HEALTHY YOU!

WINTER 2011

What is a healthy me? According to „the charts‟, I should weigh this much for my height. Next, „they say‟ I need to load up on antioxidants (what is an antioxidant?), eat 3 to 6 times a day, avoid bad snacking, and watch out for those nasty white foods like salt, sugar, carbs (white bread, white pasta, white rice etc.). Oh yeah, and drink green tea (the stuff tastes like watered soil); sleep more, exercise more, the list goes on and on.

With the New Year, underway many people tend to make resolutions about „diet‟. For many of us it‟s a powerful and negative four-letter word. It implies that fun food is on hold, that lifestyle restrictions are the order of the day and that eating well means giving up good taste. With stressors like these the desire to cheat or fall off a new program can be quite strong.

Taking that first step towards being a healthy you may be daunting. That is why this quarter‟s newsletter is dedicated to giving you information and tips to maintain and enjoy a healthy you.

Tip #1 Reflect on your personal health goals. Write them down. Break them into small achievable goals and review them regularly. Small changes can bring long term gains. Tip #2 Focus on other measures of success other than weight management. Think about your heart health, food choices, mobility, „free time‟, mental and personal development. Tip #3 Have more fun. Be around people and activities that make you laugh and smile. Tip #4 Start your day with a nutritious breakfast – you‟ll have more energy. Tip #5 Eat smaller meals more frequently – spread your calories out, and surround yourself with healthy snacks – nuts, fruit, yogurt, humus, and veggies. Tip #6 Take the time to eat; it takes 20 minutes for a "full" signal to reach your brain. Tip #7 Do not perform other activities while you are eating. Tip #8 Think about the foods that satiate your desires, not the guilt laden ones. Tip #9 Read labels. Low fat foods often have increased sugar levels. Tip #10 Get a good night‟s sleep. Tip #11 De-clutter the clutter – get rid of stuff you no longer enjoy, use, or doesn‟t fit.

Did you know that on Manulife‟s website there is a free Health Risk Assessment Tool for BCIT employees and family members? The tool measures 12 risk factors and can assist you in becoming a healthier you. You can access the tool at www.manulife.com. Manulife also sponsors “Health eLinks”; a library of informative articles to help you with your health questions. For more information, see HR‟s website. In addition, Shepell.fgi has a nutrition support service, which offers a proactive self-care approach to wellness. They can provide you with a self-directed package of tips, information, and resources. The experts say that it takes 30 days of repetitive behaviour to invoke a new habit and change behaviours. The benefits for healthy changes are endless; you may reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other medical conditions. Adopt preventable measures that discourage the onset of diabetes, improve mental and physical flexibility, increase your energy level and create better sleep patterns.

5ive Forward-Well Being Safety Growth

Job Satisfaction Celebration

In This Issue: Healthy You

Walk the Walk

De-cluttering

Eating @ Your Desk

No Rest for The Wicked

That‟s It, I Quit!

HEALTHY BCIT

One of the easiest ways to make a healthy lifestyle change is to simply put one foot in front of the other; that‟s right, to just walk! Walking is the easiest and cheapest way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. By walking 30 minutes each day, you can reduce health risks while improving your physical stamina and getting fresh air. As an added bonus, the exposure to natural daylight (Vitamin D) will improve your brain function and increase your energy. So crank up those tunes in your mp3 player, cell phone, or the ones floating around in your head, and step out into the world. The Challenge:

Choose one trip each day to walk instead of ride. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little further away from your destination. Take a walking break as your coffee break. Take smaller steps for faster weight loss; more

strides means calories burned. Seek out the pathways, and trails in your

community, and then use them! Schedule a walking meeting with coworkers

Did you know you can check out how far you have walk? Go to Google Earth and zoom into the BCIT campus. The current version enables you to create paths, and provides you with information, such as the length when you select the path. Thanks to Bob Harrower from BCIT Geomatics for telling us about this groovy tool.

“I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.” ~ Joan Rivers

January is over and the glorious days of Spring are just around the corner. Even some of the bulbs are popping up! Along with the change in season, comes longer days. Longer days mean more light to see the stuff we have lingering around our yards, our houses, and our garages. Clutter is visible everywhere. Most people have a clutter problem. Whether your relatives are coming for the weekend, you are planning to move, or you are done with being overwhelmed about your cluttered home, there are many resources out there that can help you clear clutter and get organized. De-cluttering has physical and mental attributes that give us peace of mind, and the freedom to get on with more important and fun things that come our way. Google “de-cluttering checklist” to get started!

WALK THE WALK We have a WINNER!!!

Remember the Walk This Way Competition that started over 2 years ago? We had 13 teams sign up. One by one, it appears that many teams are enjoying a new big city or exploring a one horse town and have not moved on. Perhaps they have found a new adventure! We are pleased to announce the Tony O‟Kelly, Library Services, reached Halifax in May 2010! Right on his heels are Kelly Minato and Karen Edmonds. As this BCIT Challenge is taking a little longer than anticipated, the top three remaining teams and the top individual steppers will lunch in February to celebrate their success. Way to go Tony!

De-Cluttering Good For Your Sanity

If you simply cannot spare yourself 15 minutes to eat at the lunchroom, here are some tips to consider:

Watch what you eat. Choose moderate sized meals. Pack your lunch. Bring food from home that includes

optimal choices from the Canada Food guide. Keep your lunch in an insulated bag with an ice pack. Get up and move. Disinfect your desk once a day. Refrain from touching your phone, keyboard and/or mouse

while eating. Use a placemat. Eat with a friend. It gives you a break and time to interact

socially. Change the habit. Get away from your workspace-You

deserve it! ~Article modified due to space. Originally written by Heather Hatfield, WebMD feature December 2010

Winter 2011

Tips For Desk Diners

Lunch at your desk again?

Tips to make it healthier.

Do you eat at your desk? You are not alone. Many employees often eat at their desk three to four times a week. They are “just too busy” to take a healthy break. It‟s not unusual for employees to wander down to the cafeteria and pick up some fast food that is quick to scarf down while preparing for their next meeting or activity. Have you ever thought about the food safety problems that may come along with this habit? "The desk was not designed to be an eating place," says Rick Hall, RD, MS, a faculty member at Arizona State University in Phoenix, "so spending your lunch hour in front of your computer brings with it a number of issues." So what are the hungry and overworked to do? Here are some desk-dining tips from experts, and reasons not to eat while you work. When eating at your desk:

1. You are not focused on your food. Instead, you‟re sending emails, answering the phone, shuffling paper – distractions that result in overeating.

2. You are sitting in front of your computer for eight hours instead of seven. Why not take a short walk!

3. You are creating a bacteria cafeteria! Food gets left out, food temperature changes compromise safety. Did you know that there could be 400x more bacteria on your desk than on your toilet?

4. You are increasing your desktop dirt! Check out the “snow”storm falling out of your keyboard!. Your phone, desktop, mouse and computer in that order are the worst cootie collectors!

“Walking is man‟s best medicine” Hippocrates

No Rest For The Wicked NOT!!

Sleep, is it overrated? Well think again. We all know we need sleep, but what we may not be aware of is the amount of sleep the average person needs. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, on average, we need 7.5 to 8.5 hours sleep daily. An ironic twist is that you can have sleep debt but not sleep surplus! People try to pay off their “sleep debt”

by sleeping in on their days off, but this is not effective. Sleep regenerates certain parts of our body; especially the brain. The short-term effects of sleep deprivation are fatigue, irritability, stress, and unnecessary mistakes. The long-term effects are a weakened immune system, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, and weight gain. According to researchers at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin there is a correlation between obesity and sleep deprivation. The research shows that 63% of Americans declare that they are not getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night. Amazingly, 65% of Americans are overweight or obese (Source: usatoday.com, 12/06/2004). Is that a coincidence? Perhaps, but getting quality sleep on a daily basis should be at the top of your to do list. There are many reasons for sleep deprivation. The most common are: lack of time, depression, repeatedly waking up, medication, and lack of exercise. Things we can do to help prevent sleep deprivation are: limit caffeine and alcohol intake, learn relaxation techniques, change your sleeping environment, change dietary habits, avoid sleeping pills, and avoid reading, or watching TV in bed. By recognizing these signs, you may prevent long term effects.

Important Dates: February 4-Red Dress Day February 11-Whole Body Health at DTC February 14-Valentine‟s Day February 17-Convocation Ceremony February 23-Pink Shirt Anti-bullying Day February 23-President‟s Open Forum March 2-Big Info Session Did you know that you can rent outdoor equipment from the BCIT Recreation Services Office? Snowshoes are only $6.00 for the day! For more activities, call their office at 604 432 8612 or check out: http://www.bcit.ca/files/recreation/febtomay2011publiccalendar.pdf To learn more regular happenings focussed on your health and wellness, check out the BCIT Calendar of Events at http://www.bcit.ca/calendar/main.php Your Challenge: Human Resources challenge all employees to have a hearing test, offered free through Occupational Health & Safety. Make an appointment by calling 604 432 8712. All participants will be eligible to enter a monthly draw. This contest runs February, March, and April 2011.

THAT’S IT, I QUIT!

BCIT‟s quit smoking program began during Healthy Workplace Month. Weekly meetings were scheduled to help participants and to invest them with information and resources, such as; fun Quit Kits, visits from the

BC Lung Association, and one of BCIT‟s Physicians from Student Health Services. Participants discussed what to expect, who to turn to for support, and the various prescription and non-prescription cessation aids

available.

A highlight was the carbon monoxide testing by the BC Lung Association. By blowing into a monitor,

participants were able to see their levels of carbon monoxide decrease – a positive effect of quitting smoking.

BCIT‟s inaugural 10-week That’s It, I

Quit! ran from October 6 to December

15, 2010. 9 BCIT employees registered

and 6 are still smoke free!

Hip-hip-hooray!

The next session kicks off in April 2011

LIVE WELL

BCIT EVENTS & ACTIVITIES