Monthly Observances May

Fruits & Veggies – More Matters Month

Whole Grains Month

Sept. 18-24 National Health Week

Monthly Observances October

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Oct. 3-7 Drive Safely Work Week

Oct. 3 – Child Health Day

Oct. 10 – World Mental Health Day

Oct. 20 –Great American Smokeout Begins

Important Important Important Dates:Dates:Dates:

Shaping Your Future is a health enhancement program provided by Alere working with the EPC. The EPC is your School purchasing pool.

www.epc-online.org

“Fall into Fitness Challenge”“Fall into Fitness Challenge”“Fall into Fitness Challenge”

Welcome back! It’s another school year

and we hope you had an enjoyable

summer and are ready for the new

school year.

The bells are ringing once again and it’s

a great time to kick-start your physical

activity program. Join the “Fall Into

Fitness” Challenge and stay motivated

and energized throughout the school

year!

For this challenge each school district in

the UHC program will be competing

against each other. Based on school

size, there will be two winners and the winning

district will receive a banner for their district to

display.

The challenge will start on October 10 through

November 19. How does the challenge work?

Who will be the winning district with the most

participation? How about getting the students

involved with this challenge-teachers vs.

students? Freshmen vs. Sophomores, Juniors

vs. Seniors?

This is how the challenge works:

During the Challenge, keep track of the

amount of time you are physically active.

To do this, go to

http://startwalkingnow.org.

Click the link: Register and enter your

information.

When you get to the “Company” field click on

search for EPC Schools.

You will need to enter your school district

name in the Dept/Team field for us to capture

the activities for each person performs.

(NOTE: Do not enter your school building – it

must be the district’s name. Example –

Northridge, Huber Heights, Brookville).

Company zip code – enter 45377.

Under preferences, you MUST click the first opt

-in box to grant access to pull your physical

activity information.

Be sure to track all your activity. All activity

should be included; such as walking, running,

playing golf, mowing your grass, household

chores, swimming, walking the dog.

The six week program consists of:

-30 minutes of activity – 3 days a week for the

first two weeks or a total of 1 ½ hours for each

week.

-45 minutes of activity – 3 days a week

(weeks 3 & 4) or a total of 2 hours 15 minutes

for each week.

-60 minutes of activity – 3 days a week (5&6)

or a total of 3 hours for each week.

If students are participating, they should enter

their district as shown by this example:

NorthridgeS (we then can capture

the students versus employees of the district)

Questions?

Please see your Wellness Coordinator.

So, on your mark, get set and let’s get

physical!

Page 2

It is really inexpensive. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and maybe a buddy to encourage you to continue your workout.

Walking can be a great way to get fit and burn fat, but you need to increase the inten-sity of your walks and switch up your rou-tine throughout the week.

First, walk with intensity. If you alternate short, intense bursts of speed with recovery periods you will burn significantly more calories than walking at a steady rate. The University of Virginia found that women who did three shorter, fast-paced interval walks a week (plus two longer, moderate-paced ones) lost five times more ab flab than those who walked at a moderate speed five days a week.

Next, you can take your routine to the next level by adding a few hill or stair climbing internals. Climbing is a super-effective way to tone legs and sculpt a firmer buttock.

You can amp up your calorie burn by wear-ing a weighted walking vest. This is safer than using hand and ankle weights as the hand and ankle weights can place too

much stress on your joints. The walking vest helps build bone density and condi-tions your core. You can buy a vest with removable weight packets. Personal train-ers recommend that you start with the light-est load, usually 4 pounds and then in-crease the weight by no more than 10% a week.

Walk with your Abs in tight and draw your shoulder blades back. Keep your chin par-allel to the ground and look straight ahead. Use your arms and start pumping your el-bows should be bent at 90 degrees with your arms close to your sides, hands un-clenched. Swing your arms from front to back. You will be pumping your energy for-ward.

Lastly, add strength-training moves into your routine. One way is to use a light-weight resistance band and stop for a few minutes several times and use the band to do moves like biceps curls, rows and tri-ceps kickbacks. You can work with props among your walk doing lunges and squats.

Why Walk?

Some of the hidden benefits of walking:

It improves cholesterol levels. Brisk walking increases your

level of good HDL cholesterol, which can lower your heart-

disease risk.

It protects your bones.

It controls blood sugar.

It’s good for your brain. Brain mass naturally shrinks as we

age, but according to a recent study, walking just 6 miles a

week can help maintain brain size and protect your memory.

It eases back pain.

Brush up to Prevent Heart Disease

An Take good care of your teeth, and you may also be taking good care of your heart. A num-ber of recent studies have revealed a link be-tween periodontal (gum) disease and heart dis-ease.

Gum disease can occur without any evident warning signs and is often painless, but several indicators can signal the disease. Talk to your dentist if you notice any of these indicators:

Gums that bleed easily

Red, swollen, tender gums

Gums that have pulled away from the teeth

Persistent bad breath or bad taste in month

Permanent teeth that are loose or separat-ing

Any change in the way the teeth fit together when biting

Any change in the fit of partial dentures

Page 3

Screening tests can help men stay healthy. Find out which tests you

need based on age, health and risks for other health problems.

Research shows a correlation between gum disease and an increased risk of developing car-diovascular disease. Specifically, researchers found that gun disease plays a role in blood vessel dysfunction, a condition that improves with intensive periodontal treatment (which may include scaling and root planning, locally administered antibiotics and tooth extraction), ac-cording to a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

These studies along with other research, confirms that dental benefits continue to play an im-portant part in maintaining overall health. Regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups are more important than ever for your heart and general wellness. And since heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans, brush up for your heart health!

Health & Wellness Podcast Series Now is a great time for a healthier you.

Healthy Dining In and Out Learn about healthy eating strategies, ways to cook healthy at home and tips for making healthier choices when eating out.

Managing Stress Identify sources of stress, discuss solutions for dealing with stress and practice problem solving techniques.

Overcoming Exercise Barriers Identify and discuss ways to overcome exercise barriers. Discuss personal challenges while making exercise a priority. Review helpful tips to increase activity.

Move to Lose Understand the benefits of physical activity and review common exercise myths. Understand the role of physical activity in weight loss, identify moderate intensity activities and learn how to plan your exercise routine.

Planning Ahead for Healthy Eating Discuss how planning ahead helps you make healthier choices. Discuss healthy meal planning and snacks and review how to read nutrition labels.

Healthy Habits Identify common triggers that lead to unhealthy behaviors and review strategies for healthier habits. Discuss ways to make home and work healthy environments for adoption of healthy habits.

Staying Positive Discuss motivation techniques and positive self talk. Look at progress, set new goals and review components of success.

On Your Way to a Healthy Weight Understand the benefits of weight loss and determine a healthy weight range. Review portion sizes and learn everyday ways to move more. Discuss the importance of tracking and setting realistic and achievable goals.

PodcastsPresented by Trisha Hardy, Regional Director, Health Strategies

Maybe you want to lose a few pounds, build exercise into your daily routine, learn how to relax, or just live a longer, healthier life.

But who has time? Now you do, at a time that works for you.

UnitedHealthcare is pleased to offer a new Health & Wellness podcast series that’s available whenever you are. Access one online today – on your lunch break, before bed, in between appointments, or whenever your busy schedule allows a few minutes for you.

Available 24/7, you can view these podcasts at your convenience.

Best of all, each podcast has “chapters” – you can listen to the full presentation, or simply listen to the sections most important to you.

To view podcasts go to http://go.uhc.com/podcasts/uhc

To download podcasts to your computer, click on the question mark “Tools and Help”, located on the bottom right of the presentation, then select “Download”.

Podcasts are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice or a substitute for

professional health care. Consult an appropriate health care professional for your specific needs and to determine whether

making a lifestyle change based on this information is appropriate for you.

Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare InsuranceCompany or its affiliates. Administrative services

provided by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates.

M48682-A 12/10 Consumer © 2010 United HealthCare Services, Inc.

Women’s Health: Caring for OurselvesPresented by Kathyrn Jackson, Wellness ConsultantLearn about a woman’s top health concerns: Heart, breast and brain health; osteoporosis; menopause; diet; exercise; and managing stress.

Men’s Health: Caring for Ourselves Presented by Jason Lee, Wellness Consultant Learn about a man’s top health concerns: Heart, prostate and brain health; diet; exercise; and managing stress.

Back HealthPresented by Dr. Janet Bruno, Medical DirectorLearn how to keep your back strong, how to address the causes of back pain, and what to do when back pain strikes.

Podcasts continued…

For additional health and wellness information, tools and resources, visit myuhc.com.® Once you are logged in, select “Health & Wellness”.* If you haven’t yet registered with myuhc.com, click “Register Now” and follow the simple steps. It’s quick and easy.

*Some plans may not include access to the Health & Wellness tab on myuhc.com.

UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company