Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

This blog was written by Fitness Staff. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

The e-mails are piling up, the phone is ringing off the hook, papers are stacked around you, and you are the go-to person at the office for all those who need a helping hand. While it may seem most productive for you to stay glued to your desk chair with your eyes fixed on the computer screen, it may actually not be the most productive choice after all. 

Just as your body needs rest after tiring physical activity, your mind needs breaks as well. In fact, your brain will be more likely to perform at an optimal level if it given rest breaks, just like your physical body performs best with adequate rest. Research has actually shown that employees who spend time daydreaming are more creative and better at generating ideas.

So, before responding to those e-mails, answering the phone calls, and being the helping hand for all, step away from the desk! Take a couple minutes to clear your head. Go for a walk, chat with a coworker, or eat lunch outside. Your body and mind will appreciate that rest break, but so will your business!

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Your stomach is growling, you’re having trouble concentrating at work, and you can’t help but count the hours until dinnertime. Sound familiar?

Nix the idea of snacking as a diet disaster and feel free to indulge! As long as it’s not potato chips from the office vending machine or candy in the office, snacking can lead to long-term health benefits and healthy weight maintenance.

Aim to eat a 150 to 300-calorie snack with a mix of carbs, protein, and healthy fats in between meals. Most likely, this will average out to eating approximately every two to three hours. Consistently fueling your body provides a boost to your metabolism and prevents the overeating that can happen all too easily when you approach a meal with an empty stomach.

Just remember to compensate for the snacks' calories by consuming smaller meals, so that your calorie distribution remains balanced throughout the day.

Healthy snack options are endless; take a look at the handful listed here:

• Homemade trail mix
• Yogurt and granola or fruit
• A handful of nuts
• Whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese
• Vegetables and hummus or guacamole
• A piece of fruit—with or without cottage cheese
• Whole-wheat English muffin and peanut butter
• Popcorn
• Protein bar
• Small cup of soup
• Small turkey sandwich with veggies on whole-wheat bread
• Small baked potato with salsa
• Whole-grain cereal with skim milk

What other suggestions do you have for between-meal nibbles?

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

For you: Take care of yourself as well as your family by carving out time to exercise and limiting sedentary behavior, which will give you energy to keep up with your family’s busy schedule. It’s always important to lead by example.

For your spouse: Once again, lead by example, and that may be enough to get your significant other off the couch and into an exercise program. Plan enjoyable activities that you can do together, such as biking, walking, and playing tennis. If you’re a gym rat, say that you need him or her for motivation, a spot, or even just the company, or plan to take a group fitness class together.

For your kids: Encourage any activity that keeps them moving, like sports (team or individual, such as martial arts, dance, rock climbing, skateboarding, or swimming), outside play, and play dates with friends. If you have video games in the house, make them active ones. Encourage friendly competitions among siblings, such as who can perform the most push-ups or sit-ups. Making exercise fun is the key!

For the entire family: When it comes to family exercise, the more, the merrier! Staying active as a family is not only good for everyone’s health, but it helps build strong relationships. Skiing, sledding, ice skating, and bowling are great for cold weather, and walking, biking, tennis, basketball, touch football, putt-putt golf, and swimming are all ideal for warmer-weather months.

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

It’s a new year, and you may be eager to start fresh with new resolutions, goals, and a lengthy to-do list. Give yourself the best chance to achieve success by providing your body with the energy it needs!

All too often we have a tendency to let our tired bodies get the best of us. Try out some of these tips to help keep your energy levels on par with your busy lifestyle.

• Get plenty of sleep. Turn off the computer, TV, and cell phone and turn in early. Grab a power nap during the day, if necessary, which can stave off fatigue.
• Get moving. Take a brisk walk, complete a quick set of pushups and jumping jacks, or perform some work around the house when you feel your energy lagging. We also tend to skip a planned workout when tired, when in actuality you’ll feel more energized after hitting the gym.
• Eat smart. Reach for the fruits and vegetables, and avoid refined carbs, which can cause your blood sugar to spike and crash erratically. Eating a variety of nutrients will provide your body with vitamins and minerals (such as iron and magnesium) needed to function.
• Eat often. Your eating schedule is important as well. Indulge in some breakfast and some healthy snacks between meals, so your body isn’t ever lacking for fuel.
• Drink up. Dehydration may cause sluggishness, so be sure to hydrate throughout the day.

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

There is no doubt about it: water is good for you in several different ways. How much water is needed per day varies from person to person. Water needs vary because you need to take into account how active someone is or how much they sweat on average. So if the staff at your onsite corporate fitness center makes you sweat a lot during class, you need to be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Not drinking enough water can decrease your energy level and cause health issues.

Key Reasons to Drink More Water

Here are some key reasons why you should drink more water:

• To stay hydrated and keep energy levels up.
• To help with muscle recovery after a hard strength workout.
• To help with digestion.
• To make you feel full so you eat less.
• To lubricate the joints for less pain.

Tips for Drinking More Water

I try to keep a full water bottle on my desk while at work. Before I know it, it’s time to make another trip to the water filter for a refill. Add lemons to your water to spruce it up and add a little flavor. Some days I make Crystal Light, which is a sugar-free, flavored powder that you just add water to. This helps me to add some variety to my water intake. I also like to drink hot tea in the winter.

Surprisingly enough, you get water from food, too! For example, a healthy salad with lettuce and fresh vegetables adds water to your diet. Lower-sodium soups are another good source of water.

What tips and tricks do you have to make sure you're drinking enough water throughout the day?

This blog was written by Melissa Sherman. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

With the holidays fast approaching, we are rolling into a busy and hectic time of the year. Stress can take a heavy toll on employee health. Here are some quick and easy ways your employees can de-stress and rebalance their minds and bodies.

• Take slow, deep breaths. This takes no time at all and can have some beneficial side-effects. We tend to breathe more quickly, taking shallow breaths, when we are stressed. Focus on your breathing, making sure to take slow, deep, fulfilling breaths. Relaxing your body physically can have a positive effect on your mental state.
• Stretch it out! This is another exercise that can be done in a relatively short amount of time or while doing other activities that can have a big impact. Stretching will help to get the blood flowing and relieve any built-up tension you might be holding in your body. Focus on areas such as your neck, shoulders, core, and wrists.
• Phone a friend. It can help to have a mini venting session by talking to someone you love and trust.
• Fit in physical activity. Even if just for 10 minutes, give your stress to the pavement or the treadmill in the corporate fitness center and let it go from your body. Staying active can help elevate your mood and reduce stress.
• Eat healthy. Health and well-being are promoted by healthy eating, which can help enhance your resilience to stress.

Really looking to distress? Try a massage, take a warm bath, or take a weekend getaway!

This blog was written by Bethany Garrity. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

When was the last time you did an organizational health checkup? If your organization were one body, what would its state of health be? How would you read its vital signs? Permit me this analogy for a moment: The CEO is the head, the brain, the vision. Your employees are the rest of the body: limbs, skin, muscles, organs, and senses.

Brain directs and body makes it go.

Your organizational body is only as effective, healthy, and vital as its weakest part. If some parts are ailing or unfit, all are affected. From hangnails to heart attacks, the effects can be minor or devastating, but they cannot be denied.

What are you doing to help your corporate body stay healthy and fit in every part?

Usually there are two reasons your employee body may not prioritize a health-preserving/enhancing lifestyle choice. Either they just don't know how, or there's an obstacle.

Ignorance can be overcome by education―a connection with a knowledgeable staff member at your corporate fitness center, for example. And most often, an early encouraging outcome will spur your worker into action toward greater goals.

Obstacles can be many, and some of those are well beyond the organization. But with employees spending more than half of their waking hours at work, the employer has a prime opportunity to effect healthy change for its employees. 

Support is mission-critical. At the right place and time, it makes all the difference.

This blog was written by Melissa Sherman. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Between everything life throws at you, finding the time to exercise is a struggle for a lot of people. However, when it comes to exercise, "something" really is better than "nothing." Here are some tips to begin incorporating exercise into your day.

Schedule your exercise.

Whether you are just starting an exercise routine or realizing that you are having trouble maintaining your exercise routine, blocking out time in your schedule can be a helpful way to make sure you stay consistent. Schedule exercise like you would any other appointment, even if it is only a 10- or 15-minute time slot.

Get active throughout the day.

Exercise doesn't have to be confined to the corporate fitness center. Here are some easy ways to fit in exercise throughout the day:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Park farther away.
• Take a 15-minute walk during lunch.
• Use a pedometer to gauge how many steps you take each day, and try to increase that number every day.
• Do jumping jacks for 5 to 10 minutes in your office, at home, or in your hotel room.
• At home, do push-ups or sit-ups during commercials while you watch television.

Break up your exercise minutes.

If finding a 30- to 60-minute time slot in your day doesn’t seem realistic, try breaking up your exercise. Can you find three 10-minute time slots? Or how about two 15-minute time slots? Log all your exercise minutes each week, and try to aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise each week.

Exercise is not “all or nothing.”

No matter where you are with your exercise program, it is common to have an “all-or-nothing” attitude. This attitude does more harm than good when it comes to your health. Just because you miss one exercise session, does not mean you ruined the whole week. You should start again next week.

Fit in exercise when you can. Realize things do come up, but do the best you can to make it consistent. Make your exercise plan realistic for your schedule and always remember that some time, no matter how small, is better than nothing.

This blog was written by Jenna Pearson. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

It is no secret that heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, with more than 27% of all deaths being attributed to Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). What is shocking is that apparently healthy individuals are dying of heart disease every single day. In fact, 39% of American adults perceive themselves as having ideal heart health, while less than 1% actually do.

Are you healthy? You might say “I exercise regularly and eat right,” but is that enough? Doctors agree that, in most cases, a healthy diet and adequate exercise are not enough. While both are very important, they are simply pieces of the puzzle that come together to create a picture of optimal health. It may sound obvious, but in order to get yourself closer to an ideal state of health you need to become educated in two areas:

1. Your current state of health.
2. What it actually means to be healthy.

One way to “grade” your heart health is through risk stratification. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) presents the following as positive risk factors for CAD:

• Family history: Heart attack, bypass, or sudden death in first-degree male relatives before 55 years of age, or before 65 years of age.
• Cigarette smoking: Current smokers or those who quit within the preceding 6 months.
• Hypertension: High blood pressure defined as systolic pressure (top number) being greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg, OR diastolic pressure (bottom number) being greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg.
• Dyslipidemia: High cholesterol defined as LDL (“bad”) cholesterol greater than 130 mg/dL, OR HDL (“good”) cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL, OR on lipid-lowering medication. Having HDL greater than 60 mg/dL is considered to be a negative risk factor, and thus negates a positive risk factor.
• Impaired fasting glucose: Fasting blood glucose (“blood sugar”) greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL.
• Obesity: Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30, OR waist girth greater than 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women, OR waist-to-hip ratio greater than or equal to .95 in males and .86 in females.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Persons not participating in a regular exercise program or not meeting minimal physical activity recommendations.

Knowing your individual risk factors for CAD is the first step toward reaching ideal heart health. Do you know where you stand? Have you had an annual physical or participated in a Know Your Number health screening? If so, congratulations! You are on your way to better health!

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Nothing brings about that glorious feeling of fall like crisp air, sunny days, brilliant foliage, football, apple cider… and all foods pumpkin!

The Health Benefits of Pumpkin

We are awed by the beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange of the changing leaves, but let’s consider nature’s colors in terms of health; did you know that a pumpkin’s deep orange hue is an automatic giveaway that it is a nutrient powerhouse? The next time you indulge in a tasty pumpkin treat, consider what one serving of pumpkin, which is low in both fat and calories, can provide:

• 100% of your daily value of vitamin A (from the healthy dose of beta-carotene in the pumpkin)
• 20% of your daily value of fiber
• A handful of antioxidants that help fight disease

How to Get More Healthy Pumpkin into Your Diet

The type of pumpkin that is generally best for consumption is that which comes from a sugar or pie pumpkin; Libby’s brand specifically uses the Dickinson variety. However, your jack-o-lantern is certainly good for something: its seeds! Roast them in some olive oil and seasoning and enjoy. They contain healthy fats, protein, fiber, zinc, magnesium, and iron. 

For unique ways to sneak pumpkin into everyday foods to make them healthier, check out these ideas. And try these healthier pumpkin recipes that are perfect for a fall day.