September 2013
Stephen F. Austin State University
Healthy Jacks Employee Wellness Newsletter Inside this Issue • Welcome • Sleep and how it affects your diet and excercise program • 5 ways to burn more calories while on the clock • Its Never Too Late to Quit • Let’s De-Stress • We Are What We Eat
Welcome! Welcome to Healthy Jacks, an Employee Wellness newsletter created to cultivate a fun, informative, and HEALTHY spirit within the SFA community. This informative monthly newsletter will be filled with current research, wellness tips, healthy recipes, fitness related articles and information about upcoming wellness programs.
The Employee Wellness program offerings are free to all full-time and part-time faculty, administrators, staff and all retired faculty and staff. Contact Kate Bridges at 468-5835 or bridgeska@sfasu.edu for more information. You can also stop by the Lucille Norton Health and Physical Education Complex Room 112 between 11am and 1pm Monday through Friday. *NEW! Each Friday during the fall semester, SFA Faculty and Staff will have free admission to the Student Recreation Center. Faculty and Staff will need to bring their current SFA ID to the Welcome Desk and sign our guest log to enter. This is only for current Faculty and Staff. Also we have added new open swim times! You can now enjoy the water Monday and Wednesday evenings between 7pm and 9pm ,Tuesday and Thursdays between 6:30 and 8am, and the usual Monday, Wednesday, Friday noon hour open swim at the HPE indoor pool. Our infamou Pump You Up program is now Monday - Friday from noon to 1p.m. in the HPE weight room.
Program Schedule Pump You Up M-F • Noon-1pm HPE Weight Room Noon Basketball M/W/F • Noon-1:30pm HPE Big Gym Open Swim M/W/F • Noon-1pm T/R • 6:30am-8am M/W • 7pm-9pm HPE Indoor Pool Water Aerobics M/T/W/R • 5:30pm-6:30pm HPE Indoor Pool Yoga T/R • 12:10pm-12:55pm HPE Gymnastics Room Get Fit Walking Club Nutrition Services Massage Therapy* Personal Training Services* *These services are offered at extra cost.
Sleep and How it Affects Your Diet and Excercise Program In today’s media, an ad about weight loss or nutrition is being aired constantly. With the increase in concern about society’s health, nutrition and exercise has become the main focus. If after getting a diet and exercise routine down you still feel burned out, can’t drop those extra pounds, and don’t have the energy to greet each day with enthusiasm, there is something missing. What are you missing? Lack of Sleep could be the missing link. Although scientists do not know the exact mechanisms of sleep, they do know that an adequate amount of sleep is necessary for healthy body functioning. Mayo Clinic recommends 7 to 8 hours of sleep for adults. Are you getting enough sleep? According to the Sleep Foundation “a 1999 study at the University of Chicago showed that restricting sleep to just 4 hours per night for a week brought healthy young adults to the point that some had the glucose and insulin characteristics of diabetics. Such sleep restriction may have been a bit extreme, but it is also not altogether uncommon in our society and is a pattern deemed the “royal route to obesity” by Eve Van Cauter, PhD, who conducted the Chicago study”. Healthy Jacks encourages you to find new ways to get a better nights rest. so you can get optimal results from your excercise and nutrition routine.
7 Tips for Resting Better
Did you know? An estimated 18 million Americans have sleep apnea, a sleep-related breathing disorder that leads individuals to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep.” Sleep apnea seriously affect one’s quality of sleep, but it can also lead to: • stroke • heart attack • congestive heart failure • excessive daytime sleepiness Sleep apnea is often associated with people who are overweight. Those that suffer from sleep apnea or simple sleep deprivation may be reluctant to commit to a excercise and diet regimen because of lack of energy. In return managing their weight becomes difficult. * If you have trouble sleeping, contact your doctor. Resource: Sleepfoundation.org, Mayoclinic.org
• Exercise. Sticking to a regular exercise routine helps relax and fatigue the body in a healthy, natural sense. • Keep A Routine. Set routines help signal to your body when it’s time to go to bed and when it’s time to wake up. • Avoid Caffeine. As a stimulant, caffeine will make it increasingly more difficult to fall asleep if you consume it before bedtime. • Relax. It’s important to take the time necessary to relax your mind. Avoid sources of stress. • Avoid Alcohol. Although alcohol can help you fall asleep, it also dehydrates you. This means hours after you fall asleep you may find yourself waking back up a few hours later thirsty for water. Depending on the type alcohol you consume, there may be a high sugar content which will raise your blood sugar levels and increase your energy levels when you really need to be winding down. • Don’t Eat Before Sleep. The digestion process can linger for hours, making quality sleep increasingly more difficult to attain. • Unwind. The goal is to calm the body down from a busy day so you can prepare it for a rejuvenating
5 ways to burn more calories while on the clock!
No. 1: Make the most of your commute
Walk or bike to work. If you ride the bus or the subway, get off a few blocks early or at an earlier stop than usual and walk the rest of the way. If you drive to work, park at the far end of the parking lot — or park in the lot for a nearby building. In your building, take the stairs rather than the elevator. No. 3: Take fitness breaks Rather than hanging out in the lounge with coffee or a snack, take a brisk walk or do some gentle stretching. For example, face straight ahead, then lower your chin to your chest. Or, while standing, grab one of your ankles — or your pant leg — and bring it up toward
your buttock. Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
No. 2:
Look for opportunities to stand You’ll burn more calories standing than sitting. Stand while talking on the phone. Better yet, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table or counter. Eat lunch standing up. Trade instant messaging and phone calls for walks to other desks or offices.
No. 4: Trade your office chair for a fitness ball Consider trading your desk chair for a firmly inflated fitness or stability ball, as long as you’re able to safely balance on the ball. You’ll improve your balance and tone your core muscles while sitting at your desk. You can even use the fitness ball for wall squats or other workplace exercises during the day.
No. 5: Keep fitness equipment in your work area Store resistance bands — stretchy cords or tubes that offer weight-like resistance when you pull on them — or small hand weights in a desk drawer or cabinet. Do arm curls between meetings or tasks. Not enough time to stop by the gym? Let fitness services come to you! The Fitness and Wellness program provides services to any campus department/organization across SFASU campus. We offer a wide range of services from personal training; instructor led classes, nutrition services, workshops, and fitness education. Whether it is a personal trainer guiding you in exercises that can be done in the office or Zumba taking place in the lobby room there is a place for everyone. Please fill out our Fitness and Wellness on Wheels Outreach Program information form and contact Miranda Minor at 936.468.6052 or miranda.minor@hotmail.com for additional information. Tips recieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com
Smoking Cessation: It’s never too late to quit!
An overused saying or a nagging truth that can save your life? According to the CDC 19.0% of all adults: 21.6% of males, 16.5% of females (43.8 million people) smoke tobacco. Even if you have been smoking for decades you can receive health and financial benefits by quitting today! 68.8% of the adult smoking population report that they want to quit completely. That is 68.8% of the U.S. adult population that wants to lower their risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and lower the chances of non-smoking loved ones developing health complications due to second hand smoke. Among the vast list of benefits to cessation is lower risk of infertility, COPD, stroke, shortness of breath, and ultimately death. Convinced to quit? After getting the nerve to commit to smoke cessation you must find the best method to help you succeed.
Evidenced based methods to quitting: • • • • o o • • • •
Brief clinical Interventions- talking with your healthcare provider Counseling Behavioral Cessation Therapy Nicotine replacement products Over-the-counter (e.g., nicotine patch, gum, lozenge) Prescription (e.g., nicotine inhaler, nasal spray) Put it on paper. Create a contract with yourself or a supporter. Enlist supporters that will hold you accountable. Avoid smoking triggers Take it slow: Instead of abrutley stopping try picking a date to quit then gradually lower the number of cigarettes you smoke per day until you get to none at all.
While on your journey to eliminating smoking out of your life, remember to take it one day at a time. If you get weary in your quest use your resources. Call hotlines such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or online resources such as smokefree.gov, Betobbaccofree.gov. Resource: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
Let’s De-stress...
“out there things can happen And frequently do To people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, Don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along, you’ll start happening too.” -Dr. Suess
As Americans we place a high value on work, deadlines, meetings, and other stressful things. Working hard is the American way but it should not be confused with overworking. To be a productive member of our work place we HAVE to learn how to step away and de-stress! Stress is unavoidable so learning stress management techniques will take you a long way. “Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressormore so than even financial problems or family problems.” -St. Paul Fire and Marine Innsuance Co.
*The best method is to PREVENT stress! Adopt a healthy diet, better sleeping habits, and remember to release stress before it builds up.
Monthly Nutrition Tip Skip the Salt Shaker! Did you know that the average American consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium per day? This is more than two times the amount recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans! The recommended daily intake of sodium is 1,500 mg/day for those who are 51 years old or older, those who have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, or AfricanAmericans of any age. Even a pinch of salt can add a good amount of sodium, so taste your food before eating it (most of us salt out of habit) and try flavoring food with pepper, garlic, herbs, lemon, or vinegar!
We are What We Eat!
If you are interested in more information please contact Sarah Drake, our Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, at (936) 468-1022 or drake-sarah@aramark.com Sarah’s services include a FREE 60 minute nutrition counseling session on: • Food allergy management • Sports and athletics goals • General healthy living • Weight management • Medical Nutrition Therapy • Department Presentations • And much more! Our Registered Dietician will meet you based on an appointment, which can be schedule Monday through Friday between 8am and 5pm. Make your appointment today! Visit: http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/ CSSW/StephenFAustin/Nutrition/
Roast Chicken with Butternut Squash
Ingredients • • • • • • • •
Serves 1| Hands-On Time: 15m| Total Time: 30m
1 teaspoon olive oil 1 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup sliced yellow onion 1/2 cup diced butternut squash 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped 1/2 cup broccoli florets
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F. 2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and cook until golden brown on each side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 3. Add the onion and squash to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the broth, sage, and the remaining pepper and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Transfer to the oven and cook until the squash is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, pour about 1/2 inch of water into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Fit a steamer basket in the pan. Place the broccoli in the steamer, cover, and steam until just tender, about 3 minutes. 5. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a plate and serve with the broccoli. ENJOY! :)