Stay Healthy In Tough Times

It doesn't matter what you have to sell if you and your employees are not well.  Here are a couple of suggestions to keep you and your employees healthy, by not waiting until you become ill.

• If you smoke anything, stop now!  We all know that it's not easy to stop, but people must if they are to maintain their health over the long term.  Get the nicotine gum or patch.  They can be purchased at your local Costco, and they don't require a prescription.  However, don't continue to smoke and chew the gum or use the patch.  Tell your friends and family that you've quit, and ask them for their support.  Don't hang around people who smoke, period.
• Watch what you eat!  Pay attention to the amount of salt in the food you eat, whether you eat it at home or away.  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!  Eat lowfat or nofat dairy or meat products.  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.  If you like turkey/chicken, remove the skin prior to eating it.  Use olive oil or Canola oil, but watch how much of those you use.  The point is to avoid saturated fats, often found in animal products.
• Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.  Spring is here, and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables will start becoming available in your local story or the nearby farmer's market.  When you consume fruits and vegies, make sure that they are colorful!
• Get 30 minutes of exercise on as many days of the week as you can.  Try walking, doing the lawn, gardening, introducing yourself to your neighbors, etc.  While at work, take some short breaks over the course of the day.  Do something that you enjoy and do it with a group of friends who enjoy the same experience.
• Look for things to laugh at.  Recent research into the benefits of having a good laugh are very encouraging that there are significant benefits to it.  Request your employees to bring in their favorite cartoons from the paper, or tell their favorite new joke on the company intranet.
• Deal with the stress you feel.  There is now no question but that stress is a killer.  The hormones that allowed our predecessors to survive a hostile environment are still present in our bodies; the so-called "fight or flight" hormones.  Don't add to your stress burden; calm down.  Did someone cut you off in traffic today?  You probably aren't going to change their behavior by doing the same to them.  Talk yourself down.  Are you feeling angry at someone?  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.
• These suggestions are just scratching the surface to ways to enjoy a long and healthy life.  If you'd like to hear more, let us know.  Our company is Valley Wellness, and our motto is "Our Business Keeps Your Employees- and your bottom line- Healthy!"