December, 10th, 2015

Good Day

Well here we are on the countdown to the holidays! I hope you are enjoying the fun and

festivities of the season but staying ever mindful of those who are less fortunate than us.

There are many organizations near and far that need our help, not only at this time of year but

all year long as well….take a look and see how you give back as an organization or as

individuals.

This year, why not Enjoy the Joy of Giving Back!

http://www.londonfoodbank.ca/how-to-help/

http://missionservices.ca/volunteer/

http://www.salvationarmy.ca

or find a charity that is important to you…..

http://www.charity-charities.org/Canada-charities/London-ON.html

http://www.projecthope.org/

Best Wishes for Peace and Joy this Holiday Season

and a New Year of Health, Happiness and Prosperity!

FYI…

Some of you receiving these newsletters are health care professionals… such as

nurses in various sectors and roles, lab and x’ray techs and dental professionals

etc. Some of you are fitness trainers, child care providers and teachers etc. Many

are administrative assistants and human resource professionals, but….No matter

what your job title or designation, all of you are responsible for the health and

wellbeing of yourself and possibly your coworkers on some level… this is why you

are receiving this newsletter and have expressed a keen interest in workplace

health and wellbeing for your organization!

DID you KNOW? There is a section of the MLHU web-site where you can get

regular updates on all sorts of different health care concerns, subjects and

general information notices.

You can access this section of the web-site here...

http://www.healthunit.com/alerts-updates-for-health-professionals

You will find a list of topic areas on the left hand side of the page that will have

relevance for you and for the employees in your workplace. You can see the

regular updates on the hot topics of the month across the middle of the page.

Much of the information in this section is specifically targeted to physicians but

you are welcome to read it, use it and share it as you see fit….Please send me an

email if you have any questions or concerns.

You are invited!

On Saturday December 12, 2015, Middlesex County Library, in partnership with the Komoka YMCA and Middlesex Centre, will be hosting an event to launch The Healthy Kids Community Challenge for Middlesex County. The event will run from 1 to 3 p.m. at Middlesex Centre Wellness & Recreation Complex, 1 Tunks Lane, Komoka. The theme is “Give the Gift of Physical Literacy”, and to celebrate, We are Going on a Bear Hunt! Families will visit four stations, all built around the book “We are Going on a Bear Hunt”!

· Family Story Time – in the gym, our guest speaker, Cody Deaner (Chris Gray), will engage families in reading Going on a Bear Hunt while combining movement. Chris Gray, whose stage

name is Cody Deaner, and is a resident of Parkhill, has wrestled in front of millions of people on television for the WWE and Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling.

· Craft – children will be invited to design a craft built around the Bear Hunt theme and that

encourages active play · Obstacle Course – families will be invited to Follow that Bear! through an obstacle course

around the playground · Free Play – in the gym, families are invited to run, throw, catch, balance, kick and, jump –

movements that need to be explored daily to support the development of skills essential to physical literacy.

There will also be a “make your own skipping rope” station (thanks to the Music Spot www.the-musicspot.com), door prizes and giveaways. The first 250 children registered will receive a free copy of the book ‘We are Going on a Bear Hunt’. All children go home with their craft, and the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Pledge to Play Outdoors Everyday Calendar, to celebrate the first Challenge theme of “Run. Jump. Play. Everyday.”

To register…. go to www.middlesex.ca/healthy-kids-community-challenge and click on the HKCC

Launch Event icon. Or you can go directly to http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/give-the-gift-of-physical-

literacy-county-of-middlesex-healthy-kids-community-challenge-launch-event-tickets-19596526739

Please note that we are asking that you register children under the Child Option so that we can monitor how many children are attending and the age range we are expecting. Please bring your Child tickets with you in order to get the free book. Adults register under the Adult Option. Nadine Devin, RD, MHSc. Project Manager, Healthy Kids Community Challenge for Middlesex County Middlesex County Library, 34 B Frank Street, Strathroy, ON N7G 2R4 T 519.245.8237 ext. 4023 | F 519.245.8238 | ndevin@middlesex.ca | hkcc.middlesex.ca

The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards

- recognize individual volunteers for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to an organization.

Adults are recognized for five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30+, 40+, 50+ and 60+ years of continuous services. Youth (under the age of 24) are recognized for two or more years of continuous service. You may nominate up to 9 volunteers (of which a maximum of 6 nominees can be adults). The nomination form is simple to complete. The volunteer(s) you nominate will be invited to a local award ceremony in Spring 2016. Nominations for the 2016 ceremonies are due January 25, 2016. For further information and the nomination form, please go to: http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/vsa.shtml

If you have any questions contact Jo-Ann Hutchison Regional Advisor, Regional Services Branch Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration & International Trade Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport Ph: 519-873-4519 or 1-800-265-4730 Fax: 519-873-4061 Email: jo-ann.hutchison@ontario.ca

www.citizenship.gov.on.ca. www.mtc.gov.on.ca www.grants.gov.on.ca

Hosting a party over the holidays? There are steps you can take as a host to reduce your alcohol related risk: http://www.healthunit.com/planning-a-party

Holiday party season is upon us!

Show your style. Be an #underdrinker. www.underdrinker.ca

Mindful, Eating for the Holidays - Harvard Health Beat – Nov 24th

Wynne Armand, MD, Contributing Editor

Leftover Halloween candy, Marathon Thanksgiving meals, Up-for-grabs office chocolates, One holiday party followed by another…and another.

Whether you want to avoid overeating and gaining those extra pounds, you need to control your blood sugar (for example, if you have diabetes), or you simply wish to consume only what your body requires, the holiday season can make that goal challenging.

But mindful eating might help you reach it. Read, 10 tips for mindful eating — just in time for the holidays

No excuses!: How to layer up for walking in cold weather

“It’s too cold.” “It’s too hot.” “It’s raining.” Weather-related excuses are some of the most common reasons

that walkers don’t walk. But with the right clothing and preparation, almost any type of weather can be

walking weather.

A key to staying warm when you’re walking in cold temperatures is to stay dry — and that’s exactly what

layering helps you do. By removing layers as you warm up, you’ll avoid excessive sweating which can

cause you to become chilled; especially later in your walk. Then you can replace layers as you cool down

to remain warm. http://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/no-excuses-how-to-layer-up-for-

walking-in-the-winter?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MIR20151130-

November

Quick video – What can you do to get through a crap week?

By Dr. Mike Evans - Take a look! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_X0K4ZrvFQ

Effective Managers – Dwight Mihalicz http://www.effectivemanagers.com/ The Single Most Important Requirement for Managerial Success

Are you a competent manager? What skills do you need for success? leadership?

management? facilitation? communication? negotiation? innovation? arbitration? coaching?

supporting?

I would say you need all of these. Plus a lot more besides. But these in and of themselves are

not sufficient! Here is the starting point: there is one fundamental aspect that you, as a

manager, must focus in on to be successful as a manager.

Your success as a manager requires that you have a high performing team. Keep

Reading

Are You Empowering Your Employees? Or are you Abdicating your

Managerial Authority

Employees should be empowered to make decisions. This is absolutely true, so why is it

number four on our list of “The Top 12 Fallacies That Get In The Way of Organizational

Performance?” All too often, managers misinterpret what empowering your employees means

and go too far, by actually abdicating their managerial accountability and authority.

Empowering your employees to make decisions is not the same thing as leaving them

entirely to their own devices with no direction. Keep Reading

Successful Managers Vs. Effective Managers

There are a multitude of books available on the topic of managerial success. The literature

discusses how to measure and predict success, the motivation behind success, even the pitfalls

of success. Success, however, does not necessarily equate to effectiveness. This is where a

discussion comparing successful managers to effective managers may be useful.

Success And Effectiveness Are Not Interchangeable Keep Reading

Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre - December 2015

Updated child car sear installation videos The Ministry of Transportation has recently updated its child car seat installation videos. Watch and share at: www.ontario.ca/carseats

Injury Risk and Recovery among Shift Workers

The Institute for Work and Health has released a video discussing some of their research findings related to shift work and injury risk. Key findings:

Those working night shifts are about twice as likely to be injured as those working days. The risk increases even more for women working rotating shifts.

Workers who switched from shifts to regular daytime hours were more likely to be injured on the job than those who consistently worked daytime hours. Similar results were seen for those switching from a regular daytime working schedule into shift work.

For women, their injury risk remained increased even 5 years after changing to shift work. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSTN0twNeP8 Read more on this topic from IWH: http://www.iwh.on.ca/topics/shift-work

Stephanie Cowle Health Promotion Coordinator, Data & Knowledge Exchange 647-776-5130 Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre

www.oninjuryresources.ca

TakeYourBreak from Workplace Strategies for Mental Health.

Plan a healthy meal

How to take this break - If you enjoy cooking or looking at recipes, using your break time to plan nutritional meals can be a healthy stress reliever with physical benefits as well. Your break time planning can also equip you with a shopping list for on the way home to help reduce the stress of last-minute meal planning. You can also think about whom you can delegate the shopping or food preparation to and call them or send an email.

Why this counts - Calming Planning meals for the week can help ensure you are eating healthy meals at work and at home, and can potentially provide you with a calming break activity as you refocus your attention.

Ideas for this activity were contributed by Andrea Hamblin, Director - EAP Account Management, Morneau Shepell

Team stretch

How to take this break Get your team members to contribute to a stretching "pot" by donating resistance bands, hands and ankle weights, and yoga mats. Find a place where you can stretch together in the office, a meeting room or possibly an outside green space.

Why this counts - Relaxing Regular stretch breaks can help to reduce tension and energize you for the rest of the day.

Ideas for this activity were contributed by Sandy Richardson, Public Health Nurse, Middlesex London Health Unit; Katie Cino, Health Promoter, Niagara Public Health; Andrea Hamblin, Director - EAP Account Management, Morneau Shepell.

Go to Workplace Strategies for Mental Health for more ideas, tools and resources to help with the prevention, intervention and management of workplace mental health issues.

TakeYourBreak activities should be approved by your employer/leader prior to initiating them. TakeYourBreak activities are provided for general information only and are not intended to be a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your physician or appropriate health care provider with respect to your particular circumstances.

2016 Bellwood Education Seminar Schedule Now Available

Join us for a complimentary Bellwood Education Seminar. You will receive valuable education, tools, and insight about addiction and treatment resources, and learn how Bellwood can help you find solutions for your clients or employees. You will learn about:

Addiction and the recovery process

The role of the family in treatment, and the importance of family support programs

How employers can assist in the recovery of an employee struggling with an addiction

The role of proper nutrition and healthy eating patterns in addiction treatment and recovery

Bellwood’s 3-Phase Treatment Model, including assessment, treatment, aftercare and relapse prevention

Bellwood's treatment options, approach and success rates

Also:

Experience a Bellwood alumni testimonial

Meet Bellwood's multi-disciplinary team of addiction experts and tour the facility

Enjoy a complimentary lunch

Register for one of the 2016 seminars and learn how you can help your client or employee recover from addiction. Wednesday, March 2 Thursday, May 12 Wednesday, September 28 Thursday, December 1 For More Information or to Register: Telephone: (416) 847-0752 or (800) 387-6198 EXT 302 Email: bellwood@bellwood.ca

5 tips to get the most out of employees' annual evaluations

Dear reader, Performance reviews are meant to develop employees to the best of their potential and address problem behaviors in a way that is constructive and professional. But how do you handle a performance review that involves some news employees won't necessarily welcome?... Start the new year off right by conducting employee evaluations that motivate your staff members to do their best work. Download 5 Tips to Get the Most of Employees' Annual Evaluations to show you how.

Mistakes managers make when conducting interviews

When managers conduct job interviews, they have to walk a very fine line. They have to be polite, but assertive. They have to listen well, but always be thinking about the next question. They have to probe beyond those stock answers, and they must be aware of the illegal questions out there too. Business Management Daily's Pat DiDomenico describes the five most common mistakes managers make when conducting interviews. Read More

FREE resources and recipes from EatRight Ontario - just in time for the Holidays!

Feature Resource: Food Choices When Money is Tight Kit

EatRight Ontario has handouts and eating guidelines on a variety of topics. This month we are featuring our Food Choices When Money is Tight Kit. This kit is a series of 12 factsheets developed by EatRight Ontario that provides shopping, meal planning, and healthy eating advice especially for Ontarians who have a limited budget. This resource was developed for community health professionals to use with clients and is intended to be used as a master copy to photocopy for distribution. Order your copy for FREE. Call 1-877-510-5102 to get this resource mailed to you.

Do you know a doctor, teacher, nurse, pharmacist or other health professional that would like to receive free client handouts? Encourage them to sign up for eNews at eatrightontario.ca/newsletter or forward them this email to learn more.

Hot Topic: EatRight Ontario's Top Ten Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Weight gain is a common issue during the holidays and avoiding weight gain during this time can be a challenge. Here are EatRight Ontario’s top tips to enjoying a healthy and happy holiday season:

If you are hosting a holiday party, offer some healthy food options. A fruit tray or a vegetable tray with healthy dips made with yogurt, low fat salad dressing or mayonnaise are good choices.

Eat a small, healthy snack before a holiday party to help prevent you from overeating when you get to the party.

Pick one favourite holiday treat during a party that you will really enjoy. If you drink alcohol enjoy it in moderation and choose lower calorie drinks such as

light beer or wine spritzers. Try alternating lower calorie non-alcoholic drinks with alcoholic drinks.

Eat breakfast every day. Eating a balanced breakfast can decrease the amount of food you eat later in the day.

When eating out, choose foods that are steamed, baked, broiled, roasted, or poached. Select meat, fish, poultry or vegetables prepared with lemon, tomato and herbs instead of butter, rich sauces or gravy.

Take a walk outdoors with family and friends after dinner.

All of our website articles are now print-friendly! Here are some resources you can print off and share with your coworkers: Happy Healthy Holidays 10 Tips for a Delicious and Healthy Holiday Season Holiday Eating for a Healthy Waist Holiday Food Safety

Recipes of the Month

Are you having a cookie exchange or potluck with your co-workers? Try some of these healthier recipes to share with the group. Asian cucumber and pork bundles – A simple recipe that will impress your guests.

Vegetable Quinoa Salad – This salad makes a change from the traditional green salad. Ontario Squash Dip - Serve with pitas, flatbread or your favourite dipping bread. Holiday punch – A festive and refreshing beverages with less calories and sugar.

More recipes

Whole-wheat orange ginger scones – These scones taste delicious and are easy to make. Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin Squares – These squares are great for dessert or brunch. Mmmuesli cookies – Muesli cereal cookies made

with a dash of vanilla. Banana muffins two ways – Traditional banana muffins with a twist. Soft oatmeal raisin delights – A healthier cookie made with oats, raisins and almonds.

About EatRight Ontario EatRight Ontario provides free healthy eating advice from Registered Dietitians to residents of Ontario.

Call 1-877-510-510-2 or visit www.eatrightontario.ca

Accepting Yourself and Elevating Others www.leadershipcenter.osu.edu

From: Roberts, R. (2012). The well-balanced leader: interactive learning techniques to help you master the 9 simple behaviors of

outstanding leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill.

"Those who manage others best are secure in themselves. They don't need to denigrate others to compensate for their own self-loathing. They are not driven by feelings of insecurity, inferiority, fear, or inadequacy but by helping others to achieve greatness. By working continuously to elevate and add value to others, these managers rise above and translate their own ego needs into the energy to help others.

Managers who are not conscious of their true motivations frequently use being judgmental to control situations. They shape and even manipulate information and people to get their own way, deluding themselves into thinking that their self-elevating, critical words and behaviors are best for everyone else. They put others down to inflate themselves, without even realizing it (p. 34-35)."

See the latest edition of South West Cancer News Link, here….

http://www.southwestcancer.ca/sites/swrcpweb.lhsc.on.ca/files/Fall_2015_web.pdf

Falls from Ladders among Ontario Adults - December 2015 Compass

The Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre is pleased to present the new edition of Ontario

Injury Compass - Falls from Ladders among Ontario Adults. This edition presents 2014/15

Ontario injury data for falls from ladders, with a focus on adults aged 45-64.

This issue of the Compass and all past editions are available on the OIPRC

website: www.oninjuryresources.ca/compass

Did you attend the May 27th workshop featuring Dr. Graham Lowe in Stratford

Ontario?

If so, a link to a Fluid Survey was sent to you last Friday asking you some follow-up questions related to

your learnings from the workshop. As Public Health professionals we are committed to providing you

with the very best, up to date, relevant and useful resources and educational opportunities we can.

You can help us by completing the survey so we can discover what resources and information you

found best met your needs. We are always planning for the future too so we wanted to take this

opportunity to announce the date and location of our next educational workshop - Wednesday May

11th, at the Bradley Convention Centre, Chatham Ontario.

I cannot tell you who will be speaking just yet, but suffice it to say, she is an leader in the field of

building healthier workplaces, is a sought after expert, consultant and speaker and has new research,

resources and information you need!

We will reveal her name and the topic early in 2016 so stay tuned to the e-updates and reserve May

11th in your calendar...you won’t want to miss it!

Thank you for being part of our Health at Work 4 All! network!

I look forward to working with you in 2016 and beyond!

Please note: This will be the last newsletter for 2015. The next one will arrive in your inbox on January 7th, 2016.

However, if you need any resources or have a question, please send me a message up until Dec 24th. After this date, I will respond when I arrive back from vacation…

I will be off work to celebrate the holidays with my family from noon on Dec 24th until Monday January 4th

Sandy Richardson R.N. B.Sc.N. CCHN (c) Public Health Nurse Health at Work 4 All! program lead Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention Team Middlesex London Health Unit 50 King Street, London Ontario N6A 5L7 Tel: (519) 663-5317 ext. 2412 Fax: (519) 663-9276

Email sandy.richardson@mlhu.on.ca

www.healthunit.com/workplace-health