Employee Wellness News

June Employee Wellness News!

Posted June 6, 2022, 10:20 AM. Updated June 29, 2022, 11:42 AM.

Summer wellness, free classes at City Center, Life on Mindfulness, and more wellness trends in the news.

Rythm rest and renewal

Wellness Wire

It's summer! For some of us, that means time off, and for others perhaps a welcome change of pace. Seasonal transitions always pose a challenge and opportunity and summer is no exception. Since I'm an optimist, let's stick with the opportunity we have to enhance our well-being with bright early mornings and longer warmer days. We have time to focus on establishing a new rhythm of wellness. We can adjust our mindset on what 'rest' means and feel a sense of renewal with each hour, every day.

Rhythm - Established patterns of time. We have either larger blocks we've carved and kept for our wellness or let work/life responsibilities chip away at this precious commodity. Regardless, most of us have a flow to our day. Look at yours and see where you can create wellness buffers in already established anchor habits. Or, see where can you declutter unnecessary tasks and create space for a five-minute stretch, movement, or meditation. If you find yourself waiting for a meeting or to pick up a child, instead of phone scrolling, stretch, walk - move. Also, the longer days lend to walking in the morning or after dinner which is a wonderful way to start or end your day.

Rest - This is actual rest in the form of sleep, yes. But also rest from the people, places, and situations that add stress, frustration, or anxiety to our lives. Learning how to rest from and pull away is important. We do this by pruning back the busyness of life and quieting the noise. Turn off the Internet and social media so we can really recharge and hear what our body needs to feel well.

Renewal - When we establish a rhythm of wellness activities - whether it's exercise, meditation or just sitting in a peaceful environment - and give ourselves permission to detach and rest, we create an environment of continual renewal. This is what enhances our well-being, eases stress, boosts our immune system, lowers our risk for illness, and helps us navigate life's hardships in a more mentally and physically resilient way.

My encouragement to you this month is to try this rhythm-rest-renewal practice. See how it feels. Make that connection and keep it going!

New - Group Classes at City Center/Alice & Bruce King Complex

free yoga and body balance classes offered at City Center. Monday 4:45 Yoga and Wednesday 4:45 body balance

In-person group exercise classes start at City Center/Alice & Bruce King Complex the week of June 6 at 4:45 pm. Classes are 45 minutes in length and all levels are welcome. Monday classes are a gentle Vinyasa Yoga and Wednesdays offer BodyBalance, which is a fusion of bodyweight strength, core, flexibility, and balance. We blend traditional bodyweight training moves and yoga sequencing with music, tempo, and timing. Classes are free for APS employees.

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

June is Brain Health Month! Build Strong Habits for Strong Brains

Strong Habits = Strong Brains Webinar: This short informative webinar was offered on Wednesday, June 15th at either 8:00 am or 12:00 pm. Recordings and the slide deck are in the employee wellness calendar under the presentation day/time.

What are the elements of a strong brain
5 key focus areas to build a strong brain
Habits you can commit to now for good brain health
Practical advice on setting a new brain health goal

APS Employee Wellness Programs & Events

Graphic which shows all benefits for employees, full/part time and employees covered under APS benefits

APS Employee Wellness offers many free programs to help all employees (regardless of benefits coverage or full/part-time status) lower their risk for disease, attain lifestyle and weight loss goals as well as manage stress and mental health issues.

30 Ways to Well-being is a new email-based program. Register and you will receive daily wellness emails with simple yet innovative practices to do every day. This will bring new awareness for you around stress, sleep, movement, nutrition, connection, and more! This is an ongoing program. Enroll and engage at your own pace. *Open to all APS employees.
Nourish Your Green Zone: What is your green zone and how can you grow it? Our capacity to manage stress and burnout in a more healthful way can improve when we nourish our green zone! Sign up for this ongoing, self-paced virtual program. *Open to all APS employees.
Free weight loss, nutrition, stress management program with 1-1 coaching and weekly group support. This is a game-changer for your health! Do you feel like you need to lose weight, manage your nutrition and get more movement but you just don't know how to start? The Pre-Diabetes Prevention Program may be for you! Join this national pilot program from the CDC and through NMSU. Options for online/virtual and continuous, personal coaching for one full year. *Open to all APS employees. The next information session is Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. Join with code: bit.ly/NMSU-JunSession
New! Pet therapy for APS employees. If you would like to offer your staff or department a couple of hours of furry-cuddle-stress-relieving therapy time, fill out this request form. Please note that accommodations must be made for any colleagues who have allergies to dogs.
Health Coaching: Open to all APS employees. If you would like help with managing a chronic illness, or weight loss to improve your health, or simply feel better, APS offers free Health Coaching to all APS employees.
Livongo: Get your life back and manage diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity with this personalized program- Livongo. The name is short for Live On The Go! Because having a chronic illness can hinder our positive life experiences. We want you to get that back and feel better! Participants receive one on one expert coaching, and integrated tools to manage blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight loss. *This program is free for eligible employees and dependents under APS Benefits.
Life on Mindfulness: Check out your new Life on Mindfulness website with the password APSLOM. This is a free, flexible program for all employees that offers daily drop-in meditations, new weekly and monthly content, featured meditations, and Saturday workshops. Everything is recorded for on-demand access. Links for daily drop-ins and the Saturday sessions are in the APS Employee Wellness Calendar. Enroll in the Life on Mindfulness Program for all content and email reminders. 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.
2022 Employee Wellness Incentive Program: This is a voluntary wellness reward program for all full-time APS employees. Do wellness, log points, and receive awesome rewards like New Mexico Sports & Wellness memberships, LesMills OnDemand, Stone Age gym passes, Wecks, Flying Star, or Sports Systems gift cards. If you haven't participated, take time to read more about it, log in to your Wellness@Work well-being dashboard, and get started this year. *Open to all full-time APS employees.

Your monthly dose of fitness, nutrition and wellness trends!

News: Do You Have “Exercise Resistance”?

Researchers found that if overall daily activity levels are too low, the body becomes less efficient at metabolizing fat, causing more of it to be stored.

Nutrition: 5 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables

A study published in Circulation found that the long-standing public health message of “5 A Day,” or five servings of fruits and vegetables, is worth embracing.

Mind-Body: Antioxidants for Depression

Perhaps a way to “color yourself happy” lies in the not-yet-trendy high polyphenol diet that contains antioxidants for depression symptoms.

Recipe for Health: Hummus Chicken Wraps

An ideal level of dietary niacin intake in adults has been linked to a lower risk of new-onset hypertension. That makes these chicken wraps a low-pressure lunch option.

Video: Overhead Press - High Split Dumbbell

Hold dumbbells and stand in a split stance. Keep your body still and press the weights overhead. This move works your shoulders, glutes and legs.