Workout of the Week: Hip Bridges

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Hip Bridges

Hip Bridges are a great way to strengthen a group of muscles you normally don’t engage during a regular exercise--your hips, lower back, abs, quads, and calf muscles.

·         Start by laying flat your back, knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands flat on the ground at your sides.

·         Next, tighten your stomach to engage your abdominal muscles and lift your hips off of the ground, resting only on your upper back. Hold this position for 1-2 seconds. Bring your hips back down to the ground reassuming the starting position. Remember to keep your abs tight the entire time.

·         Do this repeatedly for 30 – 60 seconds or until you can no longer lift your hips off the ground. For added difficulty, hold a weight over your stomach while doing the exercise.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

Workout of the Week: Squats

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

For this week’s workout, we will be focusing on working the muscle groups in our legs, thighs, and backsides. Squats are an age-old exercise that can be done virtually anywhere. Here’s how to do them:

·         First, start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.

·         Next, slowly lower your body as if you are trying to sit in a chair that is a bit too far away (you can use your arms for balance). Try to bring your thighs as close to parallel to the floor as possible, keeping your back straight as you do this. Make sure your knees do not extend beyond the tips of your toes.

·         Slowly stand up, pushing through the heels of your feet, and come back to standing position.

·         Remember to tighten your stomach muscles to engage your core throughout the entirety of the exercise.

·         Repeat the squat 10 to 15 times.

 

If this is your first time (or first time in a while) doing a squat, you will likely feel it the next day. If you need more of a challenge, try adding 5 to 10 more squats each day of the week, or hold a weight in your hands while you do the exercise.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit.  And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.

The Dangers of Binge Drinking

As summer comes to an end, young adults nationwide begin to switch gears and get ready to pack up their cars and head back to college. But for many college students, whether they are at the beginning of their college career or are returning to finish up their final semester, their first weekend back on campus could involve heavy drinking. Binge drinking is a very real, and potentially fatal, danger that many students don’t take seriously. Universities often educate college students, especially incoming freshmen, of the dangers of binge drinking during orientation, but this doesn’t always stop them from doing it.

 "College freshmen are at the biggest risk for binge drinking," says Sandra Hoover, Ph.D., M.P.H., deputy director of A Matter of Degree: Reducing High-Risk Drinking Among College Students, a project administered by the American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago. "They're away from home for the first time, and they have lots of freedom. They decide that means freedom to get drunk."

By the time they get to their senior year, most students who binge drink have moderated their drinking. But by then, many have already been hurt by bouts of heavy drinking.

Besides the risk of alcohol poisoning and even death, there are numerous risks involved with binge drinking. Here are just a few:

• Accidents. Alcohol impairs sensory perceptions, judgment and reaction time. Of young people who drink, 20 percent say they sometimes drive drunk.
• Date rape. Alcohol is a factor in up to two-thirds of sexual assaults on students.
• Unprotected sex. Heavy drinkers are at greater risk for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. They also have a greater chance of pregnancy.
• Alcoholism. College students who abuse alcohol could become alcoholics. Chronic alcohol use can damage the liver and heart and increase the risk of some cancers.
• Bad grades. Students who drink the most have the worst grades, according to a study at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

So what can you do?

If you are the parent of a college student, educate your college-age son or daughter about the risks of binge drinking and other substance abuse. Letting your kids know about the real-life dangers involved with binge drinking goes a lot further than just telling them “Don’t drink too much at college.” Here are some other things you can do:

·         Make your attitudes clear. Discuss your expectations for their college lifestyle and academic performance.

·         Show interest. Ask about grades, classes, friendships and other healthy aspects of campus life. Let them know these things are important.

·         Don't give up. What parents say and do really can make a difference. The earlier you start your prevention efforts, the better.

Want more help talking with your kids about alcohol or substance abuse? If you’re a Health Advocate member, you can call your EAP+Work/Life specialist who can provide counseling or help you locate more resources to help you and your family.

Source: http://www.medcentral.org/Main/StaywellProducts/Binge-Drinking

WOW –Workout of the Week: Banana Abs

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Banana Abs

This week’s workout, Banana Abs, focuses on engaging our abdominal and pelvic muscle groups.  You may be curious what this exercise has to do with a banana…well, if you’re in the correct position while doing the exercise, your body will be in the shape of a banana!  Here’s how to do this exercise:

·         Lie on your back with your feet together–legs straight–and extend your arms above your head.

·         Next, tighten your stomach to engage your abdominal muscles, and with both feet together, elevate your legs about 1-2 feet off the ground.  As you are doing this, raise your head and shoulders off the ground, remembering to keep your arms and legs straight.

·         If you’re doing the exercise correctly, your body will be in the shape of a banana, and you will feel muscles being worked all the way up and down your stomach.

·         Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and then return to the starting position.

·         Try doing sets of 30-40 reps, or try holding the banana position for 1 minute straight.

 

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit.

Remember to talk to your doctor before beginning any type of fitness regimen.

Workout of the Week: Calf Raises

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

This week’s WOW: Calf Raises

For this Workout of the Week, we will be focusing on our calf and ankle muscles. Calf raises are a great way to build both strength and mobility in your knees, legs and ankles. Here’s how to try this exercise:

·         Find a step with a railing –this could be at your house, the park, or work.

·         Stand on the step, facing the stairs, with the pads of your feet resting halfway on the step and your heels hanging off. Make sure to place your hands on a railing for balance and support.

·         Next, slowly try to touch your heels to the floor behind you. (Hint: this is also a great way to stretch your calf muscles.)

·         Then, raise your body by standing only on the pads of your feet and toes.

·         Do this about 20-30 times or until your legs get tired. You should feel healthy tension in your calf muscles. Need a bigger challenge?  Try doing multiple sets of about 20-30 calf raises to get a more intense calf workout.

Need a visual guide? Watch this short video demonstrating proper calf raises:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUxn8c4HoSk&feature=player_detailpage&list=UU8XsYS0lX0jd4pjVA-dDxew

If you have pre-existing knee or ankle problems, please speak to your doctor before trying this workout.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit.

Remember, before beginning any new fitness regimen, talk to your doctor to make sure the workout is right for you.

Wall push-ups are this week's Workout of the Week!

Wall Push-ups

Each Friday, we’ll have a new Workout of the Week (WOW) for you.  We hope you’ll try it out over the weekend and then build it into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  These workout ideas will be simple, appropriate for people of various ages and abilities, and allow you to fit a little more physical activity into your week!

Push-ups are hard, there’s no doubt about that, but the benefits of doing them are undeniable. This WOW involves engaging all the muscle groups that are worked during a regular push-up without the hassle of getting down on your hands and knees or putting strain on weaker wrists.

Wall push-ups allow you to slow down, do more, and focus harder on your repetitions. Here’s how to do them:

·         Face a wall and give yourself about 10 to 12 inches of space between you and the wall, with your feet about shoulder width apart.

·         Next, place your hands on the wall in front of you. The placement of your hands should be right at armpit level. (If your hands are too high, you risk causing straining your shoulder, plus you won’t be working the right muscles during the exercise.)

·         Then slowly lower yourself towards the wall, controlling your weight the entire time.  Tilt your head towards the ceiling to keep your neck and back as straight as possible.

·         Then slowly push your weight off of the wall using your arms and chest muscles—also try tightening your stomach to engage your abdomen.

·         Do as many reps as you can until you start feeling tired. Eventually, over time, you will build up enough strength in these muscles to move on to full-fledged pushups.

Want more fitness ideas?  If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit.

Remember, before beginning any new fitness regimen, talk to your doctor to make sure the workout is right for you.

How to Avoid Costly Medical Bills

Medical billing errors are common and can be costly if they aren’t caught. According to medical experts, 40 to 80 percent of medical bills contain errors, and Kaiser Health News estimates that nearly $68 billion in healthcare spending is lost due to billing mistakes each year.

Martin Rosen, Health Advocate’s Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and Cofounder, recently appeared on The Willis Report, a FOX Business TV show that focuses on consumer and personal finance issues.  The Willis Report ran a week-long series called “A User’s Guide to Healthcare,” aimed at helping viewers unravel the complexities of the healthcare system and become empowered consumers. Martin served as an expert source to discuss the most common errors found in medical bills and how consumers can better understand medical bills and avoid mistakes.  To view Martin’s appearance on The Willis Report, visit http://www.healthadvocate.com/tv.aspx?v=20130717-FoxBusiness

Health Advocate offers the following tips to help you look out for errors and avoid getting costly medical bills:

Don’t wait to open your Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Your EOB lists a number of items, including patient’s name, provider’s name, type of procedure, date of service, charges to the provider, the cost covered by the insurer and what you may owe.

You’ll want to open up the EOB as soon as it arrives in the mail to make sure everything is correct. If there is an error, such as wrong date of service or you’ve been charged twice for a procedure, it’s best to resolve it quickly. It’s very important to open the envelope as soon as you receive it—if you wait too long to read it or handle any errors, you could lose your right of appeal. The deadline for appealing a claim is typically 45 days.

Be informed.  If you are insured, know the details of what your health insurance plan covers.  Familiarize yourself with the details of your insurance benefits.  Understand how much you’re responsible for when it comes to your deductible, co-pays, and co-insurance.  Learn what services are and aren’t covered under your plan. Being insured does not always mean that all your medical costs are covered. 

Verify that the provider you choose is “in-network.”  Make sure that any labs your provider may use for various tests are also considered in-network.  If the provider and/or the lab and facility the provider is using are in-network, your medical bills will be less costly than out-of-network labs/facilities.

Read your bill carefully. If you’ve had a hospital stay, ask for an itemized bill at the conclusion of your visit.  Be aware that this may not include information on what you or your insurer will be asked to pay, but it could help you spot major errors on your bills.

Ask the hospital for a copy of your pharmacy ledger. This details what drugs you were given through the course of your stay and your medical chart. Look these over carefully to make sure the hospital isn’t charging you for any drugs you didn’t actually take.

Find an advocate.If you are a Health Advocate member and need help understanding a medical bill or EOB, reviewing and explaining your benefits information, finding an in-network provider, making sure your bill contains no errors, filing a claim, and more, give us a call—our Personal Health Advocates are happy to assist you!