Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

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

I work at a corporate fitness center where spouses are eligible to use the facility. Although I do work with several couples/spouses/partners, I would like to see more getting fit together at the fitness center. There is no cost, and no restricted hours, so that takes away some of the excuses. Spouses need to motivate each other and make changes toward a healthier lifestyle.

The Health Benefits (and Detriments) of Being Married

Some studies have shown that married individuals are healthier than singles. Married couples usually have more money, which improves health status. Studies also say most spouses depend on each other more (wages, childcare, etc.), so they take better care of each other. (That’s not to say single people don’t care about someone they’re dating; they just don’t depend on them as much as married couples do on their spouses.)

Females can usually promote males to seek medical advice, which is why married males tend to be healthier than single males.

One bad thing about being married and living together is the risk of passing illnesses and viruses back and forth. This can cause both to have to see a physician.

What if Your Spouse Isn't Living a Healthy Lifestyle?

Because I manage an onsite corporate fitness center, I work out on a regular basis and try to eat healthy. It can be challenging when you have someone in your life who doesn’t live the same lifestyle. If you are the more active one in a relationship, keep up the motivation and try little steps at a time to influence your loved ones. Stay focused to change for the better and take your spouse on the journey, too!

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

According to this Washington Post article, "Federal health officials unveiled plans to replace the warnings that cigarette packs began carrying 25 years ago with new versions using images that could include emaciated cancer patients, diseased organs and corpses.”

What that means is no more cool-looking cowboys and cartoon camels on your pack of cigarettes. Those easy-on-the-eyes images will be replaced with a cowboy or Joe the Camel in a hospital bed or with their oxygen tank.

But the real question to ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is why after 25 years are they taking away the Surgeon General’s warnings? Why have they adopted this picture over lengthy worded warnings?

One answer could be because we do not take time to read warnings, instructions, or really anything.

Take a second and think about the last time you read the instruction manual to anything. Does anyone take the time to actually read along in emergency guide on an airplane in case of an actual emergency? No, you just sit there and wait until you are allowed to turn back on your iPod, iPhone, computer, or whatever electronic device they made you turn off.

It is a smart move by the FDA to go to the pictures. For example, why does the Stop sign work? Because it’s in big white letters as just one word: “STOP.” Even then people don’t read that and blow right the sign!

This new plan will be in place in October 2012. Now people have no excuse when they get sick or have problems from smoking. It’s now their fault for not seeing the warnings of what can happen from prolonged use of smoking. Get the picture?

What is your workplace wellness program doing to encourage a nonsmoking lifestyle?

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

There are so many sports drinks and supplements on the market that it is almost impossible to choose which one is best for an after-workout refuel. There are dozens of flavors and brands of protein shakes, waters, and carbohydrate drinks.

Recently something very simple has been advertised as being a better choice than all of these. Almost everyone has had it before, and many probably still enjoy it frequently without even realizing the benefits it could have when used after exercise. Are you ready? Low-fat chocolate milk!

Yes, believe it or not, science has shown that low-fat chocolate milk contains the perfect balance of carbs and protein that can quickly restore your muscles to their peak potential after you exercise. Low-fat chocolate milk will help you build lean muscle as well as rehydrate after exercise and has been proven to work better than other commercial sports drinks. It also naturally contains some of the electrolytes that are added to recovery drinks.

I was happy to find this information because I try to include only natural foods and drinks in my diet. When looking at the ingredients in sports drinks and protein shakes, there are many unidentifiable ingredients.

I started to include low-fat chocolate milk into my diet for many health reasons. (And hey, let's not forget it's delicious!) I was then randomly contacted by the Refuel with Chocolate Milk tour and asked to work at a local triathlon at their booth near the finish line. They had an amazing setup and I learned all about why low-fat chocolate milk is now a preferred way to refuel after exercise! What perfect timing!

I have been spreading the word about the benefits of chocolate milk for after-workout refueling and it would be a great topic for a corporate wellness program lunch and learn. I am sure encouraging people to drink something that is super yummy and beneficial would be easy!

Our onsite fitness center managers and staff not only ensure the safety and well-being of your employees; they go beyond what is asked simply out of the kindness of their hearts. 

Our Roanoke wellness manager has repeatedly organized and collected items for local organizations in her community. From candy and magazines to shoes, she collects and gives with the help of her wellness center members.

Shoes for the Homeless

Initially at a health fair in May 2010, she was able to offer a gym bag or socks to every associate who donated a pair of slightly used athletic shoes and turned them in at her booth. She continued to collect for the following two days, resulting in a collection of 75 pairs of shoes. All of the shoes were donated to the Rescue Mission. Since then she continues to collect shoes at her onsite fitness center and regularly donate them. Since beginning her collection, her team has been able to donate approximately 400 pairs of shoes to the homeless in the Roanoke Valley!

Magazines for Retirement Homes

Another great idea is to recycle rather than throw away old magazines. Every month this wellness manager cleans out her magazines as the new issues come out. With the help of one of her dedicated wellness center members, she has been able to donate them to a local retirement home for their use. Thus far they have donated 100 magazines!

Candy for the Troops

Operation Gratitude, the nonprofit organization that sends care packages and letters to U.S. troops overseas benefited from the 34 pounds of candy she collected from her wellness center members last fall. Not only did she save her members from eating all those calories, I am sure they brightened the faces of those troops serving our country. Our manager was able to pair up with a local participating dentist who covered the cost of mailing all of that candy!

Wellness Manager Encourages Others to Promote Social Wellness

Each week this big-hearted manager sends out e-mail communications to her members promoting volunteer opportunities for charities, races, and more. What a great way to promote social wellness. Keep up the great work!

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

The Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association announced in January that a new voluntary “front-of-pack” nutritional information system will be seen on food products this year. These nutritional keys are different from the standard nutritional label typically found on the back or side of a box or container, in that they are large symbols that inform the consumer about the nutritional information on the front of a product.

The four basic icons that display the calorie, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar content in one serving of a particular product may prove to be helpful for quick product comparison and informed decision making. A campaign to help consumers learn about the new system will launch this fall.

Do you think this new system to deliver simplified information about your food will help you make better nutritional decisions? The GMA reports that a similar labeling system exists in the UK and 63% of consumers say they use the information to make choices when they purchase food.

Employers can play a huge role in helping their employees make healthy nutritional choices at work by not only educating the about food labels but by providing discounts for healthy food options. A qualified corporate wellness company can help you build a worksite wellness program that serves your employees by providing nutritional, fitness, and stress-management programs that lead them toward a healthier lifestyle.

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

If you thought your child’s grades and college choice were the most important things to worry about in their adolescence, think again. Unhealthy habits picked up during the preteen and teen years can lead to health problems later in life, a recent study found. The most notable problem among these is high cholesterol levels, or dyslipidemia.

Smoking, poor cardiovascular fitness, and carrying around extra body fat were all significantly correlated with dyslipidemia later in early adulthood. If you think your child might be heading in this direction, here are three keys to help turn them around:

• Get active together as a family. Go for bike rides, play in the yard, and move in other fun ways to show them how much fun exercise can really be when you find something you like. Now is the time to ingrain the habit of regular physical activity in their life.
• Practice what you preach. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so if you are carrying around a few extra pounds yourself or you smoke, how likely is it that your children won’t?
• Encourage a healthy, nutritious diet whenever you can. You can’t control your child’s eating when they’re not at home, but odds are you can when they are (unless they want to fork over the extra money to buy their own groceries!). Get them used to eating healthy foods lower in fat and cholesterol while they are young so they will hopefully stick with them as they age.

Although it may seem your children can eat anything and everything under the sun without gaining any weight, they may in fact just be setting themselves up for disaster later in life. Help them establish healthy habits now while not picking up unhealthy ones.

You want to help and guide your kids in their schooling and set them up for a secure future. But what are you doing to help guide them away from having to take medications such as Lipitor? See your corporate wellness program for more help.

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

(part 2 of 2)

Last time we took a look at the proposed health benefits of fasting, such as lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, detoxification of harmful substances, and a lower risk of developing various diseases. This time we’ll look at fasting for weight loss to see just how effective it can really be for managing weight.

Many people feel that they are exercising consistently and are eating right, but have either hit a plateau in their weight loss or haven’t been very successful at initiating weight loss over the years. Because of this, many have turned to fasting for weight loss. The logic is that although it will cause a little pain and discomfort initially, it will indeed result in weight loss as the body is forced to burn stored fat for fuel.

But is that what really happens? And if so, will it produce lasting weight loss?

Problems with Fasting

Although I have never tried fasting for weight loss personally or talked with anyone who has, I along with many others feel the proposal is flawed in a few key ways:

• Our bodies are designed to maintain homeostasis and resist change. If you dramatically cut your caloric intake and don’t provide your body with what it needs to function properly, it will fight back by slowing down your metabolism to prevent starvation.
• Any fast you go on (along with any diet) can’t last forever, so you eventually will have to come off of it. Even if you did lose a little weight, what happens now that you are off the fast but have no plan in place for maintaining your weight loss?
• Fasting doesn’t address the real problem underlying your weight gain: too little physical activity and/or too many calories consumed each day. Fasting for weight loss is only treating the symptom of a much larger problem. It might help a little, but there is a bigger underlying issue that should be addressed if you are looking to maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime.

Instead of Fasting, Make Appropriate Diet and Exercise Changes

Fasting has its place in the lives of those who, after talking about the decision with their doctor, would like to try it periodically to see if it can improve their health. It can even help you learn to control your desire for food as you learn to go without it for a period of time. But your best bet for permanent, healthy weight loss is to carefully examine your life and make the appropriate changes.

Start by writing down what and how much you eat each day and see if any patterns arise. A Personal Nutrition Coaching session with a NIFS dietitian can help you analyze your diet and give you a plan for weight loss.

If you feel that you can’t find enough time in the day to exercise, analyze how much time you spend watching television, surfing the Internet, and other fun but unnecessary pursuits. Even some worthwhile activities and hobbies may need to be scaled back a bit if you’re just too busy to work out. Exercise might from time to time take you away from other things you’d much rather be doing, but it won’t matter if you’re not around anymore to enjoy those things.

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

Everyone knows that sunscreen is important…right? Everyone uses it everyday as they should…right? Wrong! I think everyone knows they should use sunscreen regularly, but the truth is many people don’t!

Let’s hope that if people are sitting at the beach all day they will think to use it, but there are many circumstances in which sunscreen should be used but just isn’t. I recently went on a several-hour car ride and although I do wear sunscreen on my face, my arm and shoulder were red from the sun coming through the sunroof!

Why Sunscreen Is Crucial for Your Health

Now that summer is upon us, it is time to start a new routine that includes sunscreen. The FDA has released new rules for sunscreen makers. There are many reasons to include sunscreen in your day: It helps protect against

• burns
• premature aging
• wrinkles
• And of course, cancer

The most common type of skin cancer is melanoma, and it is also the leading cause of skin cancer deaths. Although more common in fair-skinned blonde and redheads, melanoma can affect anyone. It is also more common in those who have had a severe burn in the past and those who are exposed to the sun very often. But again, it can affect anyone. And who really wants wrinkles?

Tips for Sunscreen Use

So here are some sunscreen tips:

• Apply sunscreen approximately 30 minutes before being in the sun.
• Remember to reapply sunscreen after swimming or strenuous exercise.
• Apply sunscreen often throughout the day if you work outdoors, and wear hats and protective clothing.

Click here for more information about sunscreen and what to consider when choosing your SPF!

Does your company have onsite walking paths, or hold meetings outdoors on a nice day? Consider the health and wellness of your employees by providing sunscreen as a corporate wellness program benefit!

This blog was written by Mechelle Meadows. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Portion sizes can be tricky. Your employees have probably heard before that a serving size of meat is similar to a deck of cards. Or a serving of cheese is equivalent to four dice.

It's Easy to Dish Up Too Much Food

However, when you’re loading up that plate at dinner time, your hungry stomach can you fool you into thinking that one serving of meat should look more like three decks of cards than just one. Measuring by ounces or cups can be even trickier. One cup of pasta constitutes an entire serving, but chances are our plates are full from edge to edge with noodles.

Ways to Visualize Smaller Portions

One diet tip I’ve read before is to start using smaller dinner plates—that way, your plate will look full with less food.

To even better visualize proper portion sizes, try using a portion-control plate. These fancy meal inventions have outlines or even full illustrations depicting how much of your plate should be filled with each food group. They come in different versions for adults, children, and even diabetic populations. The most common version illustrates that half of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables, leaving one-fourth of the plate for a lean meat or protein and another fourth for whole grains.

Now, say you do a lot of entertaining in your home, and you want a more sophisticated look for your dinner plates. I’ve now seen portion-control plates that are subtly designed, using a floral pattern for example, to still show you the outline of where your foods should be fitting!

Starting with dishware, we can introduce tools into the household to make dinners easier and healthier. Emphasize the importance of portion control in your corporate health and wellness program.

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

What is gluten? It’s a protein found in wheat that causes severe indigestion problems. Gluten is in so many of our favorite foods and is hard to avoid. Although the thought of a gluten-free diet doesn’t sound fun to most, it's becoming more popular in younger generations.

A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Even people without the disease can find benefit in eliminating gluten from their diets. Most people who take on a gluten-free diet are getting more fruits and vegetables and eating less processed foods, which is a good thing.

The signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance do not sound fun. These signs and symptoms include bloating, diarrhea, cramping, and constipation. Always having an upset stomach will definitely make it easier to go gluten free.

There are more gluten-free products to choose from now that it’s becoming more popular. Stores like Whole Foods provide gluten-free shopping. You would be surprised at all they have on the market: pastas, breads, beer, and more. Carefully read the food labels because some gluten-free foods can be higher in calories.

Going gluten-free can’t be all that bad for you; Oprah gave up gluten on a cleansing diet. Gluten is fairly indigestible, so eliminating it might help with stomach issues in all of us. Some doctors still recommend that you go gluten free to solve signs and symptoms, even if you test negative for celiac disease.

Corporate Health and Wellness: How is your onsite cafeteria incorporating healthier food choices, including gluten-free, into its corporate wellness program?