CommonHealth Wellnote

How can your Virginia State Employee Wellness Program help you? 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, benefits 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 October, connect sooner rather than later to ensure you get a date that works for you.

• Click here to view this week’s CommonHealth Wellnote. Check out this week’s highlights below.
• Spotlight on Mental Health: Tips to Reduce Cholesterol
  Cholesterol causes a buildup of plaque in the arteries that leads to heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. Certain foods, particularly foods that contain soluble fiber, can help lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol. What might be surprising is that many of these higher-fiber foods are delicious, easy to incorporate into everyday meals and can help boost mood too!

Let’s look at a few of the best cholesterol-fighting, mood-boosting foods.

• Berries – blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are great options. Oats—instant or cook your own, hot or cold!
• Beans – black beans, kidney beans and lentils are all rich in soluble fiber, which binds to cholesterol and moves it out of the body.
• Nuts and seeds – high in polyunsaturated fats, so try almonds, walnuts or pistachios.

Women should strive for 25 grams of fiber per day and men should consume 30 grams. See the attachment from Sentara for more information on managing cholesterol.

• Try It This Week: Add Fiber to Your Meals
  Make a pot of chili and enjoy it all week for an easy and inexpensive way to add fiber to your day. Add berries, nuts or seeds to a salad, yogurt or oatmeal and make a healthy and tasty snack or side dish.

• Benefits Buzz: CommonHealth’s Campaigns
  CommonHealth’s Campaigns page is a wonderful place to look for tips to stay healthy. It includes a variety of resources to help you move more, eat well, stress less and sleep better—all great ways to help us protect our mental health! Explore the campaigns here. Classified Employee? Register for the  ACE Conference! CommonHealth will be at the conference, providing information and training for their Back-on-Track Campaign.

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

• Alexandria – Najeeb Baha
• Annandale – Matthew “Tank” McCarl
• College Staff – Cecil “C.J.” Jackson
• Fairfax – Faith Redd Walker
• Loudoun – Kimberly T. Wright
• Manassas – ThuyTien Ngo-Nguyen
• Medical Education Campus (Springfield) – Emily Miller
• Woodbridge – Dahlia Henry-Tett

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