Focus on Heart Health

Every Februray the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute promotes American Heart Month and encourages Americans to take care of themselves by engaging in heart healthy activities. "Heart-healthy living involves understanding your risk, making choices, and taking steps to reduce your chances of getting heart disease."

Making heart-healthy choices means:

Eating heart healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, while limiting saturated and trans fats and added sugars.
Engaging in regular physical activity. The more active you are, the more you will benefit. Aim for 150 minutes-300 minutes per week.
Consider healthy stress-reducing activities such as, talking to a professional counselor, practice meditation, try relaxation techniques, talk with your social support systems.
Prioritize quality sleep (7-9 hours for adults).

Upcoming Events

February 6 - Healthy Gardening Class (Virtual) @ 1pm
February 18 - Healthy Cooking Class (Virtual) @ 6pm
February 23 - Employee Fitness Class (Zumba) @6:30pm

Move More

Who doesn't love a free fitness opportunity? The YMCA is hosting a free six week RESET challenge that includes on-demand access to workouts, an encouraging community, and local events. The challenge begins on February 1st and is open to YMCA members and non-YMCA members. This is a great opportunity to get involved with a motivating community while participating in at-home workouts!

How to join:

Text RESET to 855-717-9622
Visit: https://ymcaknoxville.org/reset-challenge

Eat Well

Every five years the United Stated Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services updates the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The 2020-2025 guidelines have been released and the theme for this edition is "Make Every Bite Count". These are the first guidelines to focus on dietary patterns through life stages, acknowledging that dietary recommendations can vary by age. Americans can use these guidelines to develop dietary habits that emphasize balance over the lifespan.

The guidelines still contain the MyPlate recommends focuing on eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy products. They also outline the following:

Limit added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day
Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of calories per day
Limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day
Limit alocholic beverages (if consumed) to 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 drink or less a day for women

Recipe of the Month

Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Stew

Be Mindful

Have you been finding yourself in a funk latey? Does it seem like more often than not you wake up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning? Sleep and mental wellbeing are more connected than you may think. "The National Sleep Foundation advises that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night." Getting too little of sleep can affect your psychological state while mental health problems put individuals at risk of poor sleep patterns or disorders (Harvard Health Publishing, 2019).

Improving your sleep hygiene and bedtime habits can help you get better quality Zzzz's. Some examples include:

Create a realistic sleep schedule that you can stick to every day -even on the weekends
Invest in a quality mattress or pillow for ultimate comfort
Eliminate light pollution from the bedroom
Disconnect from technology at least 30 minutes before bed
Adjust the thermostat -the ideal sleeping temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit
Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bed

Wellness Warrior

The Wellness Warrior Award is given to individuals across campus who are nominated by their peers for leading by example and inspiring through action as they work to create a healthier lifestyle.

The Wellness Warrior award for the month of February is awarded to Jean Nelson. Jean works in the CAPS Outreach Center and has been apart of the UT family for a little over a year. In her free time, Jean enjoys making stained glass, punch needle embroidery, wool applique, pickleball, hiking, walking, and reading.

We asked Jean what inspires her to make healthy choices and live a healthy lifestyle and she shared that her 94 year old mother is a huge motivation. Her mother still goes out walking, does Tai Chi, and goes to exercise classes at the community where she lives. Jean attributes her love for walking and hiking to her mother. On days when Jean is working on campus you may find her walking around the track or trekking up and down the steps going up to The Hill on her lunch hour. "Since the pandemic began, I have worn out at least two pair of sneakers walking up and down teh road in my neighborhood."

Congratulations Jean, and thank you for being a model of health and wellness on UT's Campus.

Do you know someone who you feel is deserving of the Wellness Warrior award? Please fill out a nomination form to have their story told.

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