Corporate Wellness Quick Tips: Education, Nutrition, Movement (Jan 2018)

Corporate Wellness Quick Tips: Education, Nutrition, Movement (Jan 2018)

EDUCATION – Skip the Daunting Resolutions: Opt for Micro-steps Instead:
By: Lauren Hodges

Oftentimes in the spirit of the “new year, new you” mentality, we tend to create lofty, large, and encumbering goals for ourselves that require multi-faceted, immense changes to our lives. Goals like “lose 50 lbs,” or “wake up at 5 AM every day for a workout” or “be happier and more positive” seem like a good idea at the time, but implementation can be overwhelming and, ultimately, unsustainable. Rather than create these massive undertakings, consider creating small, sustainable “micro-steps” for change. For example, tackle the goal of losing 50 lbs through a micro-step such as “drink one extra glass of water each day this month” or “include 1 extra serving of vegetables each day this month.” This way, our smaller micro-steps are more easily conquered and can be used as building blocks to create new, more challenging micro-steps.

MOVEMENT – Training in a Time Crunch:
By: Bobby O’Mullan

One of the most common reasons why people find it difficult to workout during the week is they feel like there’s just not enough time in the day. Interval training offers a great solution to that problem! In 2016 Gillen et al. proved three minutes of intense exercise can have the same effect as 50 minutes of moderate exercise. Each training session involved a 2 minute warm up on a spin bike, 3 “all out” 20 second sprints (with 2 minutes of rest between bouts), and a 3 minute cool down at the end. In 10 minutes they were able to complete an effective workout to improve their overall cardio cardiorespiratory health! All it takes is 10 minutes. For more ideas about how to make exercise fit into your schedule, come see me!

NUTRITION – Combine Your Food:
By: Ashley Meyers

When you combine foods such as a carbohydrate with a fat or protein, you will feel more satisfied than if you just ate one of the foods by itself. For example, have you ever eaten a piece of fruit and still felt hungry? Add some peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, cheese, or yogurt to the fruit and you may feel more satiated, for longer. When it comes to food combinations, an easy rule of thumb is to remember to eat at least 2 food groups for a hearty, satisfying snack. Double the pleasure. Double the benefits.