You Are What You Eat...Even at Work

Companies trying to increase productivity should offer their employees more wellness programs, a new study finds.

Workers who ate healthful meals and exercised on a regular basis had better job performance and lower absenteeism, research from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), Brigham Young University and the Center for Health Research at Healthways shows.

Employees who eat healthy all day long were 25 percent more likely to have higher job performance, the study found, while those who eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables at least four times a week were 20 percent more likely to be more productive.

In addition, employees who exercise for at least 30minutes, three times a week, were 15 percent more likely to have higher job performance.

Overall, absenteeism was 27 percent lower for those workers who ate healthy and regularly exercised and that their job performance was 11 percent higher than their peers who were obese, the study found.

Overweight workers experienced lower job performance and higher absenteeism, compared to those employees who suffer from depression and other chronic diseases or conditions.

Source: You Are What You Eat...Even at Work 

Your partner in health, 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA
Certified Health Coach
Wellness Consultant
C2 Your Health LLC
WELCOA Faculty
Top 100 Health Promotion Professional nominee

10 Best Practices to Staying Healthy at Work

Health care is a hot topic these days, and the personal health and wellness industry is booming. With health care reform, some companies are in a bind and are seriously looking at ways to promote wellness and preventive health measures for their employees.

If you are an employee, you know that staying healthy benefits you in many ways: fewer missed work days, greater productivity and less stress. Staying healthy is good for your pockets too, in the form of lower health care costs and health insurance premiums.

So when you’re going to the office and working in close quarters (ah, the cubicle life) every day, how can you stay healthy?

1. Wash your hands often - Hand-washing is the number one way you can prevent yourself from getting sick.

2. Keep your workspace clean - The average desk harbors hundreds of times more bacteria than a toilet seat — pretty gross, right? 

3. Drink more water - Staying well-hydrated is crucial to your productivity, energy levels and overall health. #stayhydrated

4. Keep hand sanitizer at your desk - Keep some handy at your desk, so it can be applied immediately and used in between hand washings when needed.

5. Avoid others who are not feeling well or exhibit symptoms of illness - Wash your hands after spending time at or near the work space of someone who is sick, sneezing or coughing.

6. Eat well including light, healthy lunches -Make sure to include some lean protein, salad or fresh veggies, and fresh fruit for lasting energy with no afternoon slump. #onesimplechange 

Read to rest: 10 best practices to staying healthy at work.

 Your partner in health, 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA 
Certified Health Coach
Wellness Consultant 
WELCOA Faculty 
Top 100 Health Promotion Professional Nominee 
C2 Your Health LLC

Trumpcare: A new reality for U.S. healthcare & the workplace

Now that Donald Trump will soon be sworn into office as our next president, in the weeks and months ahead we can expect to learn more details about his proposed healthcare policies and how he plans to begin the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act.  

While most Americans are likely more familiar with his reality TV show than his proposed healthcare policies, and while his proposed policies are not as detailed as those that were listed on the Hillary Clinton campaign website, there’s more substance to Trumpcare than what was reflected in many of his short statements and one-liners in the debates. The policies that make up Trumpcare will require substantial changes to U.S. healthcare’s current legal and regulatory structure, and to U.S. tax law. 

Repeal of the ACA 

The first priority for Trump will be the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, this is not expected to happen overnight. The overhaul of the ACA, or the transition from the ACA to Trumpcare, however it is done, will clearly not be as simple as a reality TV show where Trump sits at a conference table, looks through each ACA rule and says “you’re fired.” Economists and lawmakers that have been deeply involved in U.S. healthcare policy have noted that repealing the ACA will be an extremely difficult task.  

Source: Trumpcare: A new reality for U.S. healthcare  

There are most likely hundreds if not thousands of opinions by now on what might happen to the ACA once the transition team for the new administration is established. No one really knows for sure what will happen, we may not know for sometime. What ever does happen will take time and surely is not an overnight happening. 

One thing is for sure, people are still sick, and going to get sicker. Smart companies will invest in their employees health. Experts agree those companies who don't will experience a disengaged workforce that will become as unstable as our economy. There's no way your company can afford this, no matter with Trumpcare has in store for us. 

Your partner in health, 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA

Wellness Consultant

Certified Health Coach
WELCOA Faculty

C2 Your Health LLC

Entrepreneurs Track Your Health – GPS for Success

It seems many of us live minute by minute. Planning for the week would be considered long range planning. So much information is constantly coming at us solving one problem after the other. It’s hard to discern what’s urgent from what’s important moving from one crisis to another causing chaos in our life making everything seem like a crisis.

You might want to stop for a second, take a breath then ask yourself “Is my health important to me and is it important enough to me to plan for?” I will never forget the day I was sitting across from a health coaching client when they said “No, my health is not a priority to me.” 

Really? You have got to be kidding! You plan for your health now or plan for your medical bills later. You either make your health a priority or your health will become a priority for you when you develop sickness that keeps you from enjoying your family, working on your job and takes your money. 

So what’s the plan? What are your health goals? Do you know? If you have not thought it over in a while now is a great time. The rules are the same when it comes to planning your vacation, your business and your health. The more time you spend planning the more fun and prosperity you’ll experience.  

Once you have a plan in place then to insure success you will need to keep track what’s important like your care GPS keeps you on track helping you reach your destination.

Most experts agree these are the top five most important influencers on your health and well-being:

1. The quality, quantity and frequency of your food choices.

2. How much and what type of activity you experience.

3. Sleep quality and duration.

4. How you manage family, financial and job stress.

5. Water quality and frequency of consumption.

Track your food and mood

A big influencer around food choices is how you are feeling. Food choices are made for many reasons besides hunger and these hide in your daily actions. When making food choices such a types of foods and when you are choosing to eat write it down.  Writing down what you eat in detail within 15 minutes of your meal increases your ability to stick with your daily food and calorie goals. Keep a mini pad with you so you won’t have any excuses after you eat. It’s important to bring eating into your awareness. Noticing patterns in foods choices and behaviors will help you make better decisions in the future.  Not sure what to eat? The USDA can help www.choosemyplate.gov.

Track your successes

Don’t limit yourself in how you measure success. The scale is only one way and maybe not the best because the weather and food additives will cause the scale to fluctuate. Monitor your clothing size, measure your waist, legs, and arms, and monitor how tight or loose your clothes feel.

Track of your food choices

How may fruits, vegetables and whole grains are you eating? Not enough check this out www.YourJuicePlus.com. Most importantly monitor how you feel and how your body is working. With better food choices comes energy, better sleep, improved digestion, lower blood pressure, weight loss and many other health benefits.

Track your goals

While your long-term goal may be to lose 10, 25, 50 or more pounds, you need small goals to keep your motivation up. Focus on improved healthy and vitality. Being skinny in your casket really isn’t what you are shooting for. You can’t control your weight but you can control your habits. Make goals you have control of such as eat 1 more fruit and veggie per day, exercise 30 minutes and go to bed early enough to get 8 hours of sleep. 

Track your motivation

To stay motivated you must have a clear reason to make healthy lifestyle changes. Is it to spend more time with your family, lower your medical bills and / or most importantly you deserve health and vitality? Whatever the reason, write it down and keep it in front of you. Your why will keep you motivated when you hit the bumps in the road of your healthy life journey.

So what’s your health GPS set for? When you look down the road what do you see in your future? If It’s not health then you still have time it’s never too late to get started down the road to better health.

Your partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA

Certified Health Coach

Wellness Consultant 

WELCOA Faculty 

C2 Your Health LLC

(Track Your Health - GPS for Success first appeared in Small Biz Forward)

A Healthy Dose of Inspiration

Poor health is not caused by something you don't have; it's caused by disturbing something that you already have. Healthy is not something that you need to get, it's something you have already if you don't disturb it.  ~Dean Ornish MD Cardiologist, Researcher, Author 

There are many definitions of inspiration however the one I like best is the “extraordinary influence to help a person take action to create or become creative”. Using this definition when it comes to your health where do you look for inspiration?

Just a few short months ago were you most likely glued to your TV watching the Olympians demonstrate what health and fitness looks like in a larger than life way.  Just think to enter the competition it took millions of mico-decisions choosing the healthiest of foods and pushing for just one more minute of physical practice day in and day out for many years.  A level of commitment for many of us are inspired by.

Inspiration for good health is found in athletes such as soccer players, body builders and sport enthusiasts setting an example for all to see. And what are we seeing? We are seeing the results of a healthy lifestyle hobby or career that is the product of what a ramped up healthy eating and fitness program can do on a regular basis.

Inspiration can be found in overcoming. Lance Armstrong comes quickly to my mind. An example of a person filled with the commitment and persistence to overcome cancer and become a world class athlete. Suzanne Somers fight with cancer was very public and inspired others with her story of winning the fight with healthy lifestyle habits.

Or maybe it someone you know who is closer to home who is your inspiration? A relative, friend, neighbor or someone you work with who makes their good health a priority and disease prevention a goal.  You watch them make it look effortless. They are living the healthy life you wish you had, making choices that prevent disease.

Making healthy lifestyle choices is not an easy habit to develop. Each day we receive millions of messages from the media, our friends and family suggesting there is no real need for those healthy behavior changes we are just fine the way we are after all there is genetics to blame.

For this reason you are my inspiration. You get up every day knowing you need to do something about your health, looking for the truth and not knowing which way to turn. You who with each bite of food and each step you take know there is something better you can do for your health.

What? You are not an inspiration you say. I say you are. Think of this … you know some things that you can do to be healthier; you be one to share your good health habits and let others see you doing them. Do you teach one what you know to those around you? They are looking for answers too. The thing is you never know what you do inspires others that’s what so great about inspiration … it spreads quietly like a slow burning fire within then one day you are filled with it and boom! Something fantastic happens! You choose yogurt over ice cream!

So tomorrow when you go to work, with each conversation be the inspiration I see in you, share and teach others and together we can make our community a better place to live and work for all of us.

Your partner in health,

Wellness Consultant

Certified Health Coach

C2 Your Health LLC

Don’t feel like you are doing enough and looking for a place to start improving your health? Ramp up you nutrition with Juice Plus+ Whole Food Nutrition. How about getting a group of people together a get healthy as a group, ask about our programs to help you get healthier during the work day.

Worksite Wellness Who Pays?

Here's an article from Prevention Benefits Work Healthy Employees Cost Less ....

No matter how you design your wellness plan, who you ask to help you and how you decide to pay for it, one thing is for sure; wellness programs are here to stay and are critical to the survival of your company.  Here are a few ways of paying for a wellness program:

1. Employer Pay

To attract new employees, employers will want to show new hires the great benefit package they offer. Most employers who offer a full benefit package offer the PPO plan type (55%).  The most common is the HMO plan (17%).₃ The benefit package includes workman compensation, tuition reimbursement, health insurance, life insurance, paid time off, and vacation and employee assistance programs. Along with preventative care, wellness benefits include gym memberships, discount coupons, and other services. Employers will reap the rewards because they will be able to hire and retain highly qualified workers.

2. Employer - Employee Pay (Cost Sharing)

Cost sharing is now a norm on health insurance premiums. Most employers share the cost of health insurance premiums with their employees through managing deductibles ranging from $600 to $1,900+, co-pays and hospital admissions. ₃  Cost sharing is here to stay and as health insurance costs increase you will see an increase in cost sharing to reduce employer costs. Employees are more aware than ever before of their role in controlling health care premiums. Cost sharing is available for wellness benefits too. Just like the employee shares in the cost of their health insurance they share in their wellness benefit package too. Cost sharing helps employees to be more accountable and encourages the employee to take a more active role in their health.

3. Employee Pay – Voluntary (Employee Pays)

One way to tailor a benefit package to a wide range of employees with different needs, employers offer voluntary programs. In other words, if the employee wants the coverage, the employee pays for the entire premium.  This voluntary insurance might include bundling of long term disability coverage for critical illnesses, accident insurance, additional life insurance, and health insurance. ₄  Wellness program benefit options are being offered as employee pay enrollment. This type is gaining popularity and most employers are offering these packages in order to accommodate the ever increasing needs of the employee and offset the rising cost of healthcare. ₅ Employers look like heroes in the community because they appear to be offering these programs themselves yet it is fully funded by the employee through payroll deductions.

Health Care Reform

One thing is for sure, no one really knows what is happening with the health care legislation. It’s important to follow the happenings for what’s next. Many provisions have been implemented since 2010 and many more are on the way. What we do know is the cost of health care will continue to be shifted to the employer, so stay tuned.

You can no longer sit back to “wait and see” what happens because it’s happening to your company right now. If you already have a wellness program and it’s not saving you money, then re-evaluate your wellness program and begin to ask those critical questions which will help improve the health of your employees and your company.

Health and Happiness in the new year,

Ibett

Ibett Giannone, MBA

Coldwell Banker

Ibett earned her Master’s in Business Administration from Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN. She has worked for profit and non-profit organizations as Controller reviewing financial statements, budget analysis, financial statement and reports for over 20 years. She has also worked closely with top administration on financial strategies, budgeting and reporting.  Currently, Ibett is a Broker Associate, Realtor, CDPE affiliated with Coldwell Banker.  You can contact Ibett on LinkedIN  http://www.linkedin.com/in/ibettgiannone or by email igbrightstar@gmail.com.

1.  Don Hail, DrPH, CHES. How Much Does a Good Wellness Program Cost? Wellsource.Inc., 2011. 

2. Utah Department of Health Bureau of Promotion. Building a Healthy Worksite, A Guide to Lower Health Care Costs and More Productive Employees.  P. 8-9 www.health.utah.gov/worksitewellness

3.  Employer Health Benefits – 2011 Annual Survey. The Kaiser Family Foundation Summary Report # 8226 www.kff.org.

4. Mark Roberts. 2012 The Year of Voluntary Benefits. Preventure Wellness Blog, January 6 2012. www.preventure.com.

5. Jessica Messenger. Voluntary Benefits to Spike in 2012 – Wellness Program Increase?  Preventure Wellness Blog, January 13 2012. www.preventure.com

Don't Let the Flu Bug Get You! Practice Prevention

It's officially the "flu season".   Has it started with you?  Having a cold or flu is more than just feeling physically bad; it costs you more than you may think. How much work do you really get done? It's hard to concentrate, your tired, grouchy and sluggish. If you are paid on production then not producing costs money.  Then there's the doctor bills, medications and finally missing work.   Pretty soon everyone at your work and your house is sick, the hubby, kids and even grandma. Sounds expensive to me.

It's hard to predict what having the flu cost's you your family and your company. The University of Maryland has provided us with this calculation ... by providing flu shots

• You can save about $150 per employee per year in sick leave
• You can reduce absenteeism by as much as 45%. Employees sick with the flu miss an average of 2.8 days of work per season.
• You can save on lost production time.
• You can show employees how important they are by giving them an added benefit at the workplace.

An easy way to get your flu shot is by helping your company provide ONSITE FLU CLINICS to make it easier to get immunized. If flu shots are not in your company's budget this year how about sharing the cost with the employees or ask your employees to pay and provide the convenience on getting them at work.  This sounds like a sound investment, flu shots are only $30 per employee with a big return.

However, this is just one aspect of flu prevention. The Preventive Health Advisory Board (PHAB) recommended the following:


REMEMBER THE BASICS of flu prevention and practice these habits throughout the day.
Wash your hands often, keep antibiotic soap near your work station.
Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
Get a flu shot.  The recommended time is between August through December for prevention of the flu in the winter months.


STEP IT UP by incorporating positive healthy changes into your diet, exercise routine and sleep patterns.
Diet - Eat the recommend 9 - 13 servings (1 serving = 1/2 cup) of fruits and vegetables each day. If you are not sure how much that is go to USDA on their new website shows you how it looks on your plate.
Exercise - American Council on Fitness (ACE) reported studies suggest that physically active individuals report fewer colds than those who do not exercise regularly. 
Sleep - The National Sleep Foundation recommends you get 8 hours of sleep each day. If you are unable to sleep all 8 at once, take short naps during the day.

BECOME PREVENTION ADVOCATE by encouraging others to adopt these same practices. Practice what you preach. Be a model of wellness and the example of the benefits of staying healthy. Teach your family the steps to take to stay well, along with providing the time and tools to do so.  Encourage the place where work to provide antibiotic soap, flu shots and to stay home when you are sick.

SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED with your family, friends and co-workers. Prevention starts with education. Post signs, send out newsletter, talk about wellness where you work reminding your employees to STEP IT UP and prevent the spread of flu this season where you work.  

You'll be glad you did.

Your partner in health,

Health Consultant
C2 Your Health LLC