September 2024 Employee Wellness Newsletter

The Four Wellsprings of Energy Management, a new program to help you identify areas of need for renewal, growth, and holistic well-being, and more wellness trends.

Wellness Wire - Energy Management

With a weary breath, I looked down to see my bike computer read 21:34. That's the time it took me to finally feel relatively comfortable and settle in for what was to be an hour-and-a-half ride. I was tired. It was week number three into a four-week periodization training block and I could feel the load wearing me down. I was questioning why in the world I gave myself a goal to do my first Olympic distance triathlon after two kids and a twenty-one-year multi-sport hiatus with only eight weeks to train. Though I've been a trainer for over 33 years, there were many different variables I had to account for (besides age;) because I did not have a base like I used to and my stamina was lacking (to put it mildly).  

The thought came to me - I needed to manage my energy better. I wasn't sleeping, eating, or resting enough. I knew it. But even with all my knowledge and background, there can be a disconnect between the 'knowing' and the 'doing'.  I had to be able to train and make it through the race so that I felt I was successful in my effort. I didn't want to walk, cramp or suck. I wanted to finish strong. 

And since I had time on the bike to contemplate 'energy management', I realized how much we are all alike in this concept. No matter what the situation, most of us have a goal to be successful in our endeavors. That is part of our emotional, social, and intellectual well-being. We don't want to cramp under pressure. We want to finish this race we call 'life' strong; knowing we serve a purpose and can enjoy the people, places, and activities that bring us joy and fulfillment. 

We also all have a tendency, at one time or another, to start something (like the school year) in a sprint when what we're really moving through is an endurance event.  We may give ourselves goals and, in our well-meaning intentions, take off full-throttle neglecting basic tenants of how to juggle the varying demands on our well-being - only to land in a puddle of physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion and spiritual depletion by the end of the day, the week, or whatever season we're in. 

Without proper energy management, we risk becoming depleted and struggling to keep up with our responsibilities to work, family, and ourselves.

I relate it to pacing intervals of work and rest, but even levels of work can have varying degrees of intensity. Sometimes we have mini-sprints dispersed throughout our lives. They may come at known transitions, or be an unexpected 100-meter dash. This is why it's even more important that we temper our enthusiasm with proper training, mindset and habit shifts, realistic expectations, and appropriate boundaries. So when the curve balls come (and they will), we've got the strength and stamina to manage the intensity of the situation. 

So, let's look at some simple concepts around energy management. In a 2007 Harvard Business Review article, "Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time", the authors outline four primary wellsprings of energy management: the body (physical energy), emotions (quality of energy), mind (mental energy and productivity), and spirit (meaning and purpose). These elements are interconnected, and neglecting one can negatively impact the others. 

Physical Energy 

Our physical energy relates to our bodies. Regular exercise, movement, sleep, and the quality of our nutrition. Remember that - since our 'knowing' and the 'doing' of the 'knowing' can be disconnected - I want to point out foundational concepts that keep our physical energy kindled. 

1. Sleep is a critical component of stress reduction, disease prevention, and weight and energy management. Sleep clears toxins from our brain and body, and allows for true recovery and renewal. There are so many studies that correlate sleep and different types of rest (like Non-Sleep Deep Rest) to lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, Alzheimers and Dementia. But also, when we're rested we can think more clearly, we're more productive, we crave less high-sugar, high-processed foods, and we're able to control our emotions better - we're less grumpy. Take a look at these two resources on sleep and how to get more of it. 

• The Power of Sleep
• Sleep Well

2. Nutrition is foundational to physical and mental energy management as well as disease prevention. Food is meant to nourish our bodies and be enjoyed in the right context. What we eat can give us sustained energy or unproductive highs and lows. When we feel sluggish, foggy-brained, bloated or unable to concentrate due to the food we eat, it affects every aspect of our well-being. If we don't feel well, we don't react and interact well with others.  Even with an approach like Intermittent Fasting, what we eat matters. Limit sugar and high-processed/hyper-palatable foods. Stick with whole food nutrition and try not to eliminate key, foundational food groups in favor of a 'food fad' or 'diet cult'. Super low-carb, high-protein or any type of food elimination/restricting meal plan isn't necessarily healthy or holistic.  Take a look at some of these plate guides from Precision Nutrition and try free Health Coaching offered through APS Employee Wellness. 

3. We are made to move. Simple as that. Movement, stretching, and regular exercise strengthens our bones and muscles, reduces the risk of ALL diseases, and eases depression and anxiety. Movement is foundational through the day to increase physical, mental and emotional energy. When we feel mentally stagnant or emotionally stressed, and we get up to move, it circulates oxygen through our bodies and releases endorphins. We can problem-solve and think more clearly.  

Pacing intervals of work and rest for stamina and rituals for renewal through intentional stretch/movement breaks and consistent sleep will change your life. You will have more energy and feel better by the end of the day.  APS offers regular stretch breaks on Youtube. There are over 100 recordings to choose from!  

Emotional Energy

This is the quality of our energy. Our awareness of stress and "Stresscalation". Stresscalation is a term originally coined in 1992. It’s used to describe how we can pass our stress onto others. It's a ripple effect and ripples give a distorted reflection of the world around us. How we reflect our stress, anger, uncertainty, or even hurt has a direct impact on our wellness as well as the well-being of the people we encounter.  Negative energy can sap our strength, dampen our enthusiasm, diminish productivity and creativity, and contribute to stress, frustration, and a toxic work culture. 

Another area of emotional energy is proactively managing stress and frustration by taking "Purposeful Pauses". A purposeful pause is being aware of our emotions, situations, and surroundings as well as those we encounter, and pausing before reacting. It may be a ten-second pause or a five-minute walk. But the purposeful pause allows us to scan our emotional landscape, readjust, cool down if needed, and then approach a person or situation with a calmer, kinder attitude.

It seems so simple but we all get busy and disconnected from our internal environment. When we're stressed, our emotions override that cautionary alert system in the brain that says "warning" before a conflict. The singular action of pausing before responding can be one of the most effective ways to avoid or smooth over tense exchanges. It can also help us buffer the potential onslaught of someone else's negativity and manage our own emotions so that we react with more patience, kindness, and understanding.

Mental Energy

The principles of mental energy are around productivity, distraction, interruptions, task shifting, and prioritized scheduling for strategic versus task-oriented work. Our mental energy is also our ability to focus with clarity of mind. How many times have you had a particularly draining project at work or had to spend a lot of time on the computer and felt physically tired? When we're emotionally stressed, angry, or upset, it affects our ability to concentrate. When we're physically tired, it pulls our mental energy down. 

If we don't feel productive during the day, with distractions or other situations that pull us away from the work at hand, we may have to take it home or it delays the completion of our work. This causes frustration, additional stress and disrupts home and family time. A Gallop study many years ago indicated that for every distraction it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on task. Don't get me wrong, distractions happen and they are part of life. Sometimes a distraction can actually be a good thing depending on the situation. But if we know we have a priority task or project, we can manage our workflow and time appropriately. 

Some organizational strategies to help with this are: 

1. Look at tasks, priorities and long-term projects and block focused time in your calendar to complete the work. Categorize the hour or more block as 'busy' or 'do not disturb' so the time is not hijacked by meetings. Communicate to others that if you have this on your calendar it's to complete projects. 
2. Create and communicate that you have a 15 minute buffer time between meetings (especially virtual and those that go longer than an hour). This gives time to take in some water, food, and take a bio or stretch break.
3. Say 'no' to extra asks that may not have a direct impact on project and priority goals or that impede on personal family, and self-care time.  Yes - you can say 'no'.
4. Set your boundaries and keep them. Use commute time to transition from 'work' mind to home and family time. 

It may seem that mental energy management is a bit like time management because it is. The one thing we all have the same amount of is hours in the day. What we do with that time, how we govern ourselves and our calendar can have a huge impact on our intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being. 

Spiritual Energy

Our spiritual energy relates to developing a sense of connection, meaning and purpose. 

When we feel inspired with a deep sense of purpose for what we do and why we do it the desire to care for our total health - our body, mind, and soul - changes. We have a deeper, intrinsically driven motivation to take care of our bodies that can sustain us even through difficult times. 

I want to take a step back for a second and acknowledge that obviously, not all of us have a career that we feel serves our purpose and passion or that we particularly feel 'inspired' by. Perhaps what we do for a living is a means to accomplish something outside of work that inspires us - and that is equally important. Also, we all face times of hardship, loss, and trauma that make feeling inspired practically (if not totally) impossible. We get stuck in ruts and may feel at a loss with what to do in our lives. This isn't uncommon and it doesn't mean we can't move through it with a little help.

Recognize that whether it’s in work or personal life you have a purpose, you can be inspired through that, and it matters. It matters for your well-being and your family, friends, and community.

Effective personal and organizational energy management is crucial to maintaining our energy reservoir for the long haul - with our social, emotional, and physical well-being intact. 

The Renewal Retreat is designed to help us identify the drains on our emotional, mental, and physical well-being and develop a sustainable energy management plan moving forward. Registration for the October 19 retreat is now open! More information and your link to register is below. 

Try some of these energy management habit shifts and and keep scrolling below for more APS wellness resources. 

Register for the New Renewal Retreat!

Don't just survive another school year - Thrive! This experience will give you a framework to build a sustainable plan for mental, emotional, physical well-being, growth and empowerment by identifying and focusing on areas of individual need for your personal and professional life.

Participants will: 

• Tune into life skills that help you manage stress and build resilience.
• Live life more intentionally to create a greater sense of work-life harmony.
• Learn the ease of integrating personal rituals of recovery, rest, and rejuvenation – daily.
• Adopt and master micro-moments of self-care to regain the energy needed to thrive in all dimensions of life.
• Clarify and understand your priorities to find where you need more renewal for personal and professional fulfillment.
• Apply skills learned to navigate adversity and thrive in challenging environments.
• Receive ongoing cohort support from your renewal allies.

The event is on Saturday, October 19 from 8:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Breakfast and snacks are provided. 

This is free for APS employees. Click here to register or scan the QR code above.

If You Think You Missed It - Think Again!

APS Employee Wellness, in partnership with our wellness vendor The Solutions Group, has hosted a few great series over the past couple of years. We've pulled them out, dusted them off and reposted in the Employee Wellness Event Calendar. Just go to the dates in the graphic above to view, peruse and download the content when the timing is right for you.

You can also connect your personal Google calendar with APS Employee Wellness Events calendar by clicking this link or adding it under "other calendars" in the left side column of your calendar view.  Click on the plus sign, browse using the name of the calendar (APS Employee Wellness Events) and add. 

The APS Employee Wellness Event calendar has tips, motivition, APS wide event information and more! Staying connected to our benefits and wellness resources helps us be intentional with our well-being.

Register Anytime For The Wellness at Work Well-being Platform & Earn Rewards!

APS partners with The Solutions Group to bring you a variety of well-being programs as well as the Wellness at Work platform and employee wellness incentive program. We are happy to announce our well-being program had a significant upgrade in the transition to a new platform called Virgin Pulse.

The wellness program through the Solutions Group is still called "Wellness at Work" but the platform is hosted on Virgin Pulse.

The new mobile app has enhanced wellness options, easier access, and simplified activity syncing.

Complete instructions to register are on the Employee Wellness Incentive Program page. Follow the instructions according to which APS Benefits health plan you have or join under "non-covered, full-time employee" if you don't take APS medical benefits. *This program is open to all full-time APS Employees. 

Is Chronic Pain, Mobility & Lack of Strength Affecting Your Well-being?

Get the relief you need to feel and function better with this NEW virtual physical therapy program by Hinge Health. 

Hinge Health gives you the tools 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.

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 and eligible dependents covered under the APS Benefits plans.   

Conquer High Blood Pressure, Diabetes & Weight With This One Solution - Livongo!

Livongo is a holistic program that empowers people with chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and other health challenges to feel better and do more. 

Livongo is an integrated solution with free 1-1 health coaching, mental health support, and connected device monitoring.  Depending on your health condition you'll receive a blood pressure cuff, glucose meter/test strips, and/or connected scale. It's all seamlessly integrated through a mobile app with results you can share with your doctor. 

*This is a free program for all employees and eligible dependents under the APS Benefits plans. 

Getting started is easy!  

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

Schedule Pet Therapy! 

This is 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. 

Wellness and Fitness Trends in the News

News: Changing Rest Intervals With Heavier Loads Increased Training Volume By altering rest intervals, resistance trained men were able to increase weighted squat training volume by approximately 7%.

Nutrition: More People Buying Groceries at Discount Stores As people reign in their food budgets, research suggests more Americans than ever are opting to get their groceries at local discount stores.

Mind-Body: Jaw Clenching and Upper Body Training Jaw clenching without a mouthguard can work as a strategy to enhance isometric muscle contraction in the upper body, according to a study.

Recipe: Raspberry-Granola Chia Pudding The soluble fiber in this recipe makes this raspberry-chia pudding a brain-boosting way to kick off the day (or end the evening).

Fitness Handout: The Low-Down on Fasting and Meal Timing Which is better: eating multiple small meals or fasting for 16 hours a day? Understand the science of meal timing to make decisions easier.