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February Employee Wellness Newsletter - Thrive in 2025 & Reclaim Health & Harmony!

Posted January 28, 2025, 10:30 AM. Updated February 14, 2025, 12:29 PM.

The rematch & redemption, discover the art of thrifting, mindful movement for a thriving heart, APS wellness programs to help you thrive, and more wellness trends in the news

picture of a person on a mountain top

Wellness Wire - The Rematch & Redemption

When it comes to the Super Bowl, I don’t pick sides; I just like to watch a really good game. Sunday night’s event wasn’t that. Actually, by the third quarter, I kind of felt bad for the Chiefs.

Aside from it being “The Super Bowl,” this was a highly anticipated rematch between two excellent teams. If you recall, the 2023 showdown was an epic game. There were back-and-forth big plays, and both teams gutted it out until the very end. It was in the last eight seconds of a tied game that the Chiefs pulled off a 3-point field goal. Considering what the Super Bowl means to players (and fans), the Eagles were understandably devastated.

I am sure the coaches and players spent many a sleepless night replaying that game and asking, “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺?” Some may have had self-defeating, punishing thoughts about the role they played - 𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. It would only be natural to think that way.

After a significant loss -whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a job, a failed marriage, or a project gone bad, we might spend sleepless nights questioning the same, “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺?” “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?” Emotionally chastising ourselves, thinking that somehow we could have been better.

Our tendency might be to fold and cave into the anguish, disappointment, and hurt.

We might not want to show up, gut it out again, or put our hearts on the line. 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴.

But what I saw on display Sunday from the Eagles was 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Redemption has multiple meanings, including the act of atoning for a mistake, being rescued, the act, process, or an instance of redeeming.

I can picture them working together daily since that 2023 letdown, waiting for another chance to repair the chasm left by loss. If you watched the game, you saw the Eagles' defense crush play after play. Every snap was anticipated and aggressively shut down. Interceptions left the Offense in great field positions. They simply dominated the game. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.

How many losses have you had, and the thought of getting up the next day and starting over seemed daunting, hopeless, even impossible?

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Still, others may struggle with the process.

We all have losses—devastation—and the thought of a rematch—a do-over—and the opportunity for redemption could be months—years away. But our will to persist, atone, and rescue ourselves is stronger than a singular defeat. It’s kind of interesting when you think of the human condition. We are survivors. We innately want to win, feel the success of our hard work, share that with loved ones, and thrive in life - 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 s𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺.

What success and thriving look like is very different for everyone. But when we're left with conflicting feelings from life disappointments and thoughts of powerlessness to change them, over time, our well-being takes a brutal blow - something akin to the Eagle's defensive line. Eventually, we might lose hope and motivation and stop trying. 

The Eagles played with hope and heart to reclaim what they had lost in the last few seconds of the game two years prior. To achieve that, two things had to happen: They had to forgive and take action every day.  And we can, too.

We can not have redemption - or even hope for a rematch - without forgiveness of the past and taking action in the present. That, in and of itself, is redeeming. 

This takes small, consistent steps in the right direction. Sometimes, we need coaching and support to help us get there, which is available through APS EAP services and APS Employee Wellness health coaching programs (keep scrolling below).

My encouragement to you is this: Every day is a rematch opportunity—a chance for redemption—to come back, make up for past mistakes, reclaim health, and live in harmony. This beautiful opportunity we call "Life"  is in motion and growth.  After all, that is what our #Thrivein2025—Reclaiming Health and Harmony initiative is all about!

Feb. 4 Wellness Wire: The Art of Thrifting

Thrive in 2025  - Mindful Movement for a Thriving Heart

 Graphic with the thrive in 2025 short calendar and thriving heart graphic. February is mindful movement for a thriving heart.

Have you ever considered how many phrases we use with the word “heart”? The heart of the matter, that hurts my heart, heart of gold, heart of stone, a heavy heart, change of heart, eat your heart out, their heart is in the right place, cross my heart, bless your heart, in a heartbeat…and so many more.

 We use it in reference to almost every emotional situation in the book.

It’s American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US.  Across race, ethnicities, and genders, it’s numero uno. That hurts my heart, considering it is 80% preventable.

This amazing muscle, operating off internal, self-generated electrical impulses, beats over 100,000 times a day. Yet, unlike other muscles in our body that are susceptible to injury from overuse due to physical exercise, we rarely over-exercise our hearts. 

In fact, it's the lack of movement in our increasingly sedentary lives that inversely taxes our hearts, leading to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and some cancers, as well as the unseen, many times undiagnosed, mental health struggles that can be alleviated through a bit of mindful movement. 

It’s usually the emotional toll of life that breaks our hearts.  Stress, anger, trauma, depression, anxiety, fatigue from lack of sleep or worry, and the subsequential behaviors from those emotions are what lead to heart disease.

This is the year we're going to reclaim our heart health - mentally, spiritually, and physically.

This is the year we are going to Thrive in 2025!

This is a yearlong program that offers flexibility to participate in various activity challenges, nutrition resets, education, short videos, and wellness journeys. 

  • The year is structured into four quarters for the wellsprings of "energy management". 
  • Activities and challenges will center around physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. 
  • Everything is hosted on the Wellness at Work well-being platform and information will be duplicated on the APS Employee Wellness event calendar. 

Q1 Jan-March - Physical Energy Wellspring  

We kicked off January with a nutrition reset. The reason we started the year with a nutrition reset is because there isn't any other activity we do daily that affects our physical, mental, and emotional energy and well-being than what we eat and drink. It is the main cause of all preventable chronic diseases that affect 70% of our population and drive 90% of healthcare costs.

We continue with movement because our hearts can't thrive - in any way - without the life-giving blood pumping from our hearts throughout the body. When we move, we release stress by buffering out cortisol and spreading the 'happy' hormone - dopamine. Flooding our body with these endorphins elevates mood, motivation, and heart health.

So, this can be your year to finally do it - to Thrive in 2025! There are multiple ways to participate (even if you just read the calendar entries). All information is in the APS Employee Wellness event calendar and on Wellness at Work. The focus activities/challenges are listed in the calendar, and invites are sent out through Wellness at Work(The APS well-being incentive platform - see instructions below.)

February Focus - Mindful Movement

  • Feb. 3-8: Make it easy with NEAT activity
  • Feb. 9-15: Joyful movement for mental health
  • Feb. 16-22: Fit in strength for longevity and injury prevention (yes - you can!)
  • Feb. 23-March 1: You take my breath away! How to get the heart pumping for any fitness level.

Simple steps to participate: 

If you haven't already done so, join the Wellness at Work wellness incentive platform. 

  1. Join the APS Employee Wellness "group". (Click "social" and browse "groups," find the APS Employee Wellness group, and join to receive invitations to nutrition reset activities, "sugar-free me" cleanse, kitchen-clean up, movement challenges, stress, and burnout-busting activities, and so much more!)
  2. Under "Social," click "Events Calendar." Browse and read the information daily or weekly. Starting January 1, 2025, all monthly and quarterly information will be pre-loaded, and challenges will start on January 6, 2025. 
  3. Earn wellness incentive points for rewards and ongoing gift card prizes for participation throughout the year! (Gift card prizes are in addition to your wellness incentive point rewards.)
  • To participate in challenges and be eligible for additional raffle prizes, please join the "APS Employee Wellness Group" on the Wellness at Work platform. This step ensures you receive invitations to join challenges when they arise. You can also pick and choose which challenges to participate in throughout the year. 

If you have any questions, please contact Becky MacGregor at employee.wellness@aps.edu.  

New! Life on Mindfulness Schedule, Password & Page Information!

 Life on mindfulness with line on Youth on Mindfulness program.

The APS Life on Mindfulness program has a couple of exciting upgrades designed to help us all Thrive in 2025! 

This is a free, flexible program for all employees that offers daily drop-in meditations, new weekly and monthly content, and featured meditations. See the link below to enroll in the Life on Mindfulness program for all content and email reminders. Everything is recorded for on-demand access. Links for daily drop-ins are available in the Employee Wellness Google Calendar. This site is mobile phone optimized so you can access a wide variety of recorded meditations anytime, anywhere. *The Life on Mindfulness program is open to all APS employees. 

The mindful center has a new page and a new daily schedule. This allows you the opportunity to flex meditation times and enjoy a stretch break. 

New login in information for Life on Mindfulness

To login: 

  • If you have not enrolled in the Life on Mindfulness program, enroll here.
  • If you are enrolled, click this link: https://themindfulcenter.com/login and go to the top right, orange "member login" button. 
  • Enter your email 
  • Enter this NEW password: LOMPREMIUM

New Schedule: Monday - Friday 11:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

  • 11:45-11:55 a.m. 10-minute meditation
  • 11:55-12:00 p.m. 5-minute stretch
  • 12:00-12:20 p.m.  20-minute meditation

Feel free to join or leave anytime. According to the above schedule, Michelle begins the sessions at 11:45 a.m. and keeps things continuously flowing until 12:20 p.m.

 Note: The same schedule and Zoom link apply Monday through Friday 

NEW! Youth on Mindfulness Page on the Life on Mindfulness Platform

Bring mindfulness to your students and add another Goal 4 skillset to your classroom! The Mindful Center has added a Youth on Mindfulness page. This is free for APS employees and educators can use any meditations for classroom use. These mediations are suitable for students 10-18 years old. 

To get to the Youth page:

  • Click on your Life on Mindfulness account. 
  • Go to the "Member Login" top right orange button and log in.
  • Click the top left menu "Life on Mindfulness".
  • Scroll down to the "Meditate Now" button and click.
  • Scroll through the audio options. All 18 audio meditations are age-appropriate.
  • Note: Starting Feb. 1 additional youth content will be loaded and regularly updated under the "Youth on Mindfulness" tab. 

Is Injury, Pain, Lack of Mobility, or Strength Holding You Back from a Thriving Life? 

employee testimonial for hinge health

Look, we get it. It's hard to have a 'thriving heart' and participate in life when we are living with chronic or acute pain. Get the relief you need to feel and function better with this virtual physical therapy and exercise therapy program by Hinge Health. 

Hinge Health gives you the tools you need to conquer joint and muscle pain, mobility, and strength issues including back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain. This is a great program to help you recover from injuries, prepare for surgery, and stay healthy and pain-free.

Hinge Health also offers a one-of-a-kind, industry-leading women's pelvic floor program. 

Pelvic floor disorders can happen at any age — and they’re different for everyone. With Hinge Health, you’ll get a personalized care plan that addresses your unique symptoms and life stage. The pelvic health program can treat the following and more:

  • Pregnancy and postpartum

  • Bladder and bowel control

  • Pelvic pain

  • Sexual dysfunction

  • Separation of abdominal muscles

  • Pelvic organ prolapse

The program includes:

  • A personalized plan with guided exercises that address your unique symptoms (15 minutes a session or less)

  • One-on-one support from a dedicated care team that may include a pelvic floor physical therapist and qualified health coach

  • Guided meditations to ease symptom-related stress and anxiety 

Learn more and register for the program. Begin your journey today with a physical therapist and health coach team!

Hinge Health is available at no cost to employees covered under the APS Benefits plans and eligible dependents.   

Three Great Programs That Include One Personalized Benefit - Health Coaching!

Three health coaching options are offered for all APS employees

Sometimes, to thrive, we need a little extra motivation and support. These three programs offer personalized health coaching. Choose the fit for you and enroll today! 

1. Health Coaching: Open to all APS employees. Get help shifting lifestyle habits, managing a chronic illness, weight loss to improve your health, or simply feel better. APS offers free Health Coaching for all employees.

2. Livongo is an integrated program for diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and weight loss. Livongo offers wrap-around mental health services and health coaching. *This program is open to all eligible employees and dependents covered under APS Benefits. 

Getting started is easy!  

  • Text “GO APS” to 85240 to learn more and join
  • Join by visiting  https://www.livongo.com/aps 
  • Call 800-945-4355 and use the registration code: APS

3. Hinge Health: Get the relief you need to feel and function better with this virtual physical therapy program by Hinge Health. Hinge Health gives you the tools you need to conquer joint and muscle pain including back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain, recover from injuries, prepare for surgery, and stay healthy and pain-free. Hinge Health also offers a one-of-a-kind, industry-leading women's pelvic floor program. 

Click here to register. Begin your journey today with a physical therapist and health coach team! *Hinge Health is available at no cost to employees covered under the APS Benefits plans and eligible dependents.  

Request Pet Therapy

There is nothing like a little puppy love to relieve stress and heal our hearts. APS Employee Wellness partners with High Desert Dog Therapy to offer employee pet therapy services. You can schedule Pet Therapy for your department or school. Offer your staff or department a couple of hours of furry-cuddle-stress-relieving therapy time and simply fill out this request form. Please note that accommodations must be made for any colleagues who have allergies to dogs. 

 

More Wellness Trends in the News

News: Exercise Helps With Inhibitory Control

A research team concluded that high-intensity exercise provides favorable effects on inhibitory control in college students.

 
Nutrition: Where’s the Iodine?

Rates of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency are not only common but also appear to be increasing, despite a salt-iodization program.

Mind-Body: Aquatic Exercise for People With Multiple Sclerosis

Survey results show that people with multiple sclerosis prefer aquatic exercise over nonaquatic exercise but have difficulty finding classes.

Recipe: Peanut “Beans” and Greens

Try this twist on beans and greens, starring peanuts, for a power-packed main or side dish.

Fitness Handout: Nutritional Deficiency and Depression

Researchers found overall nutritional deficiency was associated with worsening mental health and depression.