Health & Wellness Update

Move over Souper Thursdays . . . . here come Thursday Treats!  With warm weather on tap for spring it’s time for a change to something a bit lighter and cooler.  Souper Thursdays will get set aside until next year when cooler temperatures return.  Thursday Treats are all about keeping it healthy with fruit smoothies and yogurt sundaes to start us out.  The Center will continue to follow our tradition of making donations to our favorite charities for the price of a treat.  We have recently added the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan to our list of beloved charities.

It’s also time for the Tuesday Tennies program to return.  When the sun is shining and the temperatures balmy many staff members enjoy a healthy 30 minute walk along our beautiful walkways on Tuesdays here at The Center.  It is common to see more and more neighboring offices joining in on the fun and exercise. 

Many Center staffers are gearing up for big plans this year.   We have some setting their sights on competing in their first Triathlon.   Others have made lifestyle changes geared to better health.  Some are becoming avid daily walkers; others have signed up for Zumba or Spinning classes for the first time.  It’s not uncommon to hear chatter about the office of who is going to be running in the next road race this weekend.  It seems almost everyone is doing something even if it’s just playing with the kids in the backyard.

Here is our quickest & most enjoyed smoothie recipe:

Approx. 1 ½ c of frozen fruit of choice

¼ c Vanilla Yogurt

Milk

Making a smoothie is as easy as placing 1 ½ cups of frozen fruit into a blender.  Add the vanilla yogurt and pour milk over the top until it comes to the top of the fruit and yogurt.  Blend.  You can adjust proportions according to your taste preferences!

Don’t forget to put your best foot forward for a healthy springtime season!

A Busy February for Our Health & Wellness Team

Our crew kicked the month off with a Go Red for Women week by recognizing a GO RED activity each day.  The week’s festivities included:

Monday:           Pin Day – We handed out pins to wear all week in support.

Tuesday:          Smoothie Day – A donation was given for each smoothie.

Wednesday:    Red Snack Day – Enjoyed strawberries and chocolate dip.

Thursday:         Appreciation Day – Gave a heart to someone you appreciate at work & told them why.

Friday:              Wear Red Day – Wore red and a smile. 

Center staff continues to log their health and wellness activities on the American Heart Association ® Start! website.   Julie Hall won a gift card to Starbucks for logging the most activities this month with Sandy Adams right behind winning a gift card for Subway.

Guest speaker, Venette Hysmith from Affordable Wellness Massage spoke to The Center about the importance of deep breathing, proper stretching, and ergonomics for the workplace.  We all came away with some new and simple to use health nuggets to put into practice.

Souper Thursdays continues to produce delicious feast and donations to the Cystinosis Research Network.   Here’s a look at one of our favorites!

Our Health & Wellness Crew Are at It Again!

Last week The Center got a reality check by inviting our insurance provider Blue Care Network to come in and to do individual Body Mass Index (BMI) assessments on most of staff.  Armed with some added motivation, that same week we listened to personal trainer Mark Floria from Franklin Athletic Club give advice, answer questions & demonstrate simple exercise techniques adding to our fitness toolbox.

We are back to our Souper Thursdays now that the holidays are over.  Planners, Tim Wyman and Laurie Renchik, cooked up some delicious soup for staff with donations going to the Cystinosis Research Network.  We would like to share a couple of our more popular recipes.