CommonHealth: Technology Tips to Make Your Life a Little Easier

1. Sign up for online banking/automatic bill payment. 

Not only will signing up for automatic bill payments decrease the clutter level at home by eliminating paper billing statements, you will also save on postage, and eliminate late charges that come about by missing the due date. Be good to the environment, your pocketbook, and free your brain up for more enjoyable memories!


2. Delete old emails. 

Deleting old emails will reduce your inbox “clutter", making it easier to find information when you need it. If replying to or disposing of an email takes less than two minutes, you should do so right away.


3. Unsubscribe from unwanted email lists.

Our interests change over time, so an email list you joined several years ago may no longer be of interest to you. It only takes a few seconds to click the link to remove your email address from a subscription list, and it will greatly reduce unwanted and unneeded emails.


4. Get on the national Do Not Call Registry. 

The federal government’s Do Not Call (DNC) Registry allows you to permanently restrict telemarketing calls by registering your phone number at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. If you receive telemarketing calls after your number has been in the national registry for three months, you can file a complaint using the same web page and toll-free number. Placing your number on this national registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all of them. Calls that are still permitted include those from: political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors, some insurance situations, and organizations with which you have a relationship.


Sources: http://www.forbes.com “Time Management Secrets Anyone Can Use”; http://www.donotcall.gov

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The contents of the CommonHealth weekly emails may be reprinted from an outside resource in the area of health, safety, and wellness and is intended to provide one or more views on a topic. These views do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth of Virginia, CommonHealth, or any particular agency and are offered for educational purposes. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please email us at wellness@dhrm.virginia.gov

ELI Pedometer Challenge

Join The ELI Fall Pedometer Challenge as part of our Health and Wellness Interest Group!

What is it?

Compete and share experiences with other students by tracking your average daily steps for a month as well as create personal health and wellness goals.

How does it work?  

o      On October 25th, you will receive access to a Google spreadsheet where you will record your pedometer steps as well as keep track of what types of activity you took part in for the day/week.  

o     Pedometer steps will be recorded daily by each participant starting October 28th.  

o      The first 50 participants that sign up will be mailed a FREE pedometer to participate/ otherwise you will need to provide your own pedometer.  

o      Challenge begins on October 28th and ends at 11:59pm on Nov 24th. Prizes will be given for several categories including: weekly winners, best average, overall step count...etc) . 

o      Throughout the challenge, join our Health and Wellness group on ELI's Virtual Student Union. This will be used for participants to share their progress in the challenge and great health and wellness motivational articles and tips. Join here: (http://elife.nvcc.edu/vsu/?page_id=29)

How do I sign up?

Please click here to sign up!

For more information, contact elistlife@nvcc.edu

Beat the Heat at a Water Park

As the days seem to get hotter and hotter, if you are looking for a way to cool off, consider cooling off at a local water park!  A few in the Northern Virginia area include (but are not limited to):

Water Mine Family Swim Hole, Reston, VA - operated by Fairfax County Park Authority.  According to the website, “The Water Mine Family Swimmin' Hole offers more than an acre of slides, flumes, sprays, showers, floatables and interactive play features, circled by Rattlesnake River with a 2.5 mile per hour current that gently nudges tubes along. A bit of the old west is recreated here. Kids careen off covered wagons, float on rattlesnakes and dash through showers tipped from water-filled ore carts….while the Water Mine's attractions are designed for elementary-aged children, there's something here for everyone. Tenderfoot Pond, with its pint-sized slides and gentle bubblers, gives toddlers a perfect place for water play. Teenagers can join a game of water volleyball, and everyone will enjoy going with the flow in a tube on Rattlesnake River.”.  For more information to include cost and hours, please visit their website.

Splash Down Water Park, Manassas, VA – privately owned and operated.  Splash Down is Northern Virginia’s largest water park.  Cool off in the lazy river or enjoy the leisure pool, activity pool, log walk, tropical twister and cannonball slides!  To learn more, please visit their website.

Volcano Island Water Park, Sterling, VA – operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and located at Algonkian Regional Park.  According to the website, “Volcano Island Waterpark [is] Sterling’s favorite place [to] cool off and have fun…. Volcano Island is loaded with fun features for adults and kids. Volcano Island includes a 500-gallon dumping bucket, water slides, waterfalls and squirters! Visitors will find themselves amidst tropical foliage and grass hats, at the feet of the mighty waterpark volcano!”  To learn more, visit their website.

These particular water parks are not approved or recommended by ELife, they are referenced to serve as a sampling of the various water parks, large and small, across the local area. 

Summer Arrives Tomorrow – Stay Hydrated

Tomorrow is the official first day of summer.  Now that the warm weather has arrived, it is important to remember to drink plenty of water.  As long as you are not going through the security check at the airport, you can grab a bottle of water and take it with you nearly everywhere.  While staying hydrated is critical, there is a number of other benefits drinking water provides.  The MindBodyGreen website suggests that water:

1. Increases Energy & Relieves Fatigue – Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better and be more alert. As an added bonus, your energy levels are also boosted!

2. Promotes Weight Loss – Removes by-products of fat, reduces eating intake (by filling up your tummy if consumed prior to meals), reduces hunger (hello natural appetite suppressant!), raises your metabolism and has zero calories!

3. Flushes Out Toxins – Gets rid of waste through sweat and urination which reduces the risk of kidney stones and UTI’s (urinary tract infections).

4. Improves Skin Complexion – Moisturizes your skin, keeps it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth.  [It also] gets rid of wrinkles.  It’s the best anti-aging treatment around!

5. Maintains Regularity – Aids in digestion as water is essential to digest your food and prevents constipation.

6. Boosts Immune System – A water guzzler is less likely to get sick. And who wouldn’t rather feel healthy the majority of the time? Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu, cancer and other ailments like heart attacks.

7. Natural Headache Remedy – Helps relieve and prevent headaches (migraines & back pains too!) which are commonly caused by dehydration.

8. Prevents Cramps & Sprains - Proper hydration helps keep joints lubricated and muscles more elastic so joint pain is less likely.

9. Puts You in a Good Mood – When the body is functioning at its best, you will feel great and be happy!

10. Saves Money! - Water is FREE! Even if you choose bottled/filtered water, it’s STILL cheaper than that high sugar and fat-filled latte!

For more information about this article, please visit MindBodyGreen

 

 

 

 

 

Bicycle Etiquette and Safety

Now that the warm weather and long nights have arrived, if you are a bicycle enthusiast, promote your safety and well-being by obeying biking safety rules.  Furthermore, to be respectful of others on the roads and trails, it is important to be mindful of biking etiquette. Of the many websites that you will find devoted to this topic, TEAM LIVESTRONG, references a number of excellent safety tips required by their Challenge participants: 

Wear a helmet at all times:  You may think you are safe without a helmet but one patch of sand or slip up and you could be down.  A helmet can make all the difference!  When my son was five, he lost control when his bicycle tire slipped.  Although he had to have stitches near his eye, if he had not been wearing a helmet, the outcome would have been far worse!

Be Respectful of Others (Observe the Traffic Rules):  Ride in the same direction of traffic and follow the same traffic laws as if you were driving a car.  Use hand singles to advise others of what you will be doing. Do not pass on the right and be sure to stop at red lights, stop signs and yield to pedestrians.  You are sharing the roads and must be respectful of automobiles and walkers.  If you are riding on a trail and notice walkers ahead, ring your bell (if you have one) and announce loudly, ‘coming up on your left’.  If the walkers do not move over, slow down.

Stay to the Right:  Ride as far to the right as is possible unless you are making a left-hand turn or avoiding hazards in the road.  If you must stop, do your best to move as far off the road as possible.

Ride Single File or Two Abreast: When riding in a group of two or more, be sure that you do not ride more than two abreast on the roads.  According to LIVESTRONG, “no state permits riding more than two abreast on public roads”.

Equip Your Bike for Safety:  For safety purposes, your bicycle should have a bell, mirror headlight and taillight.

Regular Maintenance: As you would do with your car, keep your bike in excellent repair, checking the breaks and tires. Also, be sure to lock it when leaving it parked. 

These are just a small listing of the safety measures you need to practice when riding your bicycle.  If you are a biking enthusiast, you can find additional information on various websites to include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the  National Biking Safety Network.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Especially with exam week and the beginning of the summer semester approaching, combined with the warmer temperatures outside, there is no time like the present to monitor the amount of water that you are drinking.   Dehydration from perspiration and drinking dehydrating liquids in the form of caffeine, alcohol and sugar can elevate the level of stress hormones in your body, thereby stifling your ability to think clearly.   Keep in mind that the brain is made up of about 80% water.  To stay sharp, you need to rehydrate on a regular basis and aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces and strive to increase that amount as the weather warms up or during periods of exercise. 

One way to determine exactly how much water you need in light of exercise duration or climate factors is to complete the fields in this hydration calculator.  It calculates an ideal amount of water to aim for based on your weight, climate, exercise frequency and other factors. 

The bottom line is, when in doubt, you can’t go wrong by drinking half of your body weight in ounces as as a start with the summer fast approaching and a faster paced academic semester.

For more information on this topic, visit the following link. 

5 Brain Foods to Keep You Thinking Smart!

With all of the stressors that college students face, it’s easy to rely on comfort food as a coping mechanism to stave off the cravings that can often arise when stress levels are high. However, several surprising foods that are both tasty and nutritious can go a long way in improving your overall brain functioning as well as supplying you with valuable nutrients. The following are some to consider in boosting your brain power:

• Wild Salmon – an ideal source of Essential Fatty Acids which helps in boosting your mood, memory, synaptic networks as well as lower your risk for Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Cacao Beans – With a reputation to elevate mood, cacao beans are known to improve cognitive functioning and serve as a powerful antioxidant due to the effects of the chemical Theobromine. If you choose to get your chocolate from a candy bar, it is best to look for a high percentage of dark, unprocessed chocolate in the range of 75-100% cacao and avoid heavily processed chocolate.

• Matcha – Stone ground green tea powder of the utmost quality is know to have calming, yet stimulating effects on the brain and has been known to help monks stay focused when participating in 12-hour meditation lessons. The amino acid, L-Theanine is the chemical responsible for Matcha’s long term focusing effects.

• Blueberries – The bilberry extract in blueberries are good for eye function in the long term as you well know and this is pertinent to all of the extensive reading that students have to do.

• Coffee beans – Known to decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia, coffee is one of the most powerful antioxidants out there and is known to enhance cognitive functioning on long term tasks. However, if you have a heart or medical condition that requires you to avoid it, you may want to substitute Roobios Tea, a tea that originated in South Africa that has been proven to reduce the effects of aging on the brain.

For more information on this topic, visit the following link:
http://www.brainready.com/

3 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Soda

Have you already fallen off the wagon in regards to your New Year's Resolution? 

Perhaps you made a resolution to diet, eat healthier food, or, drink more water.  Even if your New Year's Resolution was not health related, you may find after reading this article that you think twice before picking up that next can of soda. 

As Rodale.com writer Leah Zerbe discovered, love handles are just the beginning. Read on for her report on three shocking soda facts that will have you saying “Just water, please” from now on.

Study Breaks and Strategies To Re-Energize

If you find yourself growing sleepy as you work on that lengthy reading assignment, term paper or exam preparation, try some of the following suggestions for quick energy boosts:

• Go for walk. Simple as it sounds, the very act of getting your muscles moving and heart pumping can rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. If you prefer, get some light hand weights or jog in place! Exercise, even if just for 10 minutes, can give you a natural energy boost to attack that assignment with a fresh perspective.

• Stretch. Acquire a set of stretching exercises to alleviate stiff joints and muscles. Holding onto a piece of furniture or the wall, try pushing your foot against your hand while using your other leg for balance to stretch your quadricep muscles. Another good one for the upper body is to stretch your arm across your chest, while holding it with the opposite hand to; you can do this while sitting or standing. Clasping your hands behind your back with your chest to the ceiling is another great one to release tension in your shoulder blades. Note: if you do not stretch on a regular basis, start gently with these exercises or if you belong to a gym, consult with a trainer there.

• Incorporate some red in your routine. Research shows that staring at something with a red hue can give you an energy boost when you are in dire need for one; it can also recharge your muscles, believe it or not! Pictures of red flowers or keeping red folders and pens for your study supplies is a good choice.

• Visit a favorite you tube site for a dose of laughter (don’t spend too long though to prevent losing focus!) can stimulate the heart and blood pressure, in a good way, to help you press on and finish that lingering assignment.

• Yawn without hesitation! It is a way to relax the brain while rejuvenating your body at the same time.

• Grab a healthy snack that contains added protein as in the choices below:

• Apple or banana with peanut or almond butter
• Crackers or veggies with hummusTrail mix (make sure it contains nuts and seeds for protein)
• Plain yogurt with fresh fruit or granola mixed in

So, whenever you get that brain fog and fatigue coming on from studying for long periods, draw on one of the above re-charge strategies and be sure to choose healthy for your food choices! Avoid too much sugar that can lead to a post sugar crash and add extra protein to your snacks and meals for lasting energy.

For more information on this topic, visit this link.

The pedometer challenge is BACK!