Working Towards Wellness

In the spirit of our wellness challenge, here are some easy ways for all of us to get active at work!

12 EASY WAYS TO GET ACTIVE AT WORK!

1. WEAR A PEDOMETER AT WORK. Since every step counts, wearing a

pedometer is wonderful motivator to move more during your workday.

2. WALK AROUND THE OFFICE. There’s no need to sit still while you talk on

the phone or think. Pacing and fidgeting are physical activity.

3. WALK AROUND THE BUILDING. Sometimes a face-to-face talk is the best

way to communicate (and it gets you up and moving around).

4. WALK UP (AND DOWN) THE STAIRS. If you have a choice, always take the

stairs. If you have stairs, take as many trips up and down as possible.

5. WALK AROUND THE BLOCK. Got a coffee break? Got a few free minutes?

Take a walk outside and get some fresh air (and extra steps).

6. WALK AND TALK. Need to discuss something with a co-worker? A walking

meeting can be more productive and healthier too!

7. LIFT WEIGHTS WHILE YOU TALK. Keep a weight near the telephone;

pick it up when you get a call and pump your arms while you talk.

8. TAKE A WEIGHT BREAK. Feeling tired and bogged down? Take five

minutes to lift your hand weights and get your blood flowing.

9. WORK YOUR ABS. You can strengthen tummy muscles while sitting in a

chair. Sit straight, tighten muscles and release. Repeat.

10. STRETCH YOUR ARMS AND LEGS. Stuck at your desk? Use a resistance

band for a five minute stretch. Your mind and body will be more flexible.

11. STRETCH YOUR STRESS AWAY. Tension in your shoulders, neck and back

is easy to release with standing stretches and a resistance band.

12. CHECK YOUR PEDOMETER. How many steps do you take during a typical workday?

Any ideas for adding a few more steps here or there.

Challenge yourself to make healthy choices

The Get Active campaign is a part of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work program, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Get Active initiative is coordinating a county-wide wellness challenge, and all Wood County businesses, organizations and community members are invited to participate.

The challenge will begin Monday and run through July 24. Consider forming a team of family, friends or co-workers or participating on your own to challenge yourself to make healthy choices. If on a team, you only can have a total of five members. If there are more than five, please form another team. This challenge will focus on three aspects of your health: physical, social and mental. We encourage a team-centered approach, which will help motivate and keep team members accountable.

Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the challenge. There's no better time than now. Let's Get Active Wood County. If you, your business or organization is interested in signing up or for more information, call Kayleen Magruder, 715-221-8474 or email magruder.kayleen@marshfieldclinic.org.

Originally posted in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune and other papers around the state, 11:00pm Jun. 17 2011.

Wellness Challenge dares Wood County residents to stay fit

Marshfield News Herald- February 4, 2011
Kirsten Sebold has an idea for her fellow teammates on the Wood County Wellness Challenge -- they all could go cross-country skiing together.

"It's really fun, we should do it," said Sebold's teammate Jodi Ertl.

Diane Fehrenbach, another teammate, looked down at her card of wellness activities and said, "Now we're talking about it."

Not only are they talking about skiing together, they're talking about bowling, tubing and snowshoeing -- a host of activities the five team members wouldn't have talked about before joining the wellness challenge.

Sebold, Fehrenbach, Ertl, Ben Corcoran and Josh Nagel are teachers or counselors at Auburndale Elementary School and are one of three teams from the school that have enlisted in the Wood County Wellness Challenge, which began Feb. 1 and runs through April.

"The goal of the challenge is to help them make healthy choices every day," said Amber Engen, a coordinator of the Wellness Challenge at Marshfield Clinic. Participants can be teams or individuals, but they had to join the challenge before it started.

About 60 teams in the Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids areas are competing against one another in the challenge by using bingo cards that assign an activity for the next three months.

February is the Moves month and encourages teams to dance for 10 minutes, go ice skating or play a Wii Fit for at least 30 minutes. In March, teams are challenged to drink green tea, eat whole grains or try skim milk.

Finally, in April, the teams can mix up the activities and attempt to go a full day without television, recycle or volunteer their time.

Each time a team or individual fills out their card, they can enter a prize drawing at the end of each month, Engen said. One of the prizes is a membership to a local gym.
The Auburndale school team members have different reasons for participating in the challenge, but they agree leading a healthier lifestyle is the central goal.

"I figure basically during the winter people are pretty sedentary and don't work out," Corcoran said. "It's nice to do something in a group and have it be physical."

There also is a benefit of doing a challenge like this in a group, Engen said. The Auburndale group plans on joining two other teams for a bowling match in order to knock off one of their bingo squares.

"They always say if you have other people to exercise with and do activities, it energizes you to do better," Sebold said. "We'll be more successful."

At the Opportunity Development Center in Marshfield, Kathy Becker is the team leader of the only client-based team for the nonprofit vocational service agency.
Every day she's encouraging team members Janet Winch, 55, and Sherry Fitzel, 50, to read food labels and eat healthier.

"It's kind of harder with getting that message across to people with disabilities," Fitzel said. "But we're trying to promote it and reinforce that they have fruits and veggies."

When Fitzel views one of the team members picking a healthy snack on their own, she points out that they've made a good choice.
Even once the challenge is over, there's no need to stop, Fehrenbach said.

"I'm making copies of my bingo cards so I can keep it going," she said.