WELLNESS 2022:
"Teamwork Makes the Dream Work"
ESHCA Wellness Newsletter
January 2022
The shareable link (printable) for this issue: https://conta.cc/3HUgd3l
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ESHCA 35-Day Nutrition Challenge
($50 Incentive)
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Participate in the ESHCA 35-Day Nutrition Challenge!!!
(Note: both the member and member-spouse are eligible to participate!)
Why?
60% of Americans have 1 or more chronic diseases!
Including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and low back pain.
80% of chronic disease can be managed or cured through lifestyle!
"Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food" (Hippocrates)
Drinking 64 ounces of water per day reduces risk of heart disease 41% in women and 54% in men;
Lean Proteins (chicken, fish, eggs) repair tissue damage and control blood sugar;
3 stalks of celery per day lowers blood pressure;
Broccoli lowers your risk of cancer;
Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants;
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Almonds reduce cholesterol and control blood sugar!
"Practice" these healthy habits and many more, register today!!!
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Member Testimonial:
Sherri's Battle Against Vestibular Migraines
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Several times per year I receive testimonials from a members "taking action" to improve their health. Sherri (49) is an ESHCA member-spouse, like 60% of American adults she has a chronic disease. Three years ago she was diagnosed with a neurological condition and more recently as pre-diabetic, her symptoms include vertigo and migraine headaches. Like many, the condition started as a minor annoyance which lasted for several years and then suddenly (10/4/18) turned debilitating! To her credit Sherri used it as a “wake-up call”, rather than relying solely on medications, she became proactive in addressing lifestyle change. Prior to this event, she did not realize how inadequate sleep, excess stress, and certain foods adversely affected her body. In her own words: |
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“There were many days I felt it was going to be completely impossible to live a normal life, as symptoms can be very spontaneous. You never know how long they will last or if this time they will leave you permanently debilitated…It’s scary! Yet, despite all of this I try to remain very positive, it’s something I’ve learned over the last three years. I have always said if I could help just one person with what I have learned, that would satisfy me.”
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If you have questions about vestibular migraines or would like to reach out to Sherri please let me know and I will forward you her email address.
- “Literally overnight (10/4/18), I had to cut out all alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. I had to learn what was causing my “brain tremors” and dizziness. Quitting smoking was a blessing that I don’t miss! Believe it or not, caffeine has been the hardest thing to omit from my diet. Even though I was never much of a soda drinker and hadn’t started drinking coffee until my late 30’s, I still miss it once-in-a-while.”
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“The hardest part of the journey was trying to figure out what triggers my vertigo. Food has a lot of “ammo”, primarily those with tyramine. Between the vestibular migraine diet and the diabetes diet, it felt like there was practically nothing I could eat! For 6 months, I ate primarily plain oatmeal with berries, sweet potatoes, and fish (salmon), all the while eating a very low-sodium diet of less than 1500mg per day (trying to rule out Meniere’s Disease). Slowly, I incorporated food back into the diet so I could detect what would trigger me. I lost a lot of weight during those 6 months, of course, when I started eating other foods it came back on again.”
- As for food management, Sherri was inspired by Alicia Wolf’s (a.k.a. “The Dizzy Cook”) story!
- Check out this month's featured recipe from "The Dizzy Cook":
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Bang Bang Brussels Sprouts!!!
- To make things more interesting, on 5/25/21 she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic with an A1C of 6.4. Immediately she went to work to get it under control through daily exercise (walking and dancing) and diet. A follow-up blood test three months later (8/25) demonstrated great progress, bringing it down to 5.7.
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Sherri is an inspiration to what the Wellness Program is working to accomplish, she used the incentive program to educate ("Know Your Numbers"), motivate, and reward herself by participating in the following ESHCA Incentive Programs in 2021:
- Annual Physical ("Know Your Numbers")
- Nutrition Program
- Gym Membership
- Newsletter Challenges
Sherri's "Take Action" approach to her health is not only good for her but will save ESHCA thousands of dollars over the course of a year!
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The 3rd Annual Water Challenge |
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$25 January Incentive Challenge...
"Drink Yourself to Heart Health!!!"
What should you know? Research shows drinking 5 glasses of water per day reduces the risk of heart disease 41% in women and 54% in men. That is statistically more significant than diet or exercise. This challenge is offered annually, it is easy and effective, give it a try!
- Drink either 66-99 oz. per day - or - 1/2 your body weight (pounds) in ounces!
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Download and record on the Water Log. At the end of 12 recorded days, email (cell phone picture works), mail, or fax me a copy. Make your own log if you are unable to print, I will take it!
- Challenge starts on January 5th and ends on February 15th (last day I can take logs).
- Objective: make drinking the recommended daily dose of water a healthy habit and reduce your risk of heart disease!
- FYI, although all members of the household are encouraged to participate, only 1 incentive card can be issued for each member-household with the exception that more than one employee-member lives in a given household.
Why is this challenge offered every year? The Water Challenge is the most popular "lifestyle modification challenge" offered. Wellness is a product of stacking 1 healthy habit on another (i.e. drink water, replace starchy carbohydrates with fresh vegetables and fruit, etc.), drinking water is a great place to start lifestyle change. Fact: sugar is a highly addictive, non-essential nutrient that is one of the most harmful nutrition variables. It is estimated 33% of added sugars in the diet come from sugar-sweetened beverages (diet soda has many of the same negative effects). For most of us, using water as our primary beverage source greatly reduces dietary sugar intake and our risk of chronic diseases! DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES!!!
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