FEATURES

Health 2

That’s Awesome!

Step Up Your Health with a Walking Program

Calmer, Happier, Healthier: The Benefits of Music

Nutrition & Fitness 3

Recipe

Ask the Health Coach

Fit Tip

Healthy U! 4

Working~Well Testimonials

Kickstart Your Heart- Spring 2016 Winners

FITBIT Challenge Winners

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This newsletter is provided by Arizona School Board Association Insurance Trust, ASBAIT

WELL~CONNECTEDSummer 2016

Insurance Trust

We live in a society that is filled with tasks and short on time. Sure, our intentions are good. We know what we should be doing to take care of ourselves: eating healthy, exercising regularly and sleeping soundly, to name a few. However, the distraction of life gets in the way. “Crammed” calendars devour our time, devices demand our attention and the convenience of low cost, fast foods overrule healthy, home-cooked meals. That elusive “healthy lifestyle” is harder and harder to achieve because, at nearly every turn, it’s the unhealthiest choice that’s the easiest. As chronic pain, diabetes, and stress-related health problems skyrocket, unhealthy habits are taking a serious toll.

Some of us are stuck in a rut of perpetual unhealthy, negative habits. The good news is, we can just as easily create positive habits - they just need our attention. The key is consistently taking small steps toward that goal.

Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words,your words become your actions, your actions become your habits,your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.

– Muhatma Gandhi

Change Your Environment by Creating Small, Sustainable Habits

Take small steps toward changing your environment:

1. Identify a goal, what do you want to improve?

2. Create a small habit - ridiculously tiny.

3. Find something in your routine that you do without fail and place your small habit after it.

4. Set reminders and do the small habit as part of your routine every day until it becomes second nature.

Calmer, Happier, Healthier: The Benefits of Music

Most people have a favorite band. But did you know listening to it can be good for you? The type and tempo of the music you choose may affect the health of your heart, your stress level, and your motivation to exercise. Music may do more than justentertain you!

Cardiovascular health:it’s all in the beats.Research cardiologist Dr. Mike Miller recently studied the relationship between music and the cardiovascular system. Using high-tech imaging, he found that when study participants listened to music they liked, it helped them relax. This caused the inner linings of their blood vessels to open, helping to improve blood flow and release cardio-protective chemicals. “[The right music] gives us an overall feeling ofwell-being—a sense of euphoria, in some cases,” said Dr. Miller. This can help counter the negative effects of stress, especially on the cardiovascular system.

Selecting the right type of music can be very important. When participants listened to music they did not like, it had the opposite effect—their blood vessels constricted, increasing their level of stress.

Let the rhythm move you.Choosing the right music can also influence your workout. Researchers at the University of Ghent in Belgium recently studied the effects of different types of music on the way people walk. They learned that people naturally synchronize their speed to the tempo of the music they’re listening to: faster, “techno”-style music caused study participants to walk faster, while slower, jazz-style music caused them to slow down.When choosing a playlist for your workout, you may find motivation to move with faster-paced, upbeat music. If you’re looking to relax, you’ll want to go with something more soothing.

2 Health

We frequently connect awe with awesome, but in digging deeper, we find that awe can be found in pleasurable and heartbreaking experiences. The power of the event stops us in our tracks, shakes our beliefs and maybe sets us on a new course. This is the important impact of awe in our happiness, purpose and life.

In a study led by Paul Piff, PhD, from University of California, Irvine, researchers acknowledged that awe pushes our understanding of the world. We frequently think of the big things like powerful storms or maybe the Grand Canyon, but awe can be found even in the smallest of things. Have you ever been moved by a song, painting or an act of kindness? Yes or no, this ability to feel awe can be developed to get more out of life.

It begins with being aware and stepping off the hedonic treadmill. To feel awe, you must open your eyes and challenge your boundaries. Mindfulness and gratitude are great ways to build awareness and appreciation of what is happening around us. After all, how can you be awed if you are distracted and numb by the mundane? Turn off the TV; put your phone away and go offline; watch the sun rise; gaze at the stars; visit a museum; or imagine life without a modern convenience. Allow those goose bumps to develop when you feel small. It’s okay to feel alone; it will motivate you to connect with others and be awed.

Step Up Your Health with a Walking Program

Walking or doing other moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day can help you:

• Reduce your risk of many health conditions, including heart disease, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer, and diabetes

• Improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels• Lower your risk of obesity • Enhance your mental well being

Five steps to start your walking program

1. Start simple. Go for a 10-minute walk. Add 5-minutes to your routine until you reach your desired time.

2. Start with a five-minute warm up and end with a 5-minute cool down. Gently stretch after your cool down to reduce your risk of injury.

3. Build up your endurance. Once you’ve built up your time, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity 5 days a week.

4. You don’t have to do it all at once! Three 10-minute sessions is the same as one 30-minute session.

5. For weight loss, aim for 60 to 90 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.

Do you have a health condition and want to make a change to your lifestyle?

Your Nurse Health Coaching program is available at no cost to you through your health benefits. Your nurse can provide support for your condition and general health guidance if you have:

Call 1.888.610.0089 to enroll!

• Chronic kidney disease• Congestive heart failure• Coronary artery disease• High blood pressure

• Asthma • COPD • Chronic pain • Diabetes • High cholesterol

That’s Awesome!

Prep time Cook time Oven Temp Serves 10 mins 45-60 mins 400° 4

Ingredients4 cups brussels sprouts, halved1 large sweet potato, chopped into 1/2” chunks3 tablespoon olive oil1 teaspoon garlic powder1/2 teaspoon ground cuminPinch of allspice3/4 teaspoon sea salt, to tastechopped pecans, to tastefeta cheese, to taste1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Nutrition and Fitness3

Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and a lot more rewarding.

-Harvey MacKay

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Sweet Potatoes

Instructions1. Preheat oven to 400°F.2. Add the brussels sprouts, sweet potato, olive oil,

garlic powder, cumin, allspice, and sea salt to a small casserole dish. Toss to coat everything.

3. Bake 45-60 minutes, stirring halfway through, until veggies are golden brown and cooked through.

4. In a small saucepan, heat the balsamic vinegar over medium-high heat, and bring to a full boil. Cook at a full, controlled boil, stirring frequently, until vinegar is reduced by 1/2 of it’s original volume. (About 5 minutes)

5. Top veggies with pecans and feta, then drizzle balsamic reduction over the top.

6. Salt and balsamic vinegar to taste.

Potentiallyreduce risk of

heart disease and certain cancers.

Strawberries are low in calories and high in vitamins C, B6, fiber, folic acid, potassium,

and amino acids.

Make your berries last! Don’t cut or rinse strawberries under water until

you’re ready to eat them- it speeds up

spoiling.

Strawberries can increase blood

flow and oxygen to the muscles due to the high levels of nitrate they contain.

Inside out.Strawberries are the only fruit that wear their seeds

on the outside. The average berry has over 200 seeds!

Ask the Health Coach

Q: I am 45 years old and cannot afford to eat healthy and I certainly don’t have the time, but my problem is that my good cholesterol is low, my bad cholesterol is high and I have a high glucose reading. My doctor says I have to change my ways.

A: It’s often very difficult to change a habit because someone else thinks you should. The only way many of us are able to lead healthier lives is by focusing on what motivates us. Rather than dwelling on how much it costs to eat healthy or how much time it takes to take better care of yourself, you may want to make a list of the reasons why changing your ways may be worthwhile. What questions could you ask yourself that would really motivate you? Do you want to enjoy good health the rest of your life? Do you want to create good habits and set a good example for your children? Do you want to be alive and enjoy playing with your grandchildren? When you get into your 70’s or 80’s how do you want your life to be? Answering these types of questions may give you the motivation to “change your ways”.

Good Luck!

The Health Coach

FIT TIP:Strawberry

101

4 Healthy U!

We welcome your input. Please e-mail all comments and suggestions about this newsletter to well-connected@edwardsrisk.com. All information in this publication is meant to complement the advice & guidance of your physician and/or safety professional, not replace

it. © Edwards Risk Management, Inc. 2016

Congratulations FITBIT Challenge WinnersFebruary

Shanessa Tovar - Fowler EDMarch

James Irvine- Alhambra ED

Find out what others are saying about the ASBAIT Working~Well Program...

I learned some interesting information that I feel will help me now and in the future. I like this program very much. - Pima USD

What an awesome job of making the wellness materials available electronically! -Pine Strawberry ED

We had the largest participation ever this time because it was something different and fun. Thanks for helping us all lead better quality lives with the information you share. -Pendergast ED

Super program - really motivates me to think about my health and change my behavior. Thank you for doing this! It’s very helpful for me to think outside of my students about what I am doing for myself. -Amphitheater USD

I enjoy reading those articles! -San Carlos USD

Madison ED Softball Champion photo courtesey of Lilly Lopez

Spring 2016 Winners

Participant Awards Agua Fria UHSD Alhambra ESD Heather Hoover Edith Mojica Cartwright ED Holbrook UD Irma Ramos David Wright Liberty ES Marana UD Kris Vanica Cyndil Smith Mary C. O’Brien AD Mohave CC Donna Elliott Kim Matie

Coordinator Awards Outstanding Performance

Continental ED Fowler ED Cristina Alonso Gabrielle Watson Ervin Hernandez

Vivacious Vocalist Colorado River UHSD Kingman USD Sheila Gingrich Jill Moon Anne Bathauer

Wellness Campaign ASBAIT Spring 2016

Did you Know?Fast food isn’t new! The remains of fast food shops have been found in ancient ruins. It is believed ancient Greeks and Romans enjoyed take-out, although undoubtedly a much healthier version than todays. There is a known inscription that indicates one man owned over ten “franchises” in Pompeii alone! The only thing that is new is the mass production, standard menus, and recipes of fast food “chains”.