problems. Be part of the movement and help change the way the world sees mental health.  Visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website using the link below to learn more about mental illness and how you can become stigmafree.

Steps to becoming stigmafree:

1. Educate yourself and others
2. See the person and not the illness
3. Take action on mental health issues

Source: NAMI

mental-health-facts-nami

https://www.nami.org/

This year ColorMy5k proceeds were donated to area high schools to support mental health and substance abuse awareness initiatives. Friends of Rachel – also known as FOR – is a Pine City High School club that received support from the 2016 event.

The mission of Friends of Rachel is to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion among students and staff, and to continually keep this going.  WellnessFirst is proud to support the work this club is doing in the Pine City community.

Check out this thank you we received from the FOR club.

 

The SHOW YOUR BIB challenge is still going strong!  We have 16 employees that have submitted bib or t-shirt photos from a race and there are 45 tokens in the drawing so far.

Don’t forget to send a photo of your bib or t-shirt from ANY race/event you have been a part of this year and have a chance at winning one of these prizes: $150 gift certificate to Lee’s Pro Shop or PD’s Embroidery.  Two winners will be drawn.  Every time you submit a photo, your name goes in the drawing and you receive a High Five token (your name goes in TWICE if you participate in events in Kanabec or Pine County). Challenge runs through November.

Check out these recent BIB photos submitted by employees:

 

It’s back-to-school time and that means lots of items being toted around in backpacks.  Packs get even heavier then the snow flies due the addition of boots and extra winter gear. Here are a some tips to help reduce the chance of back, shoulder, or neck pain in your kiddos:

• As a general rule, it is recommended that kids carry no more than 10-15% of their body weight in their pack.  If a child weighs 80 pounds, the backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 8-12 pounds.  A pack that is too heavy will cause the need to lean forward, creating strain on muscles.
• Use both shoulder straps to keep the load balanced.  Using only one strap causes you to lean to one side, creating muscle imbalance and posture changes.
• If using a messenger type of bag or a computer case with a strap, carry the bag across the body to evenly distribute the load.
• Tighten the straps enough for the backpack to rest evenly in the middle of the back; no sagging packs down to the butt.
• Pack the heaviest items closest to the body, lightest items farther away from the body; this will reduce the strain on the spine.
• Leave what you can at school.  Is the same hardcover book being carried back and forth by your student from school to home without being opened?
• Check the pack frequently and unload unnecessary items to keep the weight of the pack at a minimum.  You may be surprised at the treasures you find adding weight to the pack.

 

Congratulations!  These employees won themed baskets worth up to $100 each in the Red, White and Blue HEALTHY YOU employee wellness challenge.