Simple Steps to Wellness Newsletter - June 12, 2012

Welcome to the first issue of our "Simple Steps to Wellness" newsletter! We'll be posting wellness news every two weeks, and we'll leave past editions here on the site for future reference.
POMCO Group Wellness Assessment: Earn Your $50 Incentive! Crouse employees covered by POMCO Group can earn a $50 gift card for completing your online wellness assessment at American Health (and if invited to participate in nurse coaching, completing the call with the nurse coach). The incentive offer applies to employees, but not dependents. We’ve extended the deadline for completing it to June 30. To obtain your portal ID, you can call the POMCO Group Service Team at 866-578-8199 or the American Health dedicated Crouse employee phone line at 866/478-0736. Gift cards will be distributed in early August.

Not Covered by POMCO? Your “FastHealth” Online Wellness Tool is the Place to Get Started! If you’re not covered by the Crouse health insurance plan, Crouse is providing you with a free online wellness tool that you can use to get started on your fitness journey: Fast Health. You can also take advantage of all our Simply Well activities, plus our Crouse Health Resources, to keep you fit and well!

Do You Have a PCP (Primary Care Provider)? If you don’t, you might want to think about finding one. Working with one primary doctor can help with preventive measures, and if you have chronic conditions, they can be better managed and controlled by your PCP. New patients are being accepted by Internist Associates, so call 479-5070 today to set up your appointment.

Simply Well Wellness Walks: Two Great Locations Walking is great exercise and you don’t have to join a gym or buy special equipment to get in shape. Join us Wednesdays at noon for a walk led by a member of the Simply Well Wellness Team. Meet at the Irving lobby entrance. Enjoy the beauty of Onondaga Lake Park by walking with the Weight Watchers at Work group Saturdays at 8 a.m. Meet at the Salt Museum. (You don’t have to be a WW member to walk with the group.)

Monthly Lunch ‘n’ Learns: Quick Bites of Wellness Each month you can attend a 20-minute program that provides important health information in an informal setting. On June 21, the topic is Fitness & Injury Prevention. The first session is noon to 12:25 p.m. and 12:30 to 12:55 p.m. in the small cafeteria with Jack Kielbasinski, PT from Crouse Physical Therapy. Snacks; prize drawing.

Simple Steps to Wellness Challenge Want to get in shape? Want to earn free stuff? Simply participate and keep track of your points! Participation points earned during the Challenge must be tracked using the Wellness Participation Log. With each new level of points you reach, you earn greater prizes: The challenge ends July 31 so get started today!

Healthy Eating Tip: Five Simple Steps to Snacking Healthy snacking is great, but grazing on vending machine junk foods — not so much. All it takes is some planning to be ready when a snack attack sneaks up on you. Five strategies to help: #1 Write it down; #2 Make a plan; #3 Spice it up; #4 Bring ‘em with you; and #5 Take a hike. Read more here to stay on track!

Healthy Eating: Local Farmers Markets Make It Easier The Farm Fresh Mobile Market comes to Crouse every two weeks (in June, on the 14th and 28th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Stop by main dining area of the cafeteria for fresh, homegrown produce. Syracuse’s Regional Market on Park St. (near Carousel Mall) is open Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (May through November) and Saturdays 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. During summer, shop the Market in downtown Syracuse Tuesdays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many other communities host markets, so be sure to check this out to find one in your area.

Physical Activity Tip: Beat Stress, Get Flexible Did you know that Crouse Hospital offers yoga, Pilates and mindful meditation for employees on an ongoing basis? Presented through our Institute for Integrative Medicine, weekly classes in yoga are taught by Lisa Miles (from Crouse PT) and Pilates by Val Patrick. Scott Treatman leads a weekly meditation in the chapel and a monthly “booster” for those who’ve taken our Mindful Living courses. Check out the Simply Well calendar of events often to see what's happening!

Simple Steps to Wellness is produced every two weeks for the employees of Crouse Hospital and their families. Have a wellness question? Email simplywell@crouse.org.