WOW –Workout of the Week: Mason Twists

This week’s workout is Mason Twists. Mason Twists are a great core exercise because they work your obliques and center abdominal muscles. Here’s how to do them:

·         Start out sitting on the floor with your knees bent so that you can place your feet flat on the ground. (You may want to use a yoga mat or towel for extra padding.)

·         Lean back so that your body is in a 45-degree angle, or until you start to feel your abdominal muscles tighten, while keeping your back straight. Raise your feet up until your lower legs are parallel to the floor.

·         Balancing your weight on your glutes, bend your elbows and clasp your hands together in front of your chest.

·         Twist your torso to the right side and try to bring your hands as close as you can to the floor. Move only your upper body while keeping your abdominals engaged throughout the motion.

·         Finally, twist over to the left side and bring your hands toward the floor. Avoid using momentum – be sure to control the motion. To complete one set, continue twisting from the right to the left side.

·         Try doing 2 sets of 30 twists (15 on each side).

For added difficulty, hold some weight (like a medicine ball or light dumbbell) in your hands while twisting. Try adding 10-15 Mason Twists to your sets each day this week! 

We hope you’ll try Mason Twists over the weekend and then build them into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.  

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.

Ask a Health Advocate: How can quitting tobacco help my heart?

What is the leading cause of death of smokers aged 35 or older?  If you answered lung cancer, you’d be wrong.  Heart disease claims more smokers’ lives every year than lung cancer.  

Cigarette smoking is the main preventable cause of death and illness in the U.S.

To reduce your risk of heart disease and other health conditions, it’s important to quit tobacco as well as aim to reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke.

Smoking harms your heart

The chemicals in tobacco smoke hurt your heart and blood vessels in many ways.  Here are a few examples:

·     Stresses your heart. Smoking raises your blood pressure and heart rate, making your heart work harder than normal.  Over time, this stress can weaken your heart, making it less able to pump blood to other parts of the body. This increases risk of heart disease, including heart attacks.

·     Thickens your blood. Smoking makes your blood thicker, making it more difficult for your blood to carry oxygen. It can also increase your chance of forming blood clots that block blood flow to your heart and brain. Over time, thick blood can damage blood vessel walls, increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke.

·     Increase fatty deposits. Smoking lowers your HDL cholesterol (sometimes called "good" cholesterol) and raises your LDL cholesterol (sometimes called "bad" cholesterol). Smoking also increases your triglyceride level. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. Over time, these fats narrow the arteries and block normal blood flow to the heart and brain, which may cause a heart attack or stroke. 

How you can reduce your heart disease risk

Quitting smoking reduces your heart disease risk immediately, and your risk continues to decrease over time.

·     Your risk is cut in half 1 year after quitting. If you have not developed heart disease within 15 years of quitting, your risk is nearly the same as the risk in someone who has never smoked.

·     Deaths from heart disease are reduced by one-third in people who quit smoking compared with people who continue smoking. Repeat heart attacks are reduced by about the same amount.

·     Lower risk of sudden cardiac death, second heart attacks, and death from other chronic diseases for those who already have heart disease

·     Your risk of atherosclerosis and blood clots declines over time after you quit smoking. Atherosclerosis is a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Quitting tobacco isn’t easy, but it can be done with the right resources and support. In fact, there are more former smokers – nearly 50 million -- than current smokers in the U.S.  Are you ready to put out that last cigarette? If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, call your Wellness Coach and ask how you can quit. If you are not a Health Advocate member, we encourage you to check out the free tobacco cessation resources available on smokefree.gov. 

Have a question for a Health Advocate? Email nhess@healthadvocate.com, and your question may be the topic of an upcoming “Ask a Health Advocate” column!

Seasonal depression got you down? Your Employee Assistance Program can help

For those who suffer from it, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, often occurs at the same time every year. With seasonal depression, you may notice symptoms starting in the fall and lasting into the winter months, leaving you feeling drained and moody. In most cases, symptoms of seasonal depression seem to alleviate during the sunnier days of spring and summer. However, some people report having the opposite pattern of symptoms, where the depression actually begins in the spring or summer.

What causes seasonal affective disorder?

The cause of SAD remains unknown, but the Mayo Clinic suggests that a few factors may be responsible:

·         Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight during fall and winter may disrupt your body's internal clock, which lets you know when you should sleep or be awake. This disruption of your circadian rhythm may lead to feelings of depression.

·         Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a chemical in the brain that affects mood, might play a role in seasonal affective disorder. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.

·         Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the natural hormone melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

But there is good news for those suffering from SAD: Your Employee Assistance Program is available to help you!

How EAP can help

Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs, are benefit programs offered by many employers to help their employees deal with personal problems that might impact work performance, health and well-being. EAPs are intended to help when someone is struggling with an emotional hardship, like seasonal depression, and can provide short-term counseling as well as referral services.

EAP counselors can usually address the following:

·         Stress, depression, anxiety

·         Marital issues, relationships, family/parenting issues

·         Work conflicts

·         Anger, grief, loss of a loved one

·         Drug and alcohol abuse

Another great thing about EAP programs is that they are generally provided at no cost to you. Your employer usually takes on the cost of these programs, offering them as a free benefit to help employees. If you’re worried about privacy, don’t be—the EAP counselors will keep your conversations confidential, and they won’t share the information with your employer.

If you are a Health Advocate member with access to our EAP+Work/Life service, lean on us for assistance issues like mental illness, stress-related illness, substance abuse, work-related problems, family-related problems and more. Additionally, our EAP+Work/Life service can make referrals for long-term care, such as counseling, when appropriate. Our EAP+Work/Life service can help you handle your personal issues so that you can be happier, less stressed, and more productive.

Additional resources for help

If you or someone you know is suffering from seasonal depression, but don’t have access to an Employee Assistance Program, there are many other resources available. The following websites are full of information and resources to help you:

Mayo Clinic:

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Lifestyle and home remedies

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Treatment Works: Get Help for Depression and Anxiety

National Institute of Mental Health:

Prevention Education

National Institute of Mental Health:

Women and Mental Health

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

The NAMI Information Helpline

Ask a Health Advocate: What are some healthy activities to do with a loved one this Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is a holiday designed to show your loved ones how much you care about them. But is sending your significant other a box of sugary sweets or taking them out to eat an unhealthy meal the best way to say “I love you”? This year, be heart-healthy and switch things up by trying one of these good-for-you Valentine’s Day ideas:

·         Sweet doesn’t only mean chocolate. Rather than tempting your loved one with a box of chocolates, give them a healthy, refreshing snack like an edible fruit arrangement.

·         Go on an active date. The whole purpose of Valentine’s Day is spending time together, so why not do something active like ice skating, a trial yoga class, bowling, or dancing? The possibilities are endless!

·         Cook a romantic candle-lit dinner or a healthy dessert. Find a heart-healthy recipe online that you want to cook for your valentine. Check out these recipes from the American Heart Association.

·         Look for healthy menu options. If you do decide to go out to eat, make an effort to order healthy choices like these.

·         Go for a romantic walk. Whether it’s strolling through the local park at sunset, visiting a local arboretum, or going for an after-dinner walk around the lit-up city, walking is a great way to spend quality time together as well as burn a few extra calories.

·         Organize a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt. This activity gives you an opportunity to not only be creative and walk around, but can impress your significant other with the time and effort you put into it.

Use this Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to tell your loved ones how much you care, and do activities that support each other’s health and wellness. Remember, if you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, you can call your Wellness Coach for more healthy activity ideas!

Have a question for a Health Advocate? Email nhess@healthadvocate.com, and your question may be answered in an upcoming column!