DIGGING WELLNESS:
ESHCA Wellness Newsletter
February 2019
The shareable link (also printable) for this issue of the newsletter is:
Annual Physical $200 Incentive: Looking for the paperwork?
Get to know yourself from the inside out...
  • "Know Your Numbers"
  • Blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and body weight are good indicators of current and future health!
  • An annual visit to your Primary Care Physician is an important step in being healthy. Schedule you appointment today!
  • Submit the paperwork to receive the $200 incentive
  • Click Here to download the paperwork
  • Participating in the activities offered by the Wellness Program will educate you on skills needed to understand and manage "you numbers".
How much sodium do you get in your diet?
Why?
  • according to research presented in last months newsletter, excess sodium is the leading nutritional cause of premature death from cardiometabolic disease (heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes)
  • high blood pressure (caused by excess sodium) puts you at risk for blindness, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and stroke (Huff Post)
Do you need sodium in my diet?
  • Sodium is an important mineral that helps to maintain fluid balance and transmit nerve impulses and muscle function. It helps to absorb chloride, amino acids, glucose and water in your intestines and it helps to regulate blood pressure.
What's the problem?
  • Sodium is in everything and most of us get way too much. It is estimated the average American ingests a whopping 3,300mg/day. Sodium causes the body to retain fluid and swell. The swelling constricts blood flow causing blood pressure to rise and prevents food from digesting efficiently contributing to weight gain.
How much sodium do you need?
  • The US Dietary Guidelines for sodium recommend we ingest no more that 2,300mg/day and the American Heart Association recommends people with high blood pressure keep their intake under 1,500mg/day.
Is sodium the same thing as salt?
  • Table salt is a combination of 40% sodium and 60% chloride. One teaspoon of table salt = 2,400mg of sodium! Therefore, reducing the amount of salt you use is important but there are also other "hidden" sources that should be considered.
What are the costs?
  • One estimate suggests that if Americans reduced their sodium intake to an average of 1,500mg/day, it could result in a 25.6 percent overall decrease in blood pressure and an estimated $26.2 billion in health care savings.
  • a more modest reduction in sodium intake to 2,300mg (1 tsp)/day is estimated to result in $18 billion health-care savings annually.
  • Another estimate projected that achieving this goal would reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease by anywhere from 500,000 to nearly 1.2 million over the next 10 years.



Get Your $25 Incentive - Take the 21-Day Sodium Education Challenge
The statistics above are alarming, excess sodium can cause costly disabilities and untimely death. Taking action to improve the health of the Association not only improves the lives of our members but also saves money on health benefits which in turn places more money in retirement accounts.

The objective for the 2019 Newsletter is to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors through, 6-wellness challenges, 3-weeks in duration. Each challenge accomplished will be rewarded with a $25 incentive if the appropriate paperwork is submitted. Every member of the household is welcome to participate but only one incentive will be paid to each member household.
Challenge #2 - February 2019
  • Educate yourself on how much sodium you get in your diet and what the sources are.
  • Open the Sodium Calculator and fill out the attached Sodium Worksheet and Calendar. At the end of 21 days, email (cell phone picture works), mail or fax me a copy of the Worksheet and the Calendar.
  • Challenge starts on February 7th and ends on February 28th.
  • Objective: estimate your average daily sodium intake; educate yourself on sources of sodium and take action steps to reduce your intake.

Steps:

  1. Click on the link to open the Sodium Calculator
  2. Fill in the results on the Sodium Worksheet
  3. Download and fill out the Calendar
  4. Complete a few easy activities each week and check them off on the calendar!
  5. Submit the Worksheet and the Calendar and receive the $25 incentive card!
Stretch of the Month - Calf
Sports medicine treats the body as a kinetic chain. Meaning, joints are interrelated and have an effect on one another during movement. When one is in motion, it creates a chain of events that affects the movement of neighboring joints and segments (Healthline).

Dysfunction (tightness) in calf muscles can cause a ripple effect of knee, hip and low back pain. How to stretch:

  1. Use a box, step or wall to elevate your toe.
  2. The heel should stay in contact with the floor.
  3. You should feel a gentle pull up the back of the lower leg (calf).
  4. Hold the stretch 15-30 seconds.
  5. You may want to repeat the stretch 2-3 times.

This stretch can be done multiple times per day. Use it for the month of February, especially if you have knee, hip or lower back pain.