McKinley Grapevine

 

 

 

Ok everyone!! Are you ready?!

The JDRF walk is quickly approaching and we have a lot to get excited about!! For those of you who might not know, McKinley is a Presenting Sponsor for the JDRF Ann Arbor ONE Walk this year. We have many, many reasons why we support JDRF – however, our main goal is to raise money and FUND a CURE! Your support allows us to contribute in a big way to fund life-changing T1D research—research that is leading to better treatments, prevention, and one day, a world where TYPE One is TYPE NONE.

This year we are expanding our fundraising efforts companywide with a total of 96 teams – employees and residents are all welcome! The 5k walk will take place on September 28^th, 2014 at Hudson Mills Park in Dexter.

Our goal as Team McKinley this year is to raise $15,000!!  Of that goal, I know we as the corporate team can raise $3000, so let’s get started!!

Step 1: Get registered by clicking the link below and follow the steps

http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/mckinleycorporate

Step 2: Set up your personalized link

~ Click “My Page”, select “Page Link” and “Customize Link”.  You can customize your link however you would like.  Once your customized link is created, you can send that link to anyone to sign up on your team and donate money.

Step 3: Start raising $$

~ One of the simplest ways to raise $$ is by posting on Facebook.  Click onto “My Participant Center” and you will see the Facebook, email and twitter icon. Click the icon and follow the steps.

Other ways to raise $$:

The following will be available this week:

• Monday Jean Day – $20 for the month of September
• Change buckets
• JDRF sneakers to be sold or hung up EVERYWHERE to raise awareness.
• McKinley raffle tickets – 1/$5 or 5/$20.

Prizes include:

• $100 Amazon gift card
• $100 Target gift card
• Kindle Fire
• 1 week at the corporate suite in Orlando

The raffle tickets are available now at the front desk.

Incentives:

1. Each resident who raises $500 or more will receive a $50 Target or Visa GC
2. Each employee who raise $500 or more will receive a $50 Target or Visa GC

I hope many of you will be able to join us this year at the walk because we’re going to have a BLAST!  Get registered today and let me know if you have any questions :).  Thanks in advance for all of your enthusiasm!!

 

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

Good Morning McKinley!

Exercise reduces stress.  This isn’t the first time you’ve heard that, nor will it be the last.  Through this email I want you to understand why exercise does such a good job reducing our stress and learn successful ways for you to manage your stress  Stress that is not managed can lead to sleepless nights, headaches, a weakened immune system, high blood pressure and the list goes on.

How does exercise help us relieve stress?

Simply put, exercise depletes our stress hormone, cortisol and releases endorphins which is known as the “Happy” hormone.  According to the Stress Management Society, “Any form of physical activity leads to the release of these feel good neurotransmitters. The increase in endorphins in your body leads to a feeling of euphoria, modulation of appetite and an enhancement of immune response. This helps combat the negative effects of stress”.

The American Psychological Association reported, “[Exercise] forces the body’s physiological systems — all of which are involved in the stress response — to communicate much more closely than usual: The cardiovascular system communicates with the renal system, which communicates with the muscular system. And all of these are controlled by the central and sympathetic nervous systems, which also must communicate with each other. This workout of the body’s communication system may be the true value of exercise; the more sedentary we get, the less efficient our bodies in responding to stress”.

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/exercise-stress.aspx

How to successfully relieve stress through exercise:

1.       Choose something YOU enjoy doing: If you’re stressed out about releasing your stress, you need to figure out why!  Are you stressed about taking the time to exercise or are you stressed about the actual workout?  If it’s time you’re worried about, try taking a 10min walk, 3 times a day or do a 20min bodyweight workout before work.  If you’re stressed out about the workout, choose a different workout.  Everyone is different and we all relieve stress in different ways.  No matter what you choose, you should feel rejuvenated when you’re finished exercising.  Here are some examples:

• Walking, jogging or running
• Riding a bike or taking a spin class
• Water aerobics, swimming laps or playing with your kids in the poolJ
• Paddle boating, stand up paddle boarding, canoeing and kayaking
• Yoga, pilates and tai chi
• Playing golf – without a golf cart J
• Rock climbing
• Dance or aerobics class
• Circuit Training

2.       Make an appointment: Relieving your stress is a very important appointment to keep but it’s also the easiest appointment to cancel because it’s not really mandatory, right?  Don’t you think feeling your best so you can perform at your best, should be mandatory?  Schedule your exercise appointments when you schedule the rest of your appointments for the week.  Keep the appointment – it’s important!

3.       Be Consistent: Unless you are ill or have a physical ailment that is preventing you from doing anything, stay consistent with your workouts.  Consistency will help you manage your stress and ultimately, that’s what we want.  If we can’t have a stress free life, we need to be able to manage it so we can avoid any of the harmful effects stress could have on our health.  You don’t have to do the same workout every time and it doesn’t have to be for the same duration every time.  Choose to be active 3-5 times a week and stick with itJ

4.       Set SMART goals: The Mayo Clinic staff wrote a great article about stress management.  One of their suggestions was setting SMART goals – Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-limited goals.  Whether your goal is stress management, weight loss or to compete in an athletic event, be SMART about setting your goals.  Click the link to read the whole article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469?pg=1

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Hi Everyone!

Many of you have started new routines that have included an exercise regimen….WooHoo!!!  What happens if you start to feel sick?  You really don’t want to break your routine but you have to ask yourself, is it safe to exercise when you’re feeling sick? 

It depends.  Most Doctors will tell you, you can exercise if you’re sick from the neck up.  If you have a sore throat, stuffy nose, itchy/watery eyes…go ahead and exercise.  If you have a fever, muscle fatigue, body aches or respiratory problems…you should do nothing but rest.

How should you exercise while you’re sick?  Stick to low to moderate exercises:

• ·         Brisk walk or slow jog outside for 30-60min

 

• ·         Yoga or pilates

 

• ·         Body-weight exercises at a slow pace (squats, lunges, push-ups, planks…)

According to MedlinePlus, exercise helps your immune system fight off simple bacterial infections, viral infections and decreases your chances of developing heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer.

There are several theories as to why exercise boosts your immune system:

• Physical activity may help by flushing bacteria out from the lungs (thus decreasing the chance of a cold, flu, or other airborne illness) and may flush out cancer-causing cells (carcinogens) by increasing output of wastes, such as urine and sweat.
• Exercise sends antibodies and white blood cells (the body’s defense cells) through the body at a quicker rate. As these antibodies or white blood cells circulate more rapidly, they could detect illnesses earlier than they might normally. The increased rate of circulating blood may also trigger the release of hormones that “warn” immune cells of intruding bacteria or viruses.
• The temporary rise in body temperature may prevent bacterial growth, allowing the body to fight the infection more effectively. (This is similar to what happens when the body has a fever.)
• Exercise slows down the release of stress-related hormones. Stress increases the chance of illness.

There are also times when exercise can weaken your immune system.  Ben Greenfield, who has competed in several ironman triathlons and is the author of “Beyond Training” says,

                “…nearly every time I finish an Ironman triathlon, I get sick 5-7 days later – and research has shown that as few as 90 minutes of high-intensity endurance exercise can make you more susceptible to illness for up to 3 days after the session.

The reason for this is a release of certain hormones that can cause a temporary decrease in the proper function of the immune system. When you perform a hard exercise session, you significantly increase the release of cortisol and adrenaline, which are your body’s “fight and flight” stress hormones. This can raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and simultaneously suppress the immune system.

As you probably guessed, if you are already sick with a cold or respiratory infection, high intensity exercise such as heavy weight lifting or very long exercise such as marathon training can further weaken the immune system”.

When you’re feeling under-the-weather, remember the following:

1. If you’re sick from the neck up, you exercise at a low to moderate intensity for 30-60min
2. If you’re sick from the neck down, fever, fatigue, respiratory problems…REST!!
3. To avoid getting sick and boost your immune system, exercise 3-5 days weekly with a healthy balance between low, moderate and high intensity workouts for no longer than 60min

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

 

Good Morning McKinley!

Believe it or not, spring is really here!  Let’s welcome spring by getting involved in a race or two.  Check out some of the events taking place in April and May.  If you are signed up for an event that is not listed, please email me with the event info so I can post it on the McKinley Grapevine.  I can help you put a team together!!

Upcoming Events:

Ann Arbor Marathon:

March 30^th 2014 – Marathon, ½ Marathon and 5K – Main St. Ann Arbor Michigan

http://theannarbormarathon.com/

Big House 5K – Trail To The Victors:

April 6^th, 2014 – Ann Arbor, Michigan

http://www.mgoblue.com/bighouse5k/

IOA Corporate 5K:

April 17^th 2014 – Orlando Florida – Lake Eola

Join Team McKinley – https://register.trackshack.com/Register/groups/jointeam.aspx?event=23329

March of Dimes Walk, March for Babies:

April 26^th 2014 – Orlando Florida – Lake Eola

April 27^th 2014 – Ann Arbor/Dexter Michigan – Hudson Mills

Find a walk closest to you – http://www.marchforbabies.org/wd_regp01.asp

Heart Walk:

May 10^th 2014 – Ann Arbor Michigan – EMU

Join Team McKinley: Sign Up For Heart Walk

Find a Heart Walk near you:  http://www.heartwalk.org/site/c.flKUIeOUIgJ8H/b.8939141/k.BD45/Home.htm#nearyou

Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation:

May 17^th 2014 – Rochester Michigan

Join Team Cameron, Garrett and Debi Hain’s son: Team Cameron

Find a Great Strides Walk near you: Great Strides Walk