CommonHealth Weekly Wellnote

April 16, 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 May, connect sooner rather than later to ensure you get a date that works for you.

Check out this week’s updates from CommonHealth.

  • Stress can negatively impact our overall health and wellbeing. April is Stress Awareness Month; in recognition, state employee health insurance provider Kaiser Permanente is offering stress management tips, videos and information on how to track your stress patterns and record any symptoms you may be experiencing.
  • Sugar is added to many of the foods and beverages we consume on a daily basis. Added sugar can be tricky to identify on a food label, though, and if you aren’t sure what to look for, you might miss it. While sugar can be naturally occurring and is needed for bodily functions, too much of it can lead to a multitude of problems. In fact, sugar can even cause a stress response in our bodies. CommonHealth’s Sweet Surrender program is an excellent resource — use it to help identify hidden sugar and reduce your overall intake.
  • All benefits-eligible Commonwealth of Virginia employees, spouses and adult dependents (ages 18+) are eligible for the discounted WeightWatchers membership. Check out these yummy WeightWatchers-approved recipes that will help you reduce your sugar intake!

Common Health Weekly Wellnote Masthead with rainbow swish on black background. commonhealth dot virginia dot gov. Top panel: Ways to Stress Less (with photograph of a couple walking in the woods on a sunny day) As we celebrate Stress Awareness Month this April, Kaiser Permanente offers three simple ways to help us stress less: - Take a moment to breathe. When stress strikes, a few minutes of deep breathing can help us feel more calm, grounded, and focused. Try counting to five as you breathe in, then again as you hold the inhale, and one more time as you exhale. Repeat as needed. - Recognize stress. Stress can come from minor issues to major conflicts. Chronic headaches, physical tension, and even changes in behavior and mood could be your body’s way of saying your stress level is too high. - Sweat away the stress. Physical activity relieves tension in the body and releases feel-good brain chemicals that fight the effects of stress. See the attachment for more information on managing stress. Check with your health insurance plan for info on FREE stress management resources. Three shorter columns: Tackle Your Stress Head On (with stock photo of woman holding her temples as if her head hurts. Behind her, against a gray background, is a cartoon drawing of a brain, the right side of which is bursting with color.) Did you know that added sugar can cause a stress response in your body? It causes blood sugar to spike and then quickly drop, leading to stress and low energy. Contact your CommonHealth agency coordinator (or HR benefits administrator) today to schedule an onsite presentation on reducing added sugars in your diet. Ask for Sweet Surrender! Engage Anywhere with CommonHealth (with Engage Anywhere logo in teal and blue) Engage Anywhere is CommonHealth’s private Facebook group designed to bring employees together from all across the Commonwealth of Virginia to participate in fun activities that can be done anywhere. Join us for info on activity challenges, national observances, ways agencies can team up together, and more! Teal button: Join the Engage Anywhere Facebook Group A Little Bit Healthier This Week (against translucent background of colorful footprints) We all know that movement helps us feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally. Perhaps we can try to move more each day at work, but how when we’re all so busy? - Park farther away. - Pace, walk, or stand for a phone conference. - Try a walking meeting. - Go to the printer each time you print. - Go speak to a co-worker in person rather than email. - Stretch, move, and refresh your focus rather than just plowing through. Little changes bring big differences. You will feel better and be more productive. In footer: Contact CommonHealth: 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