(W)inning the Game of Stress
Stress. Who hasn’t felt it on a daily basis. There is so much going on in each of our lives it becomes overwhelming to think about adding more to our plate. Some of our lives are upside down and spinning out of control. “The Inner Game of Stress” (W. Timothy Gallwey, Edwards S. Hanzelik, M.D. and John Horton, M.D.) explains that chronic stress ” …is caused largely by the way people perceived the events and circumstances of their lives-and not the realities themselves.” Perception is reality. Change the perception and change your stress level.
The big misnomer is that stress happens to us and not something we cannot control. It’s the way in which we internalize and handle events and activities that causing stressful feelings. Do you have control over stress to some degree? Absolutely, 100 %, yes.
Honestly ask yourself these questions to gain an understanding on where you can begin to decrease your stress levels.
- What outcomes or people am I trying to control for my own personal gain or benefit?
- What is controlling me that I could or should be saying “no” to? Will people still “like” me? Yes!
- What are unproductive thoughts of situations, events or “what if’s” that probably won’t come true?
- What are external conflicts that I play over and over in my head or continue to tell others about which revives these feelings?
- What am I yearning for that is causing me to stall my future?
- In my personal circle, who am I associating with that is devaluating me and my future?
- What types of time management tools am I utlitizing to protect myself against time stealers?
- Do I have goals for the future and have a way to reach out to others in the community to help me?
Once we have clarity around these questions we can begin to control our perception of the external factors of our lives. We begin to establish new thought patterns and ways to set boundaries around our priorities in a way which still maintains positive relationships. We look for tools that can help us maintain control.
The only person we have control over is ourselves and what situations we allow ourselves to be in. In addition, we control our attitude and feelings towards others as well as thoughts of the future. Make your perception a positive move towards your priorities. You’ll feel more in control and perceive events and people with less stress. I highly recommend ….
Be healthy and fabulous!
Sandra Larkin, CWPM
Certified Wellness Program Manager
June 11th, 2010 - Posted in ABC's, attitude, emotional, habits, health, stress, workplace wellness | | 0 Comments
Healthy Snacking In The Workplace
Offering healthy snack food alternatives is an easy start to showing your commitment to workplace wellness. Keep records to see that they are actually being used. Make sure the supply is fresh, clean, and attractively presented. If necessary, charge a fair price, but remember that the continued wellness of your employees impacts morale and your bottom line.
Here are some helpful tips and things to keep in mind:
- Read the label! If you can’t pronounce the names of the ingredients inside, chances are it contains chemicals and additives and its best not to eat it.
- Choose snacks that are nutritious and unsweetened. Sugar lowers immune system function for several hours after being eaten.
(Read More) http://alturl.com/c3to
January 18th, 2010 - Posted in health, physical, workplace wellness | | 0 Comments
(U)niversal Things I Recommend
I’ve been getting alot of questions about what I recommend for wellness or just life in general. Like Oprah, here are a few of my favorites things ….
“Healthy Profits: The 5 Elements of Strategic Wellness”by Sandra Larkin and 30 Additional Authors
GREAT resource for individuals to put together a wellness action plan in these five areas simultaneously (physical, emotional, social, intellectual, occupational). Includes assessments and sample plans along with advice from 30 wellness professionals. Also, can be used as a corporate small group plan or given to corporate employees to aid with the new Healthcare Reform which includes workplace wellness. See www.healthyprofitsbook.com
You On A Diet”by Dr. Michael F. Roizen, and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz
Best book I’ve read for telling exactly what goes on in the body and how to move toward positive health.
“Eat This Not That”by David Zinczenko
You see and read about your favorite foods to make better choices. Yum and Yuck all at the same time.
Costco
I LOVE Costco’s organic fruit and vegetables. You don’t have to think about what to buy. Just roll up and LOAD UP!
Prevention Magazine
Best magazine for all around health and wellness along with tips and ways to make wellness stick.
Exercise TV
If you own cable, this is FREE. There are 10 minute to 1 hour exercise videos with variety. I love this! No excuses for lack of time.
Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit
Creative ways to stimulate the mind and body. Can include “teams” of people for a team challenge. Yes!
Silk Soy Milk
I use to turn my nose up at soy milk until I tasted it. This is really good and it’s good for you. I drink about three 8 oz glasses a day. Dairy doesn’t like me so it’s a good move towards health.
Guidepost
The articles are motivating and inspiring. We all need a little of that right about now.
Keeping a food journal.
Yes, this is work AND you will see what you are doing right and where there are gaps to improve. This was very telling for me because I was NOT getting enough calories each day. That’s why I was not losing weight. I would not have known that unless I kept the food journal.
Keeping a time log.
More gunts and groans AND it will help you manage your time and set those needed boundaries. People will steal your time. Don’t let them.
Sandra Larkin, CWPM
Certified Wellness Program Manager
www.sandralarkin.com
www.healthyprofitsbook.com
All rights reserved. Content © 2009 Sandra Larkin Wellness Strategies, LLC
November 1st, 2009 - Posted in ABC's, emotional, health, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, time management | | 1 Comments
(K)now The 5 Areas of Beautiful Strength
I walked into a national sporting goods store and saw a Nike tee shirt with the phase “Strong is the new beautiful”. Up until then, I never thought about beauty or health in that way. With so much media attention paid to an “image” of beauty, we sometimes lose focus on what beauty and strength can be in other life areas. This also apples to men as beauty and health are gaining a greater focus on their side of the fence.
I stopped to think about if I was developing strength in the five areas of strategic wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, social and occupational. Where is my strength in each area? Am I working towards strength? If not, let’s get to the big WHY?
- Are my muscles strong to lift and bend? Are they lean and flexible? Can I stretch and just plain move?
- Have I dusted out the cobwebs of any emotional issues or pain and begin to heal the past hurts?
- Am I doing enough to educate myself by attending free webinar’s, reading, blogging, joining online user groups for support and inspiration and attending professional development classes?
- Then there’s the social aspect with community, friends and family. Have I been reaching out, going out and or just plain being out? With the busyness of the past few months, we tend to hunker in for the long winter.
- Finally, am I planning on reaching my full occupational potential? If yes, what plans do I have to increase my value as an employee and reach new heights in my career?
Our hearts desire can be strong. Each of us will ask our own strength questions to see how heart healthy we’ve become. Beauty follows with confidence, joy, youthful expression and a positive attitude of wealth and happiness.
Be healthy and fabulous!
Sandra
April 22nd, 2009 - Posted in ABC's, Uncategorized, attitude, emotional, health, intellectual, occupational, physical, social | | 0 Comments
(H)abits - The Good, the Bad and the Better
Did you ever say or hear someone say “Hey, that’s just a habit I have.” Normally this is an excuse for our behavior that someone noticed and pitched a hissy fit. Otherwise, we probably would have gotten away with it because it goes un-noticed by us. Each of us determines our own habits. Yet other people use their own measuring stick to “call us out”.
If we look at it from the flip side, habits can also be positive and can dramatically impact our health and well being. They also affect how other people see us which leads them into a our healthy behaviors.
For example,
- brushing and flossing our teeth before we go to bed
- eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day
- taking vitamins
- deliberately taking time to relax and/or meditate
- going to church
- cleaning up our desk at the end of the day
- planning a to-do list
- scheduling preventive screening appointments
- reading one book per month
- returning phone calls and answering emails
- exercising at least 3 times per week
- being on time
- going to the dentist twice a year
- drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day
- being positive and friendly
- balancing our checkbook
- paying our bills on time
- journaling
- taking a nap on the weekend
- getting to bed around the same time each night
If we incorporate one good habit each month, we would have changed 12 behaviors towards health and wellness in one year.
Action Plan
- Make a list of less than desirable habits and another list of habits you would like to adopt over the next 12 months. Use the list above to jog your memory.
- Rank the healthy habits in order.
- From your top 5 new habits, which ones can you move on quickly and which require other people, resources or sometimes money.
- Begin and chart your progress on a blank calendar.
- At the end of the first month, look at your progress and see how far you reached.
- Begin another healthy habit at month two.
The word “habit” gets a bad rap. When we combine the habit with something that is good FOR us then we are on the road to being
- healthy physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, and occupationally
- a mentor and role model for others to start and succeed at change
- positive and energetic
- someone that everyone WANTS to be around
Be healthy and fabulous!
Sandra
September 4th, 2008 - Posted in ABC's, change, habits, health, intellectual, occupational, physical | | 0 Comments
(F)ree! Sign me up!
Everyone loves something for nothing, right! It’s like finding a golden nugget on a beach full of rocks. We hold up our shiny object and make a proclamation of where and how we found it. Then proceed to the checkout line where we cash in our treasure.
In today’s economy, we stretch every dollar to meet the needs of our family. For most wellness professionals, caring for your health and safety is of the utmost importance. So a complimentary offer a.k.a. free helps us on our wellness journey. Wellness professionals would rather meet you on the street healthy than in their office sick with a long road ahead to better health. They provide a “no excuses” way for you to begin a healthy life journey.
Two major questions are …
(1) Where do we find FREE wellness activities to keep healthy and fit?
(2) How do we use these resources to move us to a better place personally and professionally?
Today wellness is all the buzz and all the rage. So it’s easy to find resources to help get us started. Here are a few I highly recommend.
- Local hospital newsletter or website
- These are normally listed as events in their corporate calendars. They range from workshops to seminars with health-care professionals (Doctors, Nurses, Dietitians, Former Patients, Martial Arts Instructors) leading the group discussion. I have attended great hospital lead workshops. Along with dynamic speakers there are also vendors to check out and healthy food.
- Local Fitness Facilities (Franchise and Sole Owners)
- Look for open houses with a full day of group and personal training. You can benefit from the collective knowledge of the team and get great workout tips in the process. Sometimes these open houses will include other health professions with demonstrations such as chiropractors, nutritionist, massage therapist and compliment treatments (reflexology and body work).
- Health Expos or ANY Expo
- Both of these expos usually attract health care professional and health related vendors. If your lucky, the expo coordinator will have mini-seminars during the day. These is a great opportunity to tap into the knowledge of professionals that have your health and safety at the forefront.
- Group Health Care Provider Website
- Your health care provider may have a wellness portal specifically for your organization. This includes tons of information on getting and staying healthy. Ask your Human Resources department how this works with your group health care provider. In addition, some offer free services on-site. Check it out!
- Internet Wellness Sites
- There are hundreds of websites and blogs specifically for health and productivity. I recommend checking a handful out then picking a few as favorites. We could spend days choosing “the best one” when a few great ones will do. Pick different sites for your different needs. For example, if your having relationship issues, choose a site specifically for improving relationships. Or, if your experiencing a challenge with stress, move to a site dedicated to stress management or one that supports a hobby you LOVE.
- Not for profit website and events.
- Not for profits such as the American Cancer Society list events they will be attending. Take advantage of their superior knowledge of prevention to include in your wellness journey. Also, they are a wealth of physical information such as brochures for you and your organization. There may be an opportunity to have them participate in your organizations wellness fair or wellness work day events.
So …. how do we use these resources to move us to a better place personally and professionally? Great question!
When I worked at my corporate jobs, I planned my month to include one or more of these resources. It became a part of my social calendar which, at times, included my family. It became an event which led all of us to an increase awareness of wellness and safety. YES, it took time to find them. YES, it took time to attend. And, YES, it took time to implement them. But the alternative is what I was trying to avoid … being sick. It becomes a matter of priorities. Another subject we need to discuss. In the end, I empowered myself to stay focused and productive leading me to be a better person, mother, wife, daughter and …. employee. Everyone benefited.
I am happy to say that, as of this post, my daughter is becoming a pharmacist. I wonder how much of this exposure contributed to her decision to go into the wellness field. Yup, she was kicking and screaming at the time, but in the end she was healthy both physically and mentally. Now, she is moving on to help others feel the same way too. A benefit I did not foresee.
In a “golden nutshell”, here’s whats next.
(1) Check out the free events in your community.
(2) Get out your calendar for the month and plan to attend with your family. Make it a family wellness day which includes other activities your family loves.
(3) Prioritize your health for the long term by being proactive. Implement, implement, implement what you have learned.
(4) Teach others to do the same! Pass it on!
Be healthy and fabulous!
Sandra
May 9th, 2008 - Posted in ABC's, health, physical | | 0 Comments
26 Days of Workplace Wellness
There are a variety of ways that we can impact our own workplace health in the areas of social, intellectual, physical, emotional and occupational health. I am dedicating the next 26 post to give insight into your personal “ABC Workplace Wellness Plan” (TM)
Enjoy!
January 10th, 2008 - Posted in health | | 4 Comments
