Balancedliving Fall 2015 by Ryan Lucas

BalancedLIVING Fall 2015

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BalancedLiving Fall 2015

MINES & Associates 10367 West Centennial Road Littleton, Colorado 80127 800.873.7138 www.MINESandAssociates.com

A word from your Employee Assistance Program...

Welcome to the Fall 2015 issue of Balanced Living!

We at MINES hope that you had a great Summer. Don’t despair that it is coming to an end, however, as Fall has great things to offer as well. Cooler (but not too cold) weather, beautiful colors, an end to lawn mowing season; the list goes on. And like Fall, MINES will still have plenty to offer as well. This season take a look at common fitness errors you should avoid as you refine your routine, remember to stay calm to avoid raising those cholesterol levels, and strengthen your family bond while you’re at it. Next don’t forget to check out a great yoga-based back exercise in this quarter’s MINES Eye, and enjoy a great new recipe that’s a bit spicy, but not too spicy!

And if the leaves seem to be falling from the trees a bit too fast this fall, remember we’re here to help! Don’t hesitate to call your Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-873-7138. To your health!

– The MINES Team

Krames Staywell Anger Can Raise Cholesterol Levels pg. 5 National Center for PTSD ©2014 Trauma Can Affect Relationships pp. 6-7 Life Advantages - Author Delvina Miremadi ©2015 Strengthen Your Family Bond pp. 8-9 The MINES Team MINES Eye pg. 10 www.food.com Recipe: Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta pg. 11

2015 Awareness is the name of the game in 2015! We here at MINES believe the first step to enhancing your wellbeing is becoming aware. By becoming aware you not only become cognizant of new ideas and open your mind to the world around you, but you also open your eyes to see yourself in a new light as well. Total Wellbeing will continue to bridge the gap between our potential and optimal wellbeing by bringing light to the 8 dimensions of wellness: Physical, Occupational, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Social, Spiritual, and Emotional Wellness and expanding your awareness of ways to support these dimensions in your life to help you promote your own Total Wellbeing.

Total Wellbeing

Focus on Awareness

Physical Spiritual Intellectual Social

Total

Emotional Financial Occupational Environmental

Keep an eye out on MINES & Associates in 2015 as we explore the awareness landscape. From financial planning to social influence, physical wellness to emotional health, all aspects of your life are connected and can affect your wellbeing. Let us help you stay on top of this constantly shifting world and make your wellbeing easier to focus on than ever before.

Your Own Perspective In the spirt of awareness in 2015 we want to hear from you. We want to know about the things you do to support your own happiness and wellbeing. So please share your stories, whether they are success stories or struggles you have faced. We will be featuring some of your wellbeing stories in our publications to inspire and let others know that they are not alone. Email your wellbeing story to: communications@minesandassociates.com

Wellness Webinars

Support from the experts

Wellbeing

Join our partner, Brown Richards, for any of their monthly webinars. 2015 will cover great new topics ranging from organizing your life, facts about Alzheimer’s, family cultivation, eating right, and much more! Visit our website to learn more, or register for upcoming events at www.minesandassociates.com/webinar.

Is there a topic you’d like to see us explore? We’d love to hear from you. Shoot us an e-mail at communications@minesandassociates.com and let us know what you’d like to see.

www.MINESandAssociates.com | 800.873.7138

Common Fitness Errors to Avoid Doing too much too soon when starting a Holding your breath walking or running program When lifting weights, many “A lot of people try to walk for 30 minutes right away or run more mileage than their bodies are ready for,” Ms. Kania says. “But your joints, leg muscles, and cardiovascular system need time to adapt, especially if you’re doing an activity you haven’t done before.” Running is especially demanding because your heart works very hard. Also, your joints are highly stressed because both feet are in midair for a split second, causing an impact of about three times your body weight each time one foot hits the ground.

To reduce your injury risk, gradually work up to 30 minutes of walking. When starting a running program, alternate running with walking in the same workout. Don’t be concerned with speed or pushing yourself to the limit. “In the beginning, it’s better to end your workouts feeling as if you could do more than to end feeling really tired,” Ms. Kania says.

Using improper form

“Without proper form, exercise can be ineffective, even harmful,” she says.

When walking, pump your arms at a 90-degree angle and swing them at your sides, not across the front of your chest. Stride length also is important. Instead of taking giant steps, make your stride shorter and quicker. When running, strive to make the motion as smooth as possible. Land on your heel and roll your foot forward. Don’t run on your toes or bounce. When lifting weights, don’t pull the weight bar behind your head when you do lat pull-downs. You strengthen your back muscles just as effectively and avoid stressing shoulder joints and muscles by pulling the bar down in front of your chest.

Fall 2015 Balanced Living

people hold their breath because they’re concentrating so hard on what they’re doing. But not breathing correctly can increase blood pressure and may even decrease blood flow to the brain, which can cause dizziness or fainting. “Instead, you should exhale during the exertion part of the exercise, when you’re lifting the weights, and inhale during the easier part of the exercise, when you’re lowering the weights,” Ms. Kania says.

Not warming up or cooling down

A short warm-up increases blood flow and helps prevent soreness and strains in muscles, tendons, and ligaments. “Many exercisers just dive into their workouts full speed ahead,” Ms. Kania says.

To warm up properly before fitness walking, running, or lifting weights, walk, jog slowly, or ride a stationary bicycle for 5 to 10 minutes. After your workout, stretch for at least 5 minutes to maintain your range of motion and prevent muscles from tightening. “Stretch each body part you’ve been working,” Ms. Kania says. Hold each stretch for several seconds and don’t bounce.

Wearing faulty footwear

For aerobic activities, “the right shoe is your best investment against knee, ankle, and foot injuries,” Ms. Kania says.

Good athletic shoes should have toe boxes that provide enough room for your toes to wiggle easily; rubber outer soles for traction; thick, wedged, shock-absorbing midsoles; and external stabilizers and plastic cups built into the heels.

“But many exercisers settle for footwear that isn’t made well because the price is right,” Ms. Kania says. “To prevent injury, shop at an athletic shoe store, not a department store. The sales staff is more apt to be knowledgeable about the right workout shoes for different activities.” M

Anger Can Raise Cholesterol Levels When someone cuts you off on a busy highway, do you pound the steering wheel in fury and shout at the driver? Or do you swallow your anger and dwell on it later? Either way, you’re not being kind to your heart, researchers say.

If you respond to every anger-inducing situation by blowing your stack or by holding it in, you could be setting yourself up for serious heart problems. Why? It’s simple. According to Ohio State University researchers, there’s evidence that people who respond rigidly to anger-provoking events are likely to wind up with significantly elevated levels of artery-damaging cholesterol.

Experts suggest that the best response to anger-provoking situations is to be creative and flexible. It’s important to turn off the anger as soon as possible to reduce its physiological effects. “If you respond to every anger-inducing situation by blowing your stack or by holding it in, you could be setting yourself up for serious heart problems.” In subjects who always reacted to an anger-provoking situation in the same negative way, researchers found levels of “bad” or LDL cholesterol ranked higher, regardless of whether they expressed the anger or held it in. Researchers also found that those who were flexible, but who hid their anger slightly more often than showing it, had the lowest levels of “bad” and total cholesterol.

Why does intense anger trigger the release of lipids (fats) from the tissues into the bloodstream? The body releases the fatty substances for energy as part of its “fight or flight” survival response to perceived danger. In some situations, the healthiest response is to insist quietly on your rights, which will soon defuse the anger. Still, remain under control and don’t become aggressive. Other survival-threatening situations (such as being chewed out by the boss) must be endured in silence until you can slip away to burn off the negative energy, perhaps through a brisk walk or some vigorous kick-boxing. M Fall 2015 Balanced Living 5

Trauma Affects Relationships Trauma survivors with PTSD often experience problems in their intimate and family relationships or close friendships. PTSD involves symptoms that interfere with trust, emotional closeness, communication, responsible assertiveness, and effective problem solving.

• Survivors may experience a loss of interest in social or sexual activities, they may feel distant from others, and they may be emotionally numb.

• Partners, friends, or family members may feel hurt, alienated, or discouraged because the survivor has not been able to overcome the effects of the trauma, and they may become angry or distant toward the survivor.

• Feeling irritable, on guard, easily startled, worried, or anxious may lead survivors to be unable to relax, socialize, or be intimate without being tense or demanding. Significant others may feel pressured, tense, and controlled as a result.

• Difficulty falling or staying asleep and severe nightmares may prevent both the survivor and partner from sleeping restfully, which may make sleeping together difficult. • Trauma memories, trauma reminders or flashbacks, and the avoidance of such memories or reminders can make living with a survivor feel like living in a war zone or like living with the constant threat of vague but terrible danger.

• Living with an individual who has PTSD does not automatically cause PTSD, but it can produce vicarious or secondary traumatization, which is similar to having PTSD. • Reliving trauma memories, avoiding trauma reminders, and struggling with fear and anger greatly interfere with a survivor’s ability to concentrate, listen carefully, and make cooperative decisions. As a result, problems often go unresolved for a long time. • Significant others may come to feel that dialogue and teamwork are impossible.

“Feeling irritable, on guard, easily startled, worried, or anxious may lead survivors to be unable to relax, socialize, or be intimate without being tense or demanding. Significant others may feel pressured, tense, and controlled as a result.”

Fall 2015 Balanced Living

Survivors of childhood sexual and physical abuse and survivors of rape, domestic violence, combat, terrorism, genocide, torture, kidnapping, and being a prisoner of war often report feeling a lasting sense of terror, horror, vulnerability, and betrayal that interferes with relationships. • Survivors who feel close to someone else, who begin to trust, and who become emotionally or sexually intimate may feel like they are letting down their guard. Although the survivor often actually feels a strong bond of love or friendship in current healthy relationships, this experience can be perceived as dangerous. • Having been victimized and exposed to rage and violence, survivors often struggle with intense anger and impulses. In order to suppress their anger and impulsive actions, survivors may avoid closeness by expressing criticism toward, or dissatisfaction with, loved ones and friends. • Intimate relationships may have episodes of verbal or physical violence.

• Survivors may be overly dependent upon, or overprotective of, partners, family members, friends, or support persons (such as healthcare providers or therapists).

• Alcohol abuse and substance addiction, which can result from an attempt to cope with PTSD, can destroy intimacy and friendships. “Survivors may be overly dependent upon, or overprotective of, partners, family members, friends, or support persons (such as healthcare providers or therapists).”

In the first weeks and months following a traumatic event, survivors of disasters, terrible accidents or illnesses, or community violence often feel an unexpected sense of anger, detachment, or anxiety in their intimate, family, and friendship relationships. Most are able to resume their prior level of intimacy and involvement in relationships, but the 5-10% who develop PTSD often experience lasting problems with relatedness and intimacy. Yet, many trauma survivors do not experience PTSD, and many people in intimate relationships, families, and friendships with individuals who have PTSD do not experience severe relational problems. People with PTSD can create and maintain successful intimate relationships by:

• Establishing a personal support network that will help the survivor cope with PTSD while he or she maintains or rebuilds family and friend relationships with dedication, perseverance, hard work, and commitment • Sharing feelings honestly and openly with an attitude of respect and compassion

• Continually strengthening cooperative problem-solving and communication skills

• Including playfulness, spontaneity, relaxation, and mutual enjoyment in the relationship M Fall 2015 Balanced Living 7

Strengthen Your Family Bond When we don’t spend time with our family, we fail to nurture the relationships that matter most. Even though work and busy schedules may try to get in the way, it’s important that you make building better relationships a priority in your household.

Ways to Spend More Time Together When a busy day bogs you down, it’s easy to forget to spend time with those who are most important. However, by initiating simple routines at home, you can make sure that you take substantial time each day to connect with your loved ones.

• Dedicate the first fifteen minutes after you arrive home from work to check in with your children. Share one good thing and one bad thing that happened during your day, and support each other when needed. • Make notes on a family calendar about when you will spend private time with each child. “Date night” with mom or dad can become the highlight of the child’s week. • Dedicate an hour after dinner or after your children go to sleep to spend time alone with your spouse.

Connect During Family Meetings It isn’t healthy for any family to hold in aggravations or irritations. Instead, make time for a family meeting each week to talk about what’s going on within a family. This would be a great time for children to talk about the way they feel about doing a particular chore, or for parents to share the way they feel about their load of housework. Invite both children and your partner to talk about their feelings openly. “Taking time to evaluate what you are good at, and what you are not-so-good at, can help you perfect your communication skills and improve your ability to connect with people.”

Fall 2015 Balanced Living

“It isn’t healthy for any family to hold in aggravations or irritations. Instead, make time for a family meeting each week to talk about what’s going on within a family. This would be a great time for children to talk about the way they feel about doing a particular chore, or for parents to share the way they feel about their load of housework.”

Schedule Family Outings and Trips Sharing activities are a great way for the family to experience time with one another. Plan enjoyable events like going to a park, museum, camping, or a kayaking trip. If your child participates in extracurricular activities, this can also become a great time for everyone in the family to spend time together watching and supporting them. Afterwards, the whole family can go out to eat or grab ice cream to share stories about the event.

Handle an Argument in a Positive Way If an argument flares up, use the time constructively. Stick to the issue at hand without bringing up past problems. Work on finding a solution to the problem. Instead of bickering over little annoyances, try to give a little and compromise to help the family move forward.

Listen to Differing Perspectives Listen openly and sincerely to the other person’s perspective and then talk about your feelings on the same issues. Tell the other person that you value his or her feelings and want to understand his or her perspective. This will encourage the other person to do the same for you, and help you find a compromise that benefits everyone.

Accept Feelings and Work Toward Solutions No matter how trivial an issue seems, value the other person’s feelings and opinion of it. Listen to feelings and hurts, and then find ways to work through conflict and find solutions. Agree on solutions, and then implement changes. M

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MINESEye

The importance of staying mindful.

With MINES Eye we will focus on meditation techniques, basic yoga poses, and mindfulness practices to help you stay in control of your thoughts and expand the capabilities of your mind as well as body.

Yoga Pose #4: The Cat to Cow Pose Exercise

This time around we are going to combine two simple yoga poses into one great exercise. We will begin in the cat pose and then transition into the cow pose to create a movement that helps lengthen the spine and not only gives you a nice stretch but helps alleviate back muscle pain as well!

Step 1: Cat Pose

Begin the exercise by getting down on all fours in a neutral “tabletop” position. Make sure your knees are right below your hips and that your wrists, elbows, and shoulders are in line with each other. Take a deep breath and hold it for a moment, then as you exhale, roll your back toward the ceiling while keeping your arms and knees in line and let your head hang towards the floor. Don’t force your chin to your chest, your head should hang freely with your neck relaxed. You are now in Cat Pose!

Step 2: Cow Pose

Next we will transition into Cow Pose. Begin by lifting your head slightly keeping your arms straight and your knees in line with your hips. Inhale while lifting your tailbone and shoulders towards the ceiling, arch your back, and bring your head up to look straight ahead. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the neutral “tabletop” position in which you started the exercise. Repeat 5-10 times (or more if you want) while keeping your breathing even and your back and neck relaxed. M

Fall 2015 Balanced Living

SEASONAL RECIPE

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Ingredients: •

• •

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips 4 ounces linguine, cooked al dente 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (your recipe, Cajun Seasoning Mix or store-bought) 2 tablespoons butter 1 thinly sliced green onion

• • • • • •

1 - 2 cup heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Note: For a much lighter option you can substitute heavy whipping cream for a mixture of low fat (1-2%) milk and corn startch. Use a ratio of 1 tablespoon of corn startch to every 1 cup of milk. Use just as you would heavy whipping cream.

Directions: 1. Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. 2. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. 3. Reduce heat add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through until chicken is cooked completely. 4. Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese. All done, enjoy!

Makes approximately 2 servings Nutritional analysis (per serving): 437 calories; 22.8 g fat (12.7 g sat); 170 mg cholesterol; 17.2 g carbohydrates; 0.3 g from sugars; 39.3 g protein; 0.2 g fiber; 400 mg sodium. M

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Helping you keep

your balance

Your Employee Assistance Program is here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confidential, FREE, and available to you and your family. For information or confidential assistance call 1-800-873-7138