Happy Health & Wellness Month!
Our focus this month is on YOUR health and wellness.
Your health — whether physical, mental, or emotional—affects you, the people who care about you, and the many areas where your lives are intertwined. So, let’s talk about it! Maintaining or improving your health and wellbeing takes intention, time and energy. So, when you’re ready to invest in your health, we’re here with resources to help you make the most of your investment.
Health & Wellness Month is a time to focus on your personal health, as well as to get connected with resources available to you through the Invest in Your Health program that can help you achieve your goals.
Preventive Care
Getting recommended preventive care screenings is the best way to monitor your health and catch problems early — and may even save your life.
Preventive care is covered at 100% with in-network providers. Preventive care screenings include an annual physical, yearly eye exam, yearly dental exams and cleanings, cancer screenings, and some vaccines.
View Preventive Care Resources >
Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is an important factor in maintaining overall health. Health benefits of physical activity include regulation of blood pressure, management of anxiety and depression, and preventing weight gain and obesity.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.
View Physical Activity Resources >
Nutrition
A balanced diet is a key factor in maintaining overall health. Healthy eating can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, and dental cavities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends each meal to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, fill one quarter of your plate with whole grains, fill one quarter of your plate with lean proteins, and have dairy with each meal as well.
Managing Conditions
In the U.S., 6 in 10 adults have a chronic disease like cancer, diabetes or heart disease. These chronic diseases and others are conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both. Many chronic diseases can be prevented by eating well, being physically active, avoiding tobacco and getting regular health screenings.
Obesity is another chronic health condition that affects 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 5 children in the U.S. It raises the risk for several chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Other concerns include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea and joint problems.
Schedule an annual physical with your provider to review your body mass index (BMI) and screen for obesity. For reference, a BMI of 30.0 or higher falls within the obesity range and a BMI of 25.0 to up to 30.0 falls within the at-risk range.
View Resources to help Manage Conditions >
Stress & Mindfulness
Mental health challenges can affect all of us, regardless of age, race, gender, position or ethnicity. We can’t always avoid mental health challenges, but we can make healthy choices to help manage it. Keeping up good habits, taking a well-being break or utilizing mental health resources can all help.
According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep is as important for good health as nutrition and physical activity. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders, including heart disease, stroke, obesity and dementia.
View Stress & Mindfulness Resources >
Quitting Tobacco
Many of the negative side effects from smoking are reversible. According to the American Lung Association, soon after quitting you will notice more energy and less stress, less eye and throat irritation, a reduction in your smoker’s cough, an improved sense of taste and smell, and better-smelling breath and clothes.
Over time you will also benefit from fewer colds and respiratory infections, much of the damage smoking caused will be repaired, and your risk of cancer, heart disease, COPD, and high blood pressure will be reduced.
View Tobacco Cessation Resources >
Nominate your coworkers for a feature on Invest In Your Health
This Health & Wellness Month, we want to showcase State employees who are making strides to improve their health. If one of your coworkers has made a health achievement, give them a shout out!
You can send your nominations to SPDcommunications@spd.in.gov with a brief explanation of why you think they should be celebrated. Just put “health and wellness shoutout” in the subject line and include your coworker’s email so we can contact them about being featured on the Invest in Your Health website. And if you’d like to share your own story, we’re happy to accept those too!
You can submit your own story to www.investinyourhealthindiana.com/send-us-your-story.
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Health & Wellness Month
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