<p>It doesn't matter what you have to sell if you and your employees are not well.&nbsp; Here are a couple of suggestions to keep you and your employees healthy, by not waiting until you become ill.</p> <ul> <li><strong>If you smoke anything, stop now!&nbsp;</strong> We all know that it's not easy to stop, but people must if they are to maintain their health over the long term.&nbsp; Get the nicotine gum or patch.&nbsp; They can be purchased at your local Costco, and they don't require a prescription.&nbsp; However, don't continue to smoke and chew the gum or use the patch.&nbsp; Tell your friends and family that you've quit, and ask them for their support.&nbsp; Don't hang around people who smoke, period.</li> <li><strong>Watch what you eat!</strong>&nbsp; Pay attention to the amount of salt in the food you eat, whether you eat it at home or away.&nbsp; An example- regular soy sauce is loaded with sodium; a tablespoon has about half of the limit of salt you should be consume over the course of the whole day!&nbsp; Eat lowfat or nofat dairy or meat products.&nbsp; Bake or broil any meat you consume, instead of frying, and if you eat out a lot, request informaton about how the food you consume away from home is fixed.&nbsp; If you like turkey/chicken, remove the skin prior to eating it.&nbsp; Use olive oil or Canola oil, but watch how much of those you use.&nbsp; The point is to avoid saturated fats, often found in animal products.</li> <li><strong>Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.</strong>&nbsp; Spring is here, and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables will start becoming available in your local story or the nearby farmer's market.&nbsp; When you consume fruits and vegies, make sure that they are colorful!</li> <li><strong>Get 30 minutes of exercise on as many days of the week </strong><strong>as you can.</strong>&nbsp; Try walking, doing the lawn, gardening, introducing yourself to your neighbors, etc.&nbsp; While at work, take some short breaks over the course of the day.&nbsp; Do something that you enjoy and do it with a group of friends who enjoy the same experience.</li> <li><strong>Look for things to laugh at.</strong>&nbsp; Recent research into the benefits of having a good laugh are very encouraging that there are significant benefits to it.&nbsp; Request your employees to bring in their favorite cartoons from the paper, or tell their favorite new joke on the company intranet.</li> <li><strong>Deal with the stress you feel.</strong>&nbsp; There is now no question but that stress is a killer.&nbsp; The hormones that allowed our predecessors to survive a hostile environment are still present in our bodies; the so-called "fight or flight" hormones.&nbsp; Don't add to your stress burden; calm down.&nbsp; Did someone cut you off in traffic today?&nbsp; You probably aren't going to change their behavior by doing the same to them.&nbsp; Talk yourself down.&nbsp; Are you feeling angry at someone?&nbsp; Take a "time out," a short break (10-15 minutes) away from the conflict to cool down, and then come back ready to resolve it.</li> <li>These suggestions are just scratching the surface to ways to enjoy a long and healthy life.&nbsp; If you'd like to hear more, let us know.&nbsp; Our company is Valley Wellness, and our motto is <strong>"Our Business Keeps Your Employees- and your bottom line- Healthy!"</strong></li> </ul> 2009-03-23T17:30:15Z -9.70279 128 3798 true 6 28248 stay-healthy-in-tough-times 2 2009-04-03T04:00:00Z 2009-04-02T22:31:55Z

The most precious resources in your business is not your widgets, but the health of your employees and yourself.

1 2009-04-02T22:31:55Z