Stages of Change: Keeping Motivated to Meet Goals

Try This! Workplace Wellness Tip:

Heart-Healthy Habits at Work

By Rachel Johnson, wellness account specialist

February is American Heart Month, and "Go Red for Women Day" falls on February 7, 2014. Support heart health within your organization by implementing a couple heart-healthy changes in February!

1. By making a simple change of removing the salt shakers from your lunch and break areas, you can help employees cut back on daily sodium intake. Replace salt shakers with sodium-free seasonings, pepper and herbs!

2. Encourage employees to take a heart-healthy break by finding volunteers within your company to be stretch leaders. Stretch leaders will gather troops once a day before, during, or after a shift to lead everyone in five minutes of stretching. A simple daily stretch break can build morale and help employees relieve stress, release tension and relax their minds.  

Welcome Vivian Onunkwo, MD, MSPH           

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Vivian Onunkwo to our team of Affinity Occupational Health physicians. Dr. Onunkwo provides work injury care, respiratory exams, hazardous materials surveillance, medical review for controlled substance testing, Department of Transportation physicals, fitness for duty examinations and return to duty examinations for all working men and women.

She has a special interest in work-related injury and care management and prevention. Her goal is to help employers and employees cultivate and maintain a healthy lifestyle in the workplace.

Dr. Onunkwo earned her medical degree from the University of Nigeria College of Medicine and served her residency at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She is board-certified in occupational medicine.

Outside of the office, Dr. Onunkwo enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and traveling.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Onunkwo or schedule an appointment, call (920) 727-8700 (Menasha) or (920) 223-7075 (Oshkosh).  

Get Heart Healthy 

By Vivian Onunkwo, MD, Affinity Occupational Health

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. This includes heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.

Most of the risk factors for heart disease can be prevented or treated with lifestyle changes and medication. Risk factors include:

• Diet
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (high triglycerides and low HDL or "good" cholesterol)
• Diabetes mellitus
• Heavy alcohol use

People with multiple risk factors are at higher risk for developing heart disease. Here are some steps you can take to decrease your risks.

Healthy diet - Healthy diets significantly lower risks of heart disease. Healthy diets consist of:

• Five or more servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily
• Monounsaturated fat rather than trans fatty acids or saturated fats
• Low sodium intake.
• Whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain cereals and oatmeal) rather than refined grains (white bread, white rice, refined and sweetened cereals). Refined grains are associated with long-term weight gain.
• Fat-free or low-fat milk products (skim milk, yogurt)
• Protein-rich foods, including seafood, lean meat such as poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds
• Limited consumption of soft drinks and other sweetened beverages (fruit drinks).

Physical activity - Studies show increased physical activity lowers the chances that a person will develop or die from heart disease. Common recommendations include 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise, 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise, or brisk walking for 20 minutes daily.

Weight loss - Obesity increases several major and modifiable risk factors for heart disease including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Weight loss decreases these risks. 

Smoking cessation - Cigarette smoking is the leading avoidable cause of premature death. When a person quits smoking, benefits begin to appear after only a few months and reach that of the nonsmoker in several years. Approaches to smoking cessation include behavioral therapy, nicotine replacement therapy, and other drug therapies.

Hypertension control - High blood pressure is a well-established risk factor for heart disease and can be managed though diet, exercise and drug therapy as appropriate.

Dyslipidemia control - Better cholesterol levels can be achieved through exercise, diet and drug therapy as appropriate.

Diabetes control - Diabetes is also regarded as a heart disease equivalent. Controlling your blood sugar involves weight management, blood pressure and lipid control to prevent some of the complications that lead to heart disease.

Alcohol - Studies show that consuming small amounts of alcohol lowers the risks of developing or dying from heart disease. The benefit of small daily alcohol intake must be weighed against the increased risks that are apparent when a person consumes more than one drink daily.

Aspirin - Aspirin therapy can be effective only when recommended by your doctor. Be sure to talk with your care team about whether or not a daily aspirin can benefit you.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and exercise not only prevents heart disease, but also wards off other illnesses. So get heart-healthy. It will make a big impact on your quality of life!

Introducing "Ache Breaks"
Self Care for Sore Shoulders, Bad Backs, Aching Knees, and Hurting Hips
By Kim Ice, wellness specialist

Help employees take a break from aches by implementing Affinity's easy-to-use Ache Breaks workplace wellness program. This multimedia awareness campaign focuses on culture change and employee education, enabling employees to help improve their behaviors.

The 12-week campaign consists of four modules, each focusing on a different body part (shoulders, backs, knees and hips). You'll receive ready-made educational flyers and table tents on a USB drive, including simple step-by-step instructions for easy deployment to your employees.

Basic Program:

• Educational flyers: Available to e-mail or print, these flyers are witty, informative and educational, keeping the employee engaged and on the road to relief from their overall aches or pains.
• Table tents: These eye-catching table tents provide quick hints and tips that can be displayed in high traffic areas for maximum exposure.
• Stretching posters: These easy-to-follow 11x17 posters include pictures and instructions for proper stretching techniques.

Advanced Program:
Includes everything in the Basic Program, plus:

• On-site health coaching: Our personalized coaching sessions help employees set goals and develop a plan to improve their overall health.
• On-site wellness presentations: Our wellness account specialists will conduct educational presentations and demonstrations on a variety of health and wellness topics.

For more information, contact Kim Ice at kimice@affinityhealth.org.  

The Benefits of On-Site Services

Did you know? By providing on-site medical services to your workforce, you can help keep employees healthy and on the job--which saves time, productivity and costs.

Affinity Occupational Health offers experienced medical professionals who will come to your workplace to deliver a variety of services, including:

• Physicals
• Physician and nursing care
• Wellness programs
• Drug and alcohol testing
• Flu shots and vaccinations
• Ergonomic evaluations
• Job analysis
• Education and training
• Rehabilitation services
• Spirometry
• Audiograms
• Critical incident stress debriefing
• Conflict resolution
• And more...

For more information or to get started with on-site services in your workplace, contact Cindy Budiac at (920) 628-1533 or cbudiac@affinityhealth.org.