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Working out at work
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Can you spare 10 minutes for your health? Read the guide below to learn about how simple exercises like walking and stretching can improve your day and your well-being.
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| About Us | |
A not-for-profit ministry of
Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust Inc.
Church of the Brethren Insurance Services provides ancillary coverage for ministers and other employees of congregations, districts, and camps.
Medical and ancillary plans are available to Brethren-affiliated employer groups.
Long-Term Care Insurance is available for all members of the Church of the Brethren, their family and friends, and employees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated agencies, organizations, colleges, and retirement communities. |
Contact Us
1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
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Greetings!
Happy Easter! The buds and blooms on flowers, bushes, and trees this time of year provide a beautiful symbol of Christ's resurrection.
Speaking of trees, isn't it time to think about how much they offer us? National Arbor Day, a 140-year-old tradition of planting and celebrating trees, is on April 27. Read the article below to learn about a few ways you can conserve our leafy natural resources --- like registering to receive Brethren Benefit Trust's newsletters electronically.
There are plenty of things to stress out about in April, like tax day and spring allergies that might affect your health. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield offers an online health coach application called Relax that can help you eliminate stress symptoms from your life. De-stress your days by following the instructions below.
 A great way to eliminate stress is by walking. Please join Brethren Insurance Services and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and participate in National Walk @ Lunch Day! On April 25 at noon, workers across the nation will turn their lunch break into an exercise break by walking with their friends and colleagues. Will you join them? Email insurance@cobbt.org for helpful materials that you can use to host National Walk @ Lunch Day at your workplace. Brethren Insurance Services will host its own National Walk @ Lunch Day event on April 25 at noon at the Church of the Brethren General Offices at 1505 Dundee Ave. in Elgin, Ill. If you live in the area, please join us! Suggested walking maps, healthful snacks, and water will be provided. Happy walking!
May the spirit of rebirth fill your month with fresh beginnings, firm steps, and new experiences!
Scott, Tammy, and Connie
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 Going green at work, at home, and with BBT | |
Taking care of God's creation is a mission near and dear to the Church of the Brethren community. After all, Genesis 2:15 reads, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." What can you do to help protect the trees, water, and air that we have been entrusted to protect?
One way you can help Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust save natural resources is by choosing to receive its quarterly newsletter, Benefit News, via email rather than paper. BBT can also send you news briefs and its Annual Report via email, too. Just visit www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/green and complete the brief form found there.
What are some other ways you can conserve the earth's limited resources?
Turn off the lights
- Turn off the lights if you plan to leave a room for more than 15 minutes.
- Install motion sensors or timers on outside lights instead of leaving them on continuously.
- Take advantage of the natural light that comes into your home and office by placing seats near windows.
Use electronics efficiently
- Plug electronics into power strips and turn them off when you are done using them.
- Set computers to sleep mode when you are not using them to save 70 percent more energy.
- Recycle electronics that you do not need anymore, or donate them to organizations such as www.techsoup.org. Charities like TechSoup will refurbish the items and donate them to people in need.
Use less paper
- Print on both sides of the page or use the back side of scrap or fax paper to print.
- Buy chlorine-free paper made from recycled materials. Look for paper made of "post-consumer recycled" materials or "post-consumer waste."
- Buy paper made from bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, or kenaf, a rapidly renewable plant-based fiber.
 - When visiting a copy store, ask the clerk to use 100 percent recycled paper.
- Reduce font sizes and decrease line spacing and margins to use less paper when printing.
- Send emails instead of sending paper copies.
- Stop junk mail, magazines, and newsletters by visiting www.newdream.org.
- Store documents electronically instead of printing them.
- Request that your bills be sent via email and pay them online.
Buy recycled
- Furnish your home or office with items made of wood from sustainable harvested forests. For information about these products, visit www.conservatree.org.
Conserve while you eat
- Bring reusable dishes, utensils, and glassware to work to eat meals.
- Bring food in reusable containers like lunch boxes and lidded plastic bowls.
- Buy organic food and support your local food market.
- Use a water filter instead of buying bottled water.
Modify your commute
- Take public transportation such as the bus, subway, or train, if it is available in your area, or carpool with others.
- Try a car-sharing service such as www.zipcar.com.
- Rent a hybrid car when you go away on business and consider one next time you are purchasing a vehicle.
- If you live close to work, ride your bicycle or walk.
Green cleaning products
- Use nontoxic cleaning products and biodegradable soaps.
- Use cloth towels or paper towels made from organic or recycled materials.
- Use a "green" dry cleaner that only uses natural products.
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| Relax coaching session can help you manage your mood |
Traffic. Work. The in-laws' surprise visit. And life's big curveballs --- illness, divorce, financial issues, the death of a loved one. These are the kinds of events that result in stress. Stress can ravage sleep, your health, your weight, and more. We can't deflect your boss's Sunday morning calls or time-travel you through your commute, but Relax with 24/7 online Digital Health Coaching will give you the tools you need to identify and manage tension before it gets the upper hand.
Relax identifies your sources and symptoms of stress, and the solution for managing your individual situation --- such as stress resulting from work, school, family, health, relationships, and/or finances.
Relax emulates a health coaching session to deliver an individually tailored stress management plan. The plan teaches stress-coping skills and shows you how to reduce stress levels, along with managing the physical and psychological consequences of chronic stress and stress-related symptoms such as headaches, irritability, and sleep problems.
Relax is both interactive and dynamic --- offering tips, tools, and resources, such as iPod-enabled relaxation videos. The Relax intervention can also benefit you if you're already in therapy by providing a wealth of self-directed stress management skills. It addresses stress-related health issues such as weight, nutrition, smoking, depression, insomnia, and chronic conditions.
Find the way to cope today ---
- Go to www.highmarkbcbs.com .
- Complete the login process, entering your login ID and password. If you do not have a login ID and password, create one as instructed.
- Click Your Health.
- Click Improve Your Health.
- Click Manage Stress.
- Click Reduce Stress (the link near the blue chair icon).
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