Wellness Newsletter
February 2024
American Heart Month ❤️
February is American Heart Month, dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular health and encouraging everyone to make heart-healthy choices. Beyond its physiological significance, our heart is the compass guiding us towards overall wellness. By taking proactive steps to understand and care for our hearts, we can make a significant impact on our overall well-being. This month serves as a reminder to prioritize heart health and adopt lifestyle habits that contribute to a strong and healthy heart.
What We Can Do
- Get Heart Smart: Take a few minutes to learn about heart health, common risk factors, and preventive measures. Share information with colleagues, friends, and family to spread awareness.
- Stay Active: Physical activity is a great way to keep our hearts pumping. Encourage your friends and colleagues to incorporate regular exercise into their routines. Whether it's a walk during lunch, a workout class, or a weekend hike, every bit counts!
- Eat for Your Heart: Our food choices play a crucial role in heart health. Eating lots of foods high in saturated fat and trans fat may contribute to heart disease. Eating foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol can help prevent high cholesterol.
- Get Regular Checkups: Risk factors such as high blood pressure or cholesterol generally don’t have obvious signs or symptoms. A crucial step in determining your risk is to see your provider for a thorough checkup and risk assessment. Schedule regular checkups to monitor your heart health. Early detection and management of potential issues can make a significant difference. Encourage open dialogue about health concerns, ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered.
- Strategize Your Sleep: Prioritizing shut-eye can let you reap big rewards for your heart. When we sleep, our blood pressure drops to its lowest point, which allows us to maintain a healthy blood pressure during the day.
National Wear Red Day
Friday, February 2, 2024 is National Wear Red Day. Together, we can continue to wear red, share and rock our red, all to help save more lives. Please wear red on this day to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke in millions of women all over the nation.
Dermatology Exam
If you're on the SASD health insurance plan, check out the quick tutorial below on how to use Teledoc Health's dermatology service. Collect 5 wellness points by completing a dermatology exam (skin check/skin cancer screen) before October 31, 2024.
*For more information, please reference the Benefits Guide or contact your Payroll & Benefits Specialist.
Pam Block (Administrative and Support Staff) - pblock@sasd.net or 920-459-3528
Heather Blevons (Teacher Staff) - hblevons@sasd.net or 920-459-3527
Annual Physical Requirement
Earn one bonus point if you complete your annual physical by June 30, 2024! The bonus point will be added at the end of the fiscal quarter.
Click here to review the Wellness Program Summary guide.
Random Acts of Kindness Day
February 17, 2024 is Random Acts of Kindness Day.
The term kindness refers to selfless acts, both large and small, that are committed unexpectedly, without prompting and with no apparent ulterior motive. Random acts of kindness may help to improve mental health. There is some evidence that working to help others can be a way to cope positively with one’s own problems. Some people find that their own problems seem less severe when they help others, and the positive regard many people receive when they do kind things can help improve their mood. While a random act of kindness is not a substitute for mental health treatment, it can help people feel better about themselves and those around them.
There are a number of ways you can show kindness to someone unexpectedly. Here are a few simple suggestions:
- Be an active listener when in the company of others.
- Cook a meal for someone who is struggling.
- Donate blood.
- Lend someone your favorite book.
- Make kindness in the norm.
- Send an encouraging email to a colleague.
- Share your favorite recipe.
- Ship a care package to someone away from family and friends.
- Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
SASD Newsletter Quiz
Click here to watch a quick video on sodium and then complete the quiz below to earn one wellness point. You will also be entered into a raffle drawing for completing the quiz. Winners will be announced in next month’s newsletter.
Wellness Challenge
Healthy Breakfast Challenge
As we recognize American Heart Month this February, let's embrace the concept of flexible eating - balancing foods that support heart health with flavors that feed our soul. Celebrate the joy of nourishing both body and spirit!
Click here for some heart-healthy breakfast recipe ideas!
January Pop-up Quiz Winners
The randomly selected winners from the January pop-up quiz are Kerri Olsen (Teacher at Wilson) and Cindi Baldwin (Teacher at Lincoln-Erdman)! Congratulations and thank you for participating! Your prize will be sent to you at your school building.
Wellworks For You
The wellness program runs from November 1 - October 31 each year. It is your responsibility to maintain your points during each cycle within the Wellworks For You portal. Anything reported after the deadline will not count.