SLUSD's Monthly Employee Wellness Newsletter Brought to you by the Employee Wellness Committee

SLUSD Employee Wellness Newsletter October 2019

Click on the image above for a printable version.

SPOTLIGHT ON SITE Courtesy of the Dolphin Weekly Bulletin Wilson staff will recreate their incredibly popular Thriller Flash Mob for their students again this year. Click on the image to the right for some community building movement inspiration!

Financial Wellness: Smart Financial Moves in Your 20's, 30's, 40's & 50's Provided by Zuk Financial If you had a timeline of the financial steps you should probably take in life, what would it look like? Answers to that question will vary, but certain times of life do call for certain financial moves. Some should be made out of caution, others out of opportunity. Click HERE to read more about what you might think of doing when. If you are a CalSTRS member and thinking of retirement, RSVP HERE to attend the SLUSD CalSTRS Retirement Seminar on October 30th at the Barbara Lee Center for Health and Wellness.

2nd Annual Healthy Halloween Challenge Can Halloween be healthy AND happy? Last year SLUSD answered with a definitive YES. So let's get in the spirit of the season and send those healthy halloween challenge photos to [email protected] to be entered into a drawing for a $50 Safeway gift certificate!

The health benefits of doing what you love Who doesn’t love a good hobby? They offer a break from the daily grind. Opportunities to get together with friends.   But did you know hobbies also have physical and mental health benefits? Dancing or gardening, running or baking — it doesn’t matter whether your chosen pastime is intense or mellow. Making time to do what you love can help you ease your stress, lift your mood, and expand your social circle. It can help you  manage chronic pain . It may even improve your heart health and add quality years to your life.   So get ready to listen to your muse and read more HERE . Source: Kaiser Permanente

6 simple yoga poses you can sneak into a busy day We do a whole lot of sitting these days — in the car, at our desks, or on the couch. And all this sitting is taking a toll on our health.   It’s more important than ever to get your body moving whenever possible. Not only is movement great for our physical health, but it can also benefit our  mental health . Click HERE for six easy poses to sneak in! Source: Kaiser Permanente

Train for Turkey/Tofurky Trots Today! With about six weeks away from Thanksgiving, setting sights on completing one of the many Turkey Trot events here in the Bay Area can be a great motivator to get moving. Whether you are already active, or new to the fitness groove, setting a weekly goal-based calendar targeted to a commitment, like a race or other competition, can start healthy habits for a lifetime. Click HERE for a possible training plan and think about registering for a race below.  San Leandro Turkey Trot Oakland Turkey Trot Point PInole Turkey Trot Quarry Lakes Turkey Trot San Francisco Turkey Trot Piedmont Turkey Trot

QuikRisk Assessment: Breast Cancer Ongoing research links several factors to an increased risk of breast cancer. Check the factors below that apply to you. The degree of risk with some factors can be quite small. And having 1 or 2 risks, or even many, does not mean you will get breast cancer. Factors that can’t be changed: *Female gender. *Age. *Race and ethnicity. *Periods before age 12. *Family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer. *Personal history of breast cancer. *Inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. *Hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). *Radiation therapy to chest at a young age. *High breast density on a mammogram. Factors that can be changed: *More than 1 alcoholic drink a day. *Overweight, especially after menopause. *Lack of regular exercise. *Not giving birth or having a first child after age 30. *Use of birth control pills (current or recent). *Postmenopausal estrogen therapy. *Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (containing estrogen plus progestin). This assessment is just a starting point for discussing your risks and healthy habits with your health care provider. For example, maintaining a proper weight and avoiding alcohol may help protect you. Or more screening tests might be useful if you’re in a high-risk group, based on gene mutations or if you have a strong family history. Sources: American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen

Sweet Potato Jack-o'-Lanterns These sweet potato jack-o’-lanterns are a simple way to make a festive snack for the whole family. Servings: 2 to 3 (yields about 12 jack-o’-lanterns) Ingredients 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 to 3, depending on size) 2 tablespoons sunflower oil 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel potato and slice into 1/4-inch discs. Place potato discs in a pot with plenty of cold water. Bring the water to boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Use a paring knife to cut triangle eyes and a mouth on each disc. Brush a roasting pan with enough sunflower oil to coat the pan. Heat the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes until it starts smoking. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and brush the tops with sunflower oil. Place the roasting pan on the highest rack of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve as a side dish or a snack. Nutrition Information (per serving) Calories: 40 Total fat: 2.5 g Saturated fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 35 mg Total carbohydrate: 5 g Dietary fiber: 1 g Sugars: 2 g Protein: 0 g

Paprika chicken or tofu with chickpeas This warm and flavorful dish can easily be made vegan if you use tofu instead of chicken thighs. From start to finish, you can get this on the table in under an hour. Or you can prepare the chicken or tofu (step 1) in advance for an even easier and faster start to your dinner. Servings: 4 to 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Ingredients 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano 2 pounds chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat or 14 ounces of firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch “steaks” (roughly 8 pieces of tofu) 6 teaspoons olive oil, divided 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced 1 14-ounce can chickpeas (low sodium or no salt added), drained and rinsed 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley Directions Measure the spices (paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and ground oregano) into a large bowl and stir to combine. For chicken: Place the chicken thighs in the bowl and toss to coat completely with the spices. For tofu: Lightly brush tofu steaks with olive oil before gently tossing with the spice mixture. For either: If preparing in advance, you can refrigerate at this point. The longer the chicken or tofu sits in the rub, the more the flavors will permeate. Just remove from the fridge to come up to room temperature when you’re ready to go to step 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss the sliced onions with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, then spread the onions in an even layer on the bottom of a casserole dish.  For chicken: Add remaining oil (5 teaspoons), chickpeas, lemon zest and lemon juice to the chicken; toss to combine. For tofu: Remove tofu from bowl before adding chickpeas, lemon juice, lemon zest and the remaining oil to the spices in the bowl. Toss chickpeas until coated with spice mixture. Arrange chicken or tofu and chickpeas on top of the sliced onions in the casserole dish, making sure to spread chicken or tofu so there is some space between each piece. For chicken: Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees. For tofu: Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley and serve on top of zucchini noodles or with a side salad. Nutrition Information (per serving) For chicken (6 servings, using 6 chicken thighs): Calories: 245 Total fat: 14 g Saturated fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 48 mg Sodium: 612 mg Total carbohydrate: 17 g Dietary fiber: 4 g Sugars: 1 g Protein: 13 g For tofu (6 servings): Calories: 170 Total fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 577 mg Total carbohydrate: 18 g Dietary fiber: 4 g Sugars: 1 g Protein: 9 g

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