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QUICK TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY When you’re healthy, you are better able to keep up with a demanding schedule and maintain your quality of life. Here are tips for staying healthy.

Get a good night’s sleep. Sleep allows your body and brain to recharge. Adequate sleep helps you fight infection and illness and supports good concentration, higher levels of patience, and positive emotions.

Exercise. Exercise helps improve mood, control weight, and increase energy, and it also supports immune function. Regardless of the type, aim for a total of at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Eat healthy foods. A healthy diet also helps control weight, improve mood, and increase energy, and it reduces the risk of chronic illness. Limit sugar and increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day. Remember to wash your hands before eating and frequently during the day.

Manage stress. High levels of stress are associated with depression, anxiety, and health issues such

as migraines and digestive problems. Reduced stress is beneficial for overall health and well-being. Practice stress management techniques such as deep breathing, getting regular exercise, and setting work-life boundaries in order to give yourself downtime. All can help relieve stress.

Add movement. Studies are showing that excessive sitting can negatively impact health and shorten one’s life, even with regular exercise. Schedule time in your day to stand up for a few minutes, do a few stretches, and take brief water breaks, or take a walk during your lunch break.

Have fun. Emotional wellness is connected to physical wellness. Part of staying healthy is having fun and doing things that make you happy. Be sure to laugh, spend time with friends and family, and use your vacation days to support your wellness.

Quick Tips for Staying Healthy 1

Heart Health 2

Napping Tips 3-4

Black Bean Tacos 5

IN THIS ISSUE:

Q1 NEWSLETTER | 2017

Wellness

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© 2017 LifeWorks Inc. All rights reserved.

HEART HEALTHMore than one in three adults has some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association. One of the best things you can do for yourself this month and every month is commit to reducing your risk of heart disease by adopting a heart-healthy way of life. Here are recommendations from the American Heart Association:

If you smoke, quit! When you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops dramatically within just one year. No matter how long or how much you smoked, you’ll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit. Unfortunately, e-cigarettes also carry a risk of heart disease, so avoid all tobacco products to help your heart.

Eat a heart-healthy diet. That’s a daily diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, legumes, low-fat sources of protein, and certain types of fish. Limit consumption of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats, including beef, butter, cheese, milk, and coconut and palm oils. Avoid trans fats, which are contained in foods like fast food, bakery products, packaged snack foods, margarine, and crackers.

Lose weight if you are overweight. Even losing 10 pounds can significantly lower your risk for heart disease.

Get regular exercise. Regular physical activity can help control cholesterol, diabetes, weight, and also help lower blood pressure in some people. The American Heart Association suggests at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a

combination of moderate and vigorous activity). You should always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Control your cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends all adults age 20 or older have their cholesterol, and other traditional risk factors, checked every four to six years.

Control your blood pressure. One in three Americans has high blood pressure — yet about half with the condition do not have it under control, according to the American Heart Association. Ask your doctor what your blood pressure should be. Set a goal to lower your pressure with your doctor and talk about how you can reach your goal.

Control diabetes. Diabetes can quadruple your risk of heart disease or stroke, so keeping blood sugar levels under control is crucial to preventing medical problems. If you have diabetes, work with your health care provider to manage and control it.

Manage stress. Manage your stress levels by practicing relaxation techniques.

Visit the American Heart Association website at www.heart.org to learn more about heart health.

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NAPPING TIPS TO IMPROVE FOCUS AND PERFORMANCE

WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM A NAP

Napping often is linked to laziness in our culture. Many people believe that only children and older adults need naps. But the truth is that if you’re habitually sleep-deprived – as many people who work nights or long hours are — naps are an effective way to get the sleep you need to get through the day. A nap can mean the difference between falling asleep when you shouldn’t (such as on the job or behind the wheel) and feeling alert through the difficult overnight and early morning hours, or even during an afternoon slump. Naps can help improve your mood, alertness, and job performance. If you find that you often feel sleepy at work or at home, try adding a quick nap to your schedule.

Although napping obviously doesn’t require much expertise, there are a number of things you can do to make sure you get the most from your snoozes.

Develop a nap strategy. Instead of randomly napping whenever you feel sleepy, come up with a consistent plan that fits in with your work schedule, and then stick to it.

Prepare for your naps. Follow the same routines you use when preparing for your regular block of sleep. This means keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and heavy, greasy food for several hours beforehand. Turn off the phone if possible, and don’t play video

games or watch overstimulating TV programs just before you want to fall asleep. Avoid vigorous exercise within 3 to 4 hours of bedtime.

Time your nap length wisely. Try napping for a short time at first. Research has shown that even a nap of 20 minutes can leave you feeling refreshed and improve your reaction time, manual dexterity, and ability to pay attention and make decisions. If that doesn’t help, you might try napping for 60-90 minutes.

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Give yourself time to wake up. Most of us have at times felt groggy after waking up from a deep sleep. Scientists call this sensation “sleep inertia.” Sleep inertia often lasts for just a few minutes and rarely more than 30 minutes. But it can last up to an hour or more after long naps. Sleep inertia is a potential hazard if you must work or drive soon after waking up. If this is the case, time your naps accordingly, Harvard’s Division of Sleep Medicine advises: “If you plan to take a longer nap, and must perform safety-critical activities when you wake up, allow enough time to recover.”

You may have to experiment with different times for napping and waking up to determine how long you need to recover. For example, if you normally sleep in the morning after working nights and take a nap in the afternoon, you may find that you need to end your nap an hour before you start work for maximum alertness. You can also minimize sleep inertia by limiting your naps to no more than 20 minutes.

Let the people around you know when – and when not – to wake you from a nap. Setting a few guidelines with friends and family will help people know what to expect and make it easier for them to help you get the rest you need.

Consider napping during your break at work. If your employer permits it, you may be able to squeeze in a short nap during your overnight meal break. Such naps can be especially helpful if you work 12-hour shifts. Just make sure your employer does not object, that you nap somewhere safe, and that a friend or an alarm wakes you up in time to get back to work. Add ear plugs or an eye mask to your work kit if these might be helpful. If you need to be driven to a work site — for example, by a van for employees — you might even take a quick nap on the way.

Nap before you drive. If you’re exhausted after your shift, take a nap before getting behind the wheel — it might save your life. Just make sure that you limit your nap to about 20 minutes to avoid feeling groggy at the wheel.

THINGS TO AVOIDIf you can’t get to sleep, don’t force it. Trying to “make” yourself fall asleep can cause anxiety. Remember that just resting, even if you don’t fall asleep, has benefits.

Turn your alarm clock’s face away from your bed (or if you use a cell phone alarm, set it face down) so you see minute-by-minute reminders of how long you’ve been awake.

Avoid naps that disrupt your regular sleep period. Keep tabs on how naps affect your main sleep block. If you find that you have a harder time falling or staying asleep on days when you nap, then you’re probably better off not napping or napping less. You’ll also want to avoid napping too close to your normal bedtime to avoid disrupting your major sleep period.

Naps can help improve your mood, alertness, and job performance. If you find that you often feel sleepy at work or at home, trying adding a quick nap to your schedule. Even a 20-minute nap can leave you feeling refreshed and help you perform better on the job.

For more tips on sleeping well, visit the website for Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine at www.understandingsleep.org.

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INGREDIENTS:1-1/2 C diced tomatoes

1/2 C chopped red or sweet onion

2 Tbsp lime juice

3 dried Chipotle chilies; reconstituted, drained and minced

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

11 ounce (uncooked weight), black beans

2 cloves garlic; minced

1 C chopped zucchini or yellow summer squash

1/2 C shredded low-fat Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

1. For tacos: place black beans in a medium saucepan with water and cover.

2. Stir in remaining minced Chipotle chilies and garlic.

3. Cook beans according to package directions; drain.

4. Meanwhile, stir together tomatoes, zucchini and bell pepper.

5. Arrange warm black beans, tomato mixture, lettuce and cheese in separate serving bowls.

6. For each serving, take two flour tortillas; sprinkle each with lettuce; spoon on black beans, tomato zucchini mixture and cheese.

7. Top with salsa and cilantro as desired.

FOR SALSA: Combine tomatoes, half the Chipotle chilies, onion, cilantro and lime juice in a medium bowl; set aside to allow flavors to blend (cover and chill if preparing more than 30 minutes ahead).

PREPARATION

BLACK BEAN TACOS* From the Healthy Recipes section on LifeBalance.net.

SERVE WITH: FROZEN FRUIT JUICE BAR

4

2 tacos, 1 juice bar

507

5

2

10

173

13

25

92

0

Yield (servings):Serving size: Calories:Fat:Sat Fat:Cholesterol:Sodium:Total Fiber:Protein:Carbohydrates:Potassium:

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