CommonHealth Weekly Wellnote

March 28, 2024 / Get Well

How can your Virginia State Employee Wellness Program help? The CommonHealth programs and campaigns cover a variety of health topics and are available in a range of formats to meet the needs of different workplaces. Highly skilled wellness consultants provide the latest on stress, sleep, nutrition, exercise and more for faculty/staff meetings, special events, conferences, benefit fairs, safety meetings, lunch-and-learns, etc. They provide traditional, in-person presentations and displays as well as virtual presentations, on-demand videos and seasonal health-related challenges that are fun and engaging. Visit the website to see how CommonHealth can help you. If you’re looking to book an event in April or May, connect with us sooner rather than later to ensure you get a date that works for you.

Check out this week’s updates from CommonHealth.

  • CommonHealth wellness partner WeightWatchers (WW) is happy to help NOVA employees reach their nutritional goals. Click here for a delicious chicken and avocado corn salad recipel, and enjoy the many other healthy, free and easy recipes from
  • Consider joining a community. Sign up at WW.com/us/CommonHealth. All benefits-eligible employees, spouses and adult dependents get an exclusive discount of 50% off the retail price of membership plans and can join now for as low as $9.75 per month. The Special Monthly Pricing and the Commonwealth of Virginia monthly discount is not open to retirees, their spouses and dependents, wage employees or Local Choice members.
  • Achoo! You know the feeling: Itchy eyes, twitchy nose. It’s that time of year again — allergy season. If you suffer from allergies, consider these tips:
    • Reduce your exposure to allergy triggers.
    • Take extra steps when pollen counts are high.
    • Keep indoor air clean.
    • For more allergy tips, revisit CommonHealth’s Breathe Well campaign booklet.
  • Certain foods and drinks can promote better sleep by providing nutrients that are essential for sleep.
    • Kiwi, cherries, milk, fatty fish, nuts and rice have been found to aid in relaxation and sleep.
    • Avoid caffeine, alcohol and heavy meals before bedtime for healthier sleep patterns
    • Nutrition and sleep are connected, but a balanced diet will not benefit your sleep if you don’t have good bedtime habits. Learn more about sleep and nutrition on the Sleep Foundation’s website.
  • The Office of Health Benefits and the CommonHealth team would like to announce that the MotiVAte Wellness Platform has now been discontinued. We thank you all for a great pilot year, and please know that we appreciate everyone working with our team in this process as we did our best to navigate the challenges of trialing a new platform. The CommonHealth team looks forward to continuing to develop new programs and opportunities to engage with employees in their wellness efforts in the future. Stay tuned for future CommonHealth updates from your agency coordinator.

Common health Flyer: Black band with Common Health Weekly Well note masthead with rainbow swish. common health dot virginia dot gov. Top section. Photo of a plate with a salad on a white plate. Chicken with Avacado & Corn Salad. Weight watches brings us a delicious yet simple recipe featuring skinless, boneless chicken breast and a variety of veggies, including avacado, corn, radishes and red onion. If fresh corn on the cob isn't available, thaw some frozen corn kernels to use instead. The flavor-charged sauce does double duty as both a marinade for the chicken and a dressing for the salad. The sauce features cilantro, so a blender is the secret to bringing it together. Left third: Fuel sleep with common health. As we continue recognizing national nutrition month, let's celebrate the ways in which food helps to fuel our sleep. Studies show that nutrient deficiencies are associated with sleep problems. While other factors contribute, a balanced diet can go a long way to help. Common health has several campaigns that can help you learn more. Contact your common health agency coordinator (or hr benefits administrator) to schedule! Illustration of a grey cat sleeping. Center panel: Be kind to yourself. Ready to build healthy habits? weight watches knows that being kind to yourself can help us get through challenges and stick to healthy changes, so they offer these three tips: 1. Use kind words in your self-talk as you do with people you love. 2. Celebrate small wins (i.e., packing luches this week). 3. Do a self-check when you're stressed to determine what you need and what may help. Learn more about the exclusive discount available through Common health to all benefits-eligible employees, plus their spouses and adult dependents at ww dot com forward slash commonhealth weightwatchers. Right panel: A little bit healthier this week. As we anticipat the beauty of blossoming trees and flowers this spring< we know that many people will be impacted by seasonal allergies during this time. Manage allergy symptoms by protecting yourself from pollen during outdoor chores, avoiding outdoor activities when pollen is known to be high, trying over-the-counter remedies such as oral decongestants and oral antihistamines and rinsing your sinuses to clear allergens from your nose. These strategies may be effective in keeping your allergies under control. Black band with white type: contact common health colon wellness at dhrm dot virginia dot gov.

For questions regarding this week’s communication or the CommonHealth program, please reach out to your respective campus coordinator below:

Submitted by: 
Faith Redd-Walker, Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing, employeewellbeing@nvcc.edu