Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

This blog was written by Lisa Larkin. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

We have been told for years to stay out of the sun because of its aging effect on our skin and bodies. Finally, there's a benefit to being out in the sun and eating lots of sushi! Sunshine and salmon are the two best sources of vitamin D. You may want to reconsider a little bit of sunshine to prevent some common diseases as people age.

The Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study, CAREDS, was performed to research the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in the blood. These levels were associated with early development of age-related macular degeneration, which is a common cause of eyesight loss in the elderly.

Studies have also found that vitamin D is linked to reducing the risks of Alzheimer’s, depression, bone fractures, multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, and several major cancers. Aging can be scary, but I think we need to be more aware of our vitamin D intake.

You heard it right: It’s okay to sit in the sun (with sunscreen, of course) for a little bit. And it’s okay to treat yourself to a nice seafood dinner.

Check with your corporate health and wellness team for more information about how to incorporate vitamin D into your diet.

This blog was written by Penny Pohlmann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Have you ever thought about hiring a personal trainer? When choosing a personal trainer to work with, you should feel confident that the person you're hiring is not only qualified but is someone who will listen to you and your specific goals when it comes to exercising and improving your health.

You may be surprised to know that some certifying organizations do not require a formal education in the field of health and fitness to sit for their personal training exam. Now, this is not true of all certifications. But there are so many certifying bodies out there; how do you know which ones are reputable?

Recognized Fitness Organizations

Here is a list of organizations that are recognized by the NCCA, a group that evaluates and measures organizations' professional competence, as certifying organizations that meet its Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.

• American College of Sports Medicine
• American Council on Exercise
• National Academy of Sports Medicine
• National Strength and Conditioning Association
• International Fitness Professionals Association
• The Cooper Institute

Making Sure Your Corporate Fitness Manager Is Qualified

Want to ensure your employee health and fitness program is staffed with qualified personnel? When interviewing a trainer to hire, he or she should maintain at least one certification from one of the organizations listed above. Additionally, he or she should also be able to produce a current copy of his or her CPR/AED certifications. These guidelines should help you determine who and what is the best fit for you and your fitness needs.

This blog was written by Penny Pohlmann, MS. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

For as long as I can remember, the national nutrition recommendations have been visible on a pyramid-shaped icon. However, the era of the pyramid has come to an end.

On June 2, with the help of First Lady Michelle Obama, the USDA introduced a new nutritional icon, MyPlate, which will replace MyPyramid. Part of the change to a new icon was inspired by a need for a more simple and easy-to-interpret guide for Americans.

How Is MyPlate Different Than MyPyramid?

Besides the shape of the icon, what else has changed? Check out these changes represented in the updated nutritional icon and recommendations:

• The former Meat and Bean group is now referred to as Protein.
• The group once called Milk is now represented on the icon by a blue circle called Dairy.
• The former group Sugars, Fats or Oils, which once represented a small sliver on the pyramid, is not even represented on the MyPlate icon. However, once you visit the new site, ChooseMyPlate.gov, you’ll see a link for Oils and Empty Calories.
• The MyPlate icon does not reference physical activity formerly seen on the pyramid. However, once you visit the website you will see physical activity is still recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Want to help bring attention to the new icon? The USDA is encouraging consumers who are putting MyPlate recommendations into practice by asking them to share photos of their plates on Twitter with the hashtag #myplate or on the USDA Flickr photo group.

Corporate Wellness with MyPlate at Work

How can employers use the new icon in corporate health and wellness programs to spur healthy changes? Here are some ideas:

• Initiate corporate health and wellness by assisting your employees in becoming familiar with the new icon by posting it in your cafeteria, wellness center, break rooms, or newsletters.
• Choose one of the selected messages the USDA has identified as a starting point to guide your employees toward making healthier nutritional choices.
• Host Lunch and Learns led by health educators or nutritional experts who can educate your employees on the makeup of a healthy, balanced diet.

This blog was written by Veronica Hofmann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Many of you have probably heard or read the buzz about the FDA considering a ban on artificial food coloring. There have been warnings of these dyes possibly contributing to ADHD in children. Many parents claim that after their children ingest the dye their behavior changes. The FDA recently voted not to ban these dyes, stating they need to research further as to the possible connection between the dye and hyperactivity.

Many parents are surprised by this decision—mostly the health conscious who realize that any ingredient that is not natural is just not good for our children. The problem is that most parents who feed their children a diet of whole foods stay away from products that include these dyes already. But there are many people who don’t realize the importance of a proper diet. This makes me think that the bigger problem is education on proper diet, not singling out one specific item.

This leads me to the question of whether or not we want the government making decisions on our food. In my opinion it would be a good thing because as a mother who tries her best to keep artificial colors out of my child’s diet there is absolutely no way to control this when they are at school, with friends or grandparents—often the worst offenders! No, I am not in favor of governmental control; but if the ingredient is not doing anything good and is found in kid friendly, cheap, and easily accessible foods, it may not be a bad thing to have it banned from the market.

Will this ever happen? Who knows? So in the meantime it is important to spread the word about healthy diets for everyone! We should start focusing on what to eat rather than what not to eat, and try to make the best nutrition decisions we can. I cringe when my little one bites into a ridiculously colored cake, cupcake, or candy but it is not a normal occurrence so until it is banned we will have to be flexible and pray it does not cause a complete meltdown.

This topic would be a great conversation starter for your worksite wellness program. Get the chatter started and it will travel.

This blog was written by Kara Gootee-Robinson. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Every May our NIFS Fitness Management staff celebrates National Employee Health and Fitness Month with celebrations at our client sites. The creative staff implements activities that encourage employees to be active in different ways while promoting their onsite fitness centers.

Here are some examples of the different ways the NIFS staff celebrated this past month.

• Food: Who doesn’t enjoy a free snack? Some staff chose to provide healthy snack options for their members. Healthy trail mixes are always a hit, or try something really different like Black Bean Brownies! Simply replace the oil and egg with a can of pureed Black Beans for more fiber! Trust me, they were moist and delicious!
• Quick Challenges: Participants like to try new things that are quick and easy. How about a push-up challenge? Members were entered into a drawing for participating. Other ways to incorporate quick, heart-pumping activities include hula hoop, jump rope, a timed plank challenge, or even fun on the Nintendo Wii.
• Stretch/Relaxation Breaks: Remember that all aspects of wellness are important. Manage your stress with relaxation breaks. One NIFS manager provided a dark, quiet area where members could sit and relax to music while another NIFS manager provided stretch breaks outside in the sun.
• Treadmill Marathons: Those hearts will pump along with the treadmill! Treadmill marathons are always a hit. Simply dedicate a treadmill, decorate it, and see how many miles can be completed by different members in a day! You would be amazed at what those active employees can complete!
• Health and Wellness Fairs: With some advanced planning, provide a health fair for your employees! Bringing in outside vendors, doctors, and drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens to help provide a variety of screenings for your employees. This is also a great way to promote your corporate fitness center. The NIFS staff was able to provide membership information and reach out to employees who weren't using the onsite fitness center.

These are just a few of the great ways employee health was celebrated in May. NIFS is the preferred provider for fitness center management in corporations across the U.S. Contact us to find out how we might work together to make your fitness center a healthy success.

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Fasting is an ancient practice that is observed in nearly every religion and culture around the world. While many view it primarily as a spiritual discipline, numerous health benefits have been proposed as well. These range from helping to lower blood pressure and cholesterol to the detoxification of the body. While many medical professionals and average people advocate fasting in some form, many others disagree.

Like many “alternative therapies” practiced throughout the world today, the jury still seems to be out on fasting and its health benefits. Many claim that it can help reverse diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol; improve the immune system; and help the body heal itself in numerous ways. Others claim that none of these things is proven and that fasting can actually be detrimental to one’s health.

Proposed Benefits of Fasting

Today I take a look at the benefits that those who are in favor of fasting have either witnessed or experienced themselves. In a future post, I'll address the opposite viewpoint.

• Detoxification: Detoxification is one of the most notable benefits of fasting that proponents mention. Those who support it say that since many of the toxins we store in our bodies are stored in fat, and more fat is burned during a multiday fast, it can serve as a way to help detoxify the body. It is believed to give the body rest and allow it to use for detoxification the energy normally used digesting food.
• Longevity: Another interesting idea is that fasting can actually help promote a longer life. Numerous studies in animals have found that subjects that periodically fasted and followed lower-calorie diets in the trials lived longer than their counterparts.
• Lower risk of diseases: A relationship between fasting and a lower risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s has also been found. Fasting proponents point to this as evidence that fasting directly leads to these health benefits, while opponents hold that though they are correlated, it doesn’t necessarily mean one causes the other.

Next time we’ll look at fasting and weight loss, a method many have tried over the years.

What's Your View on the Health Benefits of Fasting?

In the meantime, though, what’s your story? Have you ever fasted for physical or spiritual reasons, and if so, what was the outcome? There seem to be many on both sides of the fence when it comes to fasting.

This blog was written by Penny Pohlmann, MS. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

We pretty much know that fruit is healthy for us, right? It’s a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting antioxidants that are essential for health. Did you also know that the number of servings that ChooseMyPlate (the USDA replacement for the food guide pyramid) recommends we consume is up to 2 cups? You, like me, probably don’t meet those recommendations every day, do you?

Whether it’s the cost, storage, or preparation, eating fruit is not always simple. That’s why many of us turn to fruit juice as a way to cover all our nutritional bases.

One Study Finds Health Benefits of Fruit Juice

So does fruit juice provide the same nutritional benefits as whole fruit? Yes and no (don’t you love that answer?). A study conducted at UC Davis found that consuming 100 percent fruit juice “could have protective healthy benefits similar to those of whole fruits.”

It is important to note that the study tested 100 percent fruit juice. Many of the fruit juices available at the grocery store contain only a small percentage of fruit and plenty of added sugar and other chemicals. This means you’re also getting a lot more calories from a serving of juice than you would if you had just eaten a piece of fresh fruit.

Whole Fruit Makes You Feel More Full

If you have ever tried to lose weight before, you’ve probably heard that an easy way to reduce your calorie intake is to reduce the number of calories you get from drinks. Additionally, eating a whole apple is going to provide much more satiety on a reduced-calorie diet than an eight-ounce glass of apple juice.

Why is the apple so much more satisfying? Part of the feeling of fullness it creates is the fiber content that comes from the skin of the apple. The skin on fruits like grapes, apples, cranberries, and pears get left out of the mix when these fruits are used to make juice.

If you are looking to ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals, and health benefits supplied by fruits, 100 percent fruit juice can be a healthy option. But I wouldn’t rely on fruit juice to replace whole fruit all the time.

Ask a Registered Dietician

Does your corporate wellness program provide your employees access to a registered dietician? There is a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there regarding health and nutrition. Ensure you’re getting the best advice about your diet by seeking the help of a degreed and licensed dietician.

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

The many health benefits of eating organic foods are well documented by now. They are said to be cleaner and more pure, taste better, and be higher in many vitamins and minerals than their non-organic counterparts. The environment is also better cared for, as there aren’t any chemicals or pesticides used to grow organic products that can in turn pollute our planet.

Despite these benefits, though, could we be going overboard when it comes to organic foods? Are all organic foods really that much better for us, or is it possible that we just think they are?

Do Organic Foods Benefit from the Halo Effect?

The placebo effect has been noted in many drug trials. A medication is given to one group of participants while a placebo is given to another. They both are told that they are being given the drug, though, so oftentimes many in the placebo group report experiencing the drug’s supposed effects simply because they thought they were getting the drug. It turns out that a similar effect, known as the halo effect, may accompany organic foods.

Researchers have found in studies that oftentimes people will perceive a non-organic food labeled “organic” as tasting better, being lower in calories and fat, and deserving of a higher price tag simply because they thought it was organic. Much like a well-dressed person may be perceived as being wealthy, intelligent, and happy simply because of his or her appearance, positive attributes were attached to the foods labeled organic merely because people thought they were organic.

Just Because It's Organic Doesn't Mean It's Healthy

What does this mean for the average person, though, since the store (hopefully) won’t trick you into buying a falsely labeled organic product? I believe the key is to remember that just because something is organic, it doesn’t mean that you can eat unlimited quantities of it. Excess calories are still excess calories, even if they come from healthier foods.

There are also many products that shouldn’t be viewed as health foods simply because they are organic or natural, such as chips, cookies, and other sweets. Just like not every item you can purchase at Subway is healthy despite its marketing efforts (sorry Jared), not every organic product is healthy enough to be consumed frequently throughout your week. Stick with fruits, vegetables, and whole foods whenever possible.

And remember, any health and wellness program will tell you: Just because your cookies are labeled organic, it doesn’t mean they are now a health food!

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Many things in life can be hazardous to your health, such as smoking, drunk driving, and too much sun exposure. Many of these things remain in your control, fortunately, putting your health in your hands.

One thing you can’t control, though, that can potentially cause problems is daylight saving time, surprisingly enough. No one minds the extra hour of sleep that accompanies it in the fall, but the hour that is lost in the spring is a different story.

A recent study at Loyola University found that heart attacks are more common on the first Monday of daylight saving time, as well as traffic accidents and injuries in the workplace. Many people already have trouble sleeping, so losing one more hour of sleep time can make it hard for the first few days or weeks afterwards.

Here are some tips to help you better cope with the time change next time around.

• Go to bed and wake up a little earlier in the days leading up to the change so it won’t come as such a shock.
• Expose your body to light each morning after the change to help adjust your body’s sleep/wake cycle.
• Try not to schedule important tasks and projects that require your full attention until a few days after the change if you are worried you might be sleep deprived.

Along with these tips, remember that getting enough sleep each night is crucial to employee health year round. If you are struggling to get in seven to eight hours nightly, check out local resources and think about seeing your doctor to discuss your options. You can’t afford not to.

This blog was written by TJ McAloon. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can't have your cake and eat it too”? Well, try this new one on for size: “You can have your television shows and still be healthy.”

Too Much TV Shown to Cause Health Problems

That dancing program that eats up two hours a night during the week? Go ahead and watch it. That reality dating show that you cannot miss out on because you are invested in the guy bachelor giving out his last flower to your favorite girl contestant? Go ahead and watch that, too! Yes, you can have your cake and eat it; you can watch all of these programs and stay away from heart or cardiovascular problems.  

A study reported that sitting in front of a television or computer screen for more than four hours a night made people more at risk for heart attacks, strokes, or other serious cardiovascular diseases. However, those who cut those hours in half have less than half the risk of those problems.

Avoiding the Health Pitfalls of TV Watching

So how can you still watch all of your shows, update your Facebook status and Twitter feed, and stay healthy?

• Watch shows on your own schedule. For starters, the days of “must-see TV” are gone. Try using your digital video recorder (DVR) to save shows for later viewings. Using this feature will cut those 30- to 60-minute programs in half. If you do not have the luxury of a DVR, don’t worry. There are multiple options out there to catch you up on your programs so that you are not the social outcast in your circle of friends.
• Snack healthier. The second option is to eat healthier snacks while watching television. Is your usual choice chips or popcorn? Yeah, those are not helping your heart any. Try eating carrot or celery sticks. If those do not sound appealing, try a granola bar or trail mix.
• Walk around more. Use the first option of the DVR or catching up on shows online at a later time. From the study highlighted on CNN, many of us also spend our working lives sitting at a desk and commuting behind the wheel of a car. Researcher Emmanuel Stamatakis says, "We have taken sitting as a default position for many, many things. I don't think that our bodies are made for this, and the reaction to this is all these adverse physiological and chemical consequences." The easy way to fix this problem is to go for a walk, run, jog, or stroll around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or park during your free time.
• Exercise while you watch. There is also the option of multitasking. While catching your favorite guilty pleasure, do some jumping jacks or core exercises!

Yes, you can have that healthy, long life that you want to have while enjoying the television shows that you cannot miss out on. But, just like everything in life, you must enjoy it in moderation. You can still have your cake and eat it too.