Employee Wellness Newsletter |
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You are welcome to share these wellness resources with your employees, family, or friends. |
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February 2020: Healthier Heart for a Healthier You |
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February is Heart Health month! Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women? There are about 750,000 Americans that die from cardiovascular diseases annually - that means every 1 in 4 deaths is caused by this chronic condition. This month’s newsletter incorporates a variety of educational components that you can share with your family and friends to have a healthier heart for a healthier you! |
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One of the driving causes of heart disease is inflammation. This internal inflammation can be a result of many things and diet may be one of them. Two of the most important ways we can reduce our inflammation through diet is by:
1) Decreasing our processed carbohydrate consumption
2) Decreasing our processed fat consumption
Processed carbohydrates and sugars have the ability to spike up our blood sugar once our body digests them. Overtime, chronic high blood sugar levels can drive inflammation in our body, increasing our chance for heart disease. We can support our blood sugar levels by focusing on eating fresh, minimally processed foods and reducing our consumption of carbohydrates with highly refined flours such as crackers, pastas, breads, cereals, biscuits, granola bars, sodas, and other sweets.
Fats that are found in nature and have not been altered in the food manufacturing process are very supportive of our health. These fats help build our hormones, supply us with quality energy and have the power to reduce inflammation. Naturally occurring fats can be found in foods such as avocados, eggs, beef, salmon, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, liver, sardines, anchovies, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, chia & flaxseeds, full fat yogurt and cottage cheese. To help reduce inflammation we can swap out the processed fats from canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soy oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, margarine, cakes, cookies, crackers, biscuits, and vegetable oil based salad dressings for the quality sources listed above.
Pro tip* always turn over the product to read the ingredients. Highly inflammatory foods often have a vegetable oil, refined flour or sugar in the first few ingredients!
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The warning signs for heart disease include: an unhealthy diet, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and excessive alcohol use which are all lifestyle-related and you have the power to help prevent this disease!
Here are preventive tools to help you preventive heart disease from impacting you or a family member:
- Shape your plate with real foods –fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and quality carbs
- Get at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week; you can break this up into bite-size increments daily
- Reduce your stress levels
- Keep an eye on your cholesterol numbers by going to your doctor for a preventive wellness exam
- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
Know the warning signs of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrest:
- Chest discomfort
- Difficulty with speech
- Sudden loss of responsiveness
Resources to help you thrive:
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The CGO Wellness Team will be providing a virtual wellness fair the weeks of February 15th and 22nd all at no cost to you, your employees and family. Below outlines the fair schedule with links to register for as many events as you’d like. If you have any questions please reach out to the CGO Wellness Team. We hope you can attend an event that interests you!
Connor & Gallagher OneSource Virtual Wellness Fair Schedule: Revitalize Your Wellbeing in 2021
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Planning for Retirement
Tuesday, February 16 @ 11am CST
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Sleep is Your Superpower
Wednesday, February 17 @ 1pm CST
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Compassion Fatigue
Thursday, February 18 @ 12pm CST
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Weighing Your Cardiac Risk
Friday, February 19 @ 11am CST
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Stress Management During a Pandemic & Beyond
Tuesday, February 23 @ 11am CST
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Total Body Strength-Exercise Class
Thursday, February 25 @ 11am CST
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Healthy Eating on a Budget-Cooking Demo
Friday, February 26 @ 1pm CST
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Looking for Additional Well-Being Tools to Thrive?
Check out our Wellness Page which features Wellness Seminars, Mindful Moments, and much more!
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About the Monthly Wellness Newsletter |
The everyday choices we make can help us live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives. The CGO Employee Wellness Newsletter provides monthly resources and education on a variety of topics like nutrition, exercise, emotional health and resilience, prevention and more. Our hope is that this information empowers you to incorporate sustainable healthy habits for a lifetime of good health and well-being.
Always consult with your physician before beginning any wellness program. This general information is not intended to replace your healthcare professional.
Sources: Sources: Zywave, Institute of Functional Medicine
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