Wellness Articles! – In The News – In The Know

Lots of good stuff in the news this past week that I want to share!

• Skeptical that Massage Therapy is just for indulging? Think Again! Read about how routine massage can lower your stress.  “Swedish Massage Could Lower Stress Hormone Cortisol: Study“

 

• More news about how on the job wellness programs can help to reduce costs and improve productivity! “Why Working Out At Work Can Work!” (This article is from Medpage Today – if you are not already a current user, you will have to register. Registration is free! And, they have many great articles – I encourage you to sign up). 

 

• “How The “Fiscall Cliff” Affects Healthcare” (Medpage Today)

 

• Great Op-ed/Blog about Motivation! “We Should, But We Don’t” (Also from Medpage Today)

 

Enjoy! Keep Motivated! Happy Thursday!

Yoga, Massage on the job – Oh My!

I love this article! I truly hope more and more employers will encourage healthy habits and introduce more on the job modalities of stress reducing outlets whether that be through yoga, massage, meditation, exercise, health discussions and more. 

I have the wonderful opportunity of teaching yoga and providing massage to various companies. It not only helps with the health of employees but it also boosts morale and appreciation of the employers.  I encourage everyone to contact their HR department and heads of companies to voice your opinions and desires of on the job health offerings – it is truly not just a luxury but it’s a win win for both sides, encouraging positive, healthy living and reduces health care costs as well! Show them this article and plant the seed! 🙂

Yoga On Commission: More Employers Pay For Good Health Habits

By Jessica Stoller-Conrad August 10, 2012

Health risk questionnaires and other wellness programs are becoming a popular way for employers to encourage employee health and, ultimately, reduce health care costs. (grandaded/iStockphoto.com)

If you feel like your employer is more interested in your health lately, you’re probably right.

The Affordable Care Act encourages more employers to offer health insurance plans to their employees. But poor health habits and preventable illnesses are adding to the expense of these plans for employers. A recent survey suggests that, increasingly, employers are seeking to cut healthcare costs from the bottom up — by directly addressing the health habits of their employees.

“[Improving employee health] is the only meaningful way to reduce healthcare costs … and the first step in the process is to motivate employees and their families to participate in health and wellness programs,” says Jim Winkler, chief information officer of health and benefits at Aon Hewitt, the consultancy that did the survey.

Aon Hewitt asked 1,800 employers in the United States about the health programs they currently offer, and those that they plan to offer in the future. They found that health risk questionnaires, which are surveys meant to raise awareness of health issues among employees, were the most common health program, offered by 68 percent of employers in 2012.

Quite unsurprisingly, cash and reduced premiums seem to be the best motivators for health program participation. Companies that offer financial incentives for employees to take part in the questionnaires see an average of 84 percent participation, the study reports.

However, filling out a questionnaire doesn’t necessarily translate to improved health habits, and many employers want to go a step further, Winkler says. “Employers are beginning to move beyond incentives associated with a specific action to ‘I really want to award you for taking initial action in improving your health and achieving results,'” he says.

Charting weight loss and assigning health coaches seem a bit intrusive, but Winkler says that it pays for employers to be involved. “Employers are really beginning to focus on the fact that employee health or the lack of employee health is really a big issue for the success of the business,” he says. “[They’re] spending a lot of money on health care and health-related absenteeism. We need to change that dynamic.”

The study reports that employers are also offering more diverse health-related initiatives in 2012; sponsored fitness challenges, stress reduction techniques, and smoking cessation programs are all growing trends for employers.

Some companies may even deny insurance discounts to employees who make bad health choices, but Winkler says that incentives are meant to be available for any employee,regardless of health status. “It’s about rewarding people who take their own health seriously; it’s not about punishing people who are sick,” he says.

And until healthcare costs subside, employers will keep trying to boost their bottom line through improving employee health habits. “Employers are rapidly looking at an array of tactics … [finding] what’s the right mix of carrots and sticks to get the right behavior they need,” Winkler says.

View original article at NPR.org

Listen & Pay Attention!…..Do Something!

I’m sure we all have heard this phrase, “Listen! Pay Attention!” Likely from a teacher in grade school when you’re doing just the opposite, or from your parents or significant other. But, as kids we are rarely ever taught to listen and pay attention to ourselves.

One true aim of yoga, and one thing that it has helped me with over the years, is trying to cultivate self-awareness – to listen and pay attention to your self… thought patterns, behaviors, actions, symptoms, dreams and aspirations.  (It’s an on-going, challenging process). We all get those red flags when something is or isn’t right. Whether that be entering into a relationship when you know you probably shouldn’t, deciding to take a positive leap of faith even though you’re nervous and scared, but you have a gut feeling that it is the right thing to do and it will make you happy. Or, listening and paying attention to your body when it just isn’t feeling right. Sometimes, even after we listen and pay attention we don’t necessarily do anything, or make the best decision. We often ignore and ignore until the same situation is then exacerbated leading to a larger problem.

About a month ago my hamstrings were yelling, “Hey, we are tight!!!” I listened and paid attention yet didn’t do much about it.  Now, my knees are yelling, “Hey, we are tight, stiff, swollen and a bit bruised down here! – help!!!” I noticed my knees yelling at me yesterday – on my day of rest. I looked in the mirror and saw that they were a bit inflamed on the backside. I had a quick freak out moment thinking that maybe I was developing a tumor or blood clot or something tragic. Then I became rational and started to try and put the pieces together. I have been increasing my personal yoga practice and teaching more yoga, in addition to more walking because it’s summer and standing when giving massage. I then, remembered my hamstrings! (That I previously ignored 😦 ) and that it is likely the culprit for my knee discomfort and inflammation.

The hamstrings are made up of three muscle groups, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and the semimembranosus. They originate at your ischial tuberosity, commonly referred to as your ‘sits bones’, and they attach right behind the knee, making them a key component of knee stability.  When tight, overstretched and often weak they can cause strain and pulling on the knee capsule and joint resulting in pain, inflammation and bruising – exactly what I have! 😦

So, what do I do? I could a. keep on ignoring it and continue my current routine. Or, b. I can do something about it! This is exactly what I’m doing starting with:

1. Ice!!! – To reduce inflammation. While in bed last night, I elevated my knees and iced them as I did some deep breathing. Thankfully, since I’m a massage therapist, when I came to work this morning, I had all the necessary equipment to ice again at work – every four hours for 15 minutes. I would encourage anyone rehabbing an injury to bring ice packs to work with them if there’s a freezer on site.
2. Contrast Therapy – I also will do contrast therapy in which you alternate heat, ice, heat, ice, heat, ice (always ending in ice). This helps to stimulate blood and lymph circulation and increases the healing process.
3. Massage – Something that I should have been focusing on more when I noticed my hamstrings becoming really tight. I try to receive massage regularly, at least every two weeks; however, I wasn’t focusing specifically on my hamstrings and surrounding areas (hip flexors, gluteus, low back and lower legs). So, now that will all change. I booked a massage with one of my favorite therapists next week who does zero balancing and will also have him focus on really just rejuvenating the area with more superficial work and kneading techniques to bring blood flow and circulation to the area instead of deep tissue work.
4. Acupuncture – I also receive acupuncture regularly, every two weeks. I usually get treated for my menstrual cycle, allergies and stress. For my next sessions, I will have her focus on my current issues along with other points that she thinks may be beneficial. One thing that I thought was interesting was about a month ago, I received a bruise from one of the points – something that has never! happened.  Then, this week I received another bruise yet quite smaller on the other leg in the same point. I was a bit concerned because it is one of the main acu points that stimulates blood flow. Yet, reflecting perhaps it’s because of some stagnation that’s going on in my legs (since it’s on the medial portion of my thigh close to my knee). Just a theory. But, I’ll be keeping an eye out to see what happens.
5. Strength Exercises – strengthening my hamstrings, quads, hip flexors and calves will lead to increased support for my knees.
6. Castor Oil Heat Pack – I have never tried one of these before, however, many naturopathic and ayurvedic practitioners recommend it to reduce inflammation and toxins and increase circulation especially of the lymphatic system. So, we’ll see how that goes! If anyone has tried this and has any tips – let me know!
7. Rest and decreasing activity – I don’t want to overdue it, and with any new injury rest is key, so I am going to ease up a bit on my personal practice. In addition, I will be making sure that I’m not hyper-extending my hamstrings by keeping a bend in my knees especially in forward folds.

So, after listening, paying attention to my body this is my plan to do something about it! Hopefully all of this self care works – I’ll keep you posted!