Employee Wellness Newsletter
February, 2014
“Never hurry and never worry!”
Charlotte’s words to Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web seem to be good advice in light of some of the recent research on stress.
We know that acute stress can precipitate serious cardiac events, and that chronic stress can increase mortality rate,
weaken the immune system, delay wound healing, decrease bone strength, diminish our own antibody response to
vaccines, impair memory formation and other cognitive abilities, and increase risk of obesity. Not a pleasant list. Yet in
2014, those words of advice seem almost impossible to heed. But if you tend to hurry and worry more than you should,
don’t despair! There are proven ways you can strengthen yourself against the sting of stress. Relaxation training,
mindfulness (focused awareness), regular aerobic exercise, prayer, laughter, mind-body exercises (Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates),
journaling, can all help reduce the harmful health effects of stress. The Wellness Director has discovered that playing
with
grandkids
Exercise
IV does too! You’ll hear more about some of these stress management methods throughout the spring.
Messiah Goes to the World Cup -Phase IV
Employees who regularly exercise get wellness points by
joining the program titled Messiah Goes to the World Cup. So
far, over 100 employees have participated this year, and have
collectively accumulated over 24,000 miles! For every 4800
miles, (the distance form Grantham to Brazil) we symbolically
‘send’ another men’s soccer player to the world cup. So far, 5
players have been sent.
Employees receive 30 wellness points for participating in a 6week phase (or a maximum of 60 points for 2 or more phases).
All it takes is recording your workout minutes or miles each
week online, and meeting the goals at least 5 of the 6 weeks.
Here are the weekly goals for each program:
Walk: 100 minutes or 5 miles per week
Run: 50 minutes or 6 miles per week
Swim: 60 minutes or 2 miles per week
Cycle: 60 minutes or 12 miles per week
Exercise: 60 minutes per week
You can register now for the next 6-week phase which begins
on Sunday, Feb. 16. Click on the link below to register, and if
you’re a first-timer email your Café Well screen name to
[email protected].
WALK IV RUN IV CYCLE IV SWIM IV EXERCISE IV
Some ways you can earn wellness points
2. Complete the Health Risk Assessment
Go to www.healthamerica.cvty.com – Members
My Online Services – login or register – Health
Risk Assessment under Wellness Tools – Start
Your Questionnaire (30 points)
3. Complete a Preventive Medical Exam
This could include a mammogram, pelvic exam,
prostate screening, colonoscopy, vision exam,
dental cleaning, or an annual physical exam
(15 points for each; max of 30)
4. Participate in a local community fitness event
Did you do a Turkey Trot?  (15 points)
5. Participate in the Messiah Team Triathlon
May 3, 2014 @ 9:00 AM- Teams of 3, each person
does only one leg- ½ mile swim, 12 mile cycle, or
5K run- teams can be any combination of Messiah
employees, students, or alumni
Google Messiah Wellness and go to our webpage
for more details on how you can get wellness
points, and a copy of the completion form.
Employees who complete 100 points by June 15,
2014, will experience health insurance premium
savings for the following year.
Upcoming Wellness Workshops You Won’t Want To Miss!
Thurs. Feb. 20 – 12:15-1:00 PM – “Mindfulness and Stress: how to use your head to your advantage”
Presenters: Phil Lawlis and Krista Cochran
Tues. Mar. 25 – 12:15-1:00 PM – “Healthy Spirituality for Everyday Lives”
Presenter: Eldon Fry
Workshops are held in Parmer Cinema and earn employees 15 wellness points each (max of 45 for attending 3)