Franklin & Marshall College

New for 2012-13! Wellness Rewards Program

Maintain Your Weight 2012

It’s that time of year again! The holidays are already sneaking upon us and the feast-filled celebrations are about to begin. To encourage you to make healthy eating decisions during this time, Lighten Up Lancaster will be sending out newly designed e-newsletters on a weekly basis from November 19 through January.  Now is the time to register.  Please sign up to be on the mailing list by clicking the link provided at the bottom of this message. Included in the newsletters, you will see stress-busting tips, recipes, and weekly action items to help you maintain your weight over the holiday season.  By signing up, you will be asked to simply record your weight weekly, and upon completion of the 7 weeks, you will be asked to fill out an evaluation.  If you fill out the evaluation and turn it in, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of two $50 Sports Authority gift cards!  So, start your holiday season off right by keeping your health in check, and sign up for Maintain Your Weight today!  

Participation earns 10 points toward your Wellness Rewards.  At the end of the seven-week program, the Wellness Committee will prompt you to redeem your points by logging into your Highmark account, clicking on the activity tile for "Record date of employer sponsored weight management program completion" and recording the date.  It's that simple!  So get started by registering by following the hot-link below.

http://www.lightenuplancaster.org/Healthy-Eating/Maintain-Your-Weight.aspx

Holiday Healthy Eating Guide

Worried about putting on extra pounds during the temptations of the holiday season? Try some of the tips presented in this guide published by the American Heart Assoication.

More Healthy Eating & the Holidays

Did you know that you can access healthy recipes for the holidays ahead through your Highmark Wellness Rewards account? 

If you're looking for something different and healthy to serve yourself and Thanksgiving guests, plan ahead and check out the Healthy Living tab at the top of your Wellness Rewards account, slide down to "Improve Your Health" and click on "Recipes."  Hundreds of recipes -- beverages and breakfast to salads, sauces and side dishes -- will appear, and include nutritional information, healthy ingredients and preparations tip.  Your next holiday dessert could be a high-fiber Apple Oat Tart, or just-a-trace-of-fat Pumpkin Pound Cake, a version of Starbucks' recipe that will save 64 calories, 12 grams of fat, and 1.5 grams of saturated fat over the original.

Have you signed up for Lighten Up Lancaster's "Maintain Your Weight 2012" program?  Now is the time to register and get set to receive the first "Maintain Your Weight 2012" e-newsletter coming up next week, starting November 19 through January, by clicking on http://www.lightenuplancaster.org/Healthy-Eating/Maintain-Your-Weight.aspx.              

Participation in Maintain Your Weight 2012 earns 10 points toward your Wellness Rewards at the end of the seven-week program by logging into your Highmark Wellness Rewards account, clicking on the activity tile for "Record date of employer sponsored weight management program completion" and recording the date.

Here's how a few other Wellness Committee organized activities can be reported, using the "tiles" to redeem for rewards points for employer-sponsored programs:

Physical Challenge (10 pts.) –  "physical activity/fitness program"

Preventative Exams and Wellness Rewards

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to schedule regular checkups and preventative exams.  As you get out the 2013 calendar to start planning commitments for the new year, take some time to invest in yourself and schedule recommended exams.

Preventative exams help to maintain your body and good health throughout your entire lifetime. You'll also be investing in one of best methods to prevent illness from happening in the first place, and to detect a disease in the earliest stages so that it will not become serious enough to negatively affect your life.

When you're sick, you have no choice but to think about your health. However, with preventative care, you are in control to plan and follow through ahead of time. That's more convenient than dealing with an illness that could have been prevented.

Preventative exams, screenings, immunizations and flu shots are vital elements of F&M's employee Wellness Rewards program.  Employees can earn these points that add up quickly toward rewards:

Colorectal exam -- 20 points
Prostrate exam -- 10 points
Mammogram -- 10 points
OB/GYN exam -- 10 points
Vision exam -- 10 points
Dental exam -- 10 points
Preventative exam -- 10 points (other preventative exams that do not fall into the other categories, such as a bone density test for osteoporosis, or thyroid disease screening, or general physical checkup, for example)
Flu shot -- 10 points

As an investment, preventative care is worth the time and sacrifice to keep you and your family on the road to good health.

Highmark's Suggested Preventive Schedule

Here's Highmark's reference tool for suggestions on how often you should have physicals, screenings, procedures and immunizations:

New! Highmark's Running 101

Walk. Run a little. Then run a little more. Be a part of an exciting (and free!) physical activity program that helps you train for and run a 5K—Running 101. This progressive 10-week training approach provides weekly emails and step-by step training to help guide you in building confidence and physical endurance.

How it Works:

·         Running 101 is offered free of charge to members and non-members. Get your family and friends to train with you!

·         Access to the Training Guide that outlines each week’s 3 workouts

·         Receive weekly motivational emails

·         Download MP3’s with music to energize and guide you through your workouts

·         Connect with other runners through the Running 101 Facebook and Twitter pages

·         Opt-in to encouraging text messages

·         Get training tips from Lauren Fleshman, a world-class 5K runner and 2012 Team USA hopeful

Register today:

·         Visit www.highmark.com/running101. Be sure to register by June 15.

·         Select the June 25 training start date to prepare for the Charleston Distance Run 5K on Saturday, September 1.

·         Choose a training option – online, self-guided or  in-person with a “hands on” coach

Note: You must be 18 years of age to participate.

Questions?  Email

New! Circuit Training Program

Think that you don’t have time for a strength workout along with your aerobic program?  Looking for a new program?  Try this circuit program at the Alumni Sports and Fitness Center.

Assess Your Health

Use this Harvard Public School of Health site to find your future risk of heart attack, stroke, cancers of various sorts and diabetes and what if anything you can do to reduce your risk.  The risk factors for some diseases are well established  but are less well defined for other ones as you can see from the number of questions asked for each case.  There are some risk factors that you can control, e.g. smoking, and others that you cannot, e.g. your age & family history.  If you take all of the tests in one session (~ 15 minutes total),  the answers on one test are transferred to similar questions on the other tests so you can finish faster. Reminder: people should also keep their family doctor apprised of their risk factors and other pertinent information so that they can help them to make the best of their health.
 

Highmark Community-Based Programs

Fall 2012 schedules for community classes being offered by Highmark are now available here.