WELLNESS PROGRAM
Brought to you by Employee Benefits
NOVEMBER - AMERICAN DIABETES MONTH
Did you know that diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States? Currently, one in 12 Americans has diabetes, and many more are at risk of developing the disease. The good news is that you can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by eating healthy, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Fall into Fitness Challenge
This challenge is open to all permanent and adjunct employees of Los Rios. Complete 10 of the 20 challenges listed on the form, between now and December 8, 2014. You can work on several challenges at the same time, but you cannot use one item more than once. For example, bringing a salad for lunch 3 days during a week will satisfy either #6 or 7, but not both. Send the completed program form to the Employee Benefits Department by December 8th using campus mail or livinghealthy@losrios.edu. (Reporting is on the honors system.) Your name will be entered into a raffle to win one of several great prizes such as a Fleet Feet training program voucher ($100 value), Spare Time Clubs 2 month membership ($150 value), and gift certificates to Big 5, REI, and Sports Authority ($100 each) just in time for the holidays!
Health Fair Recap
This year’s Fall Faculty & Staff Health and Benefits Fair was a huge success! 17 vendors were in attendance providing information about a wide array of health-related topics ranging from health insurance to health screenings and financial health and retirement. 277 employees from across the District participated in the event, winning raffle prizes such as cooking class and sporting goods certificates, campus bookstore giveaways, and vendor gift baskets! We had several employees submit recipes for the Los Rios Living Healthy Cookbook. Try out one of the yummy recipes! A big thank you to all who helped to make this event a success. Be on the lookout for information regarding next year’s event, which is anticipated to take place in early October of 2015. See you there!
Have a question, comment, or suggestion? You can now email us at livinghealthy@losrios.edu.
THRIVE ACROSS AMERICA RESULTS!
Congratulations to all of you who participated in the Spring 2014 Thrive Across America program! Great job! This was our second year offering the program, and we had 446 employees register, compared to 272 in the fall of 2012. (That’s an increase of 165%!)
Of the 234 participants who completed the survey, here are some other interesting statistics:
- 66% reported an increase in activity
- 33% reported a decrease in weight
- 46% reported an increase in energy level
These are impressive percentages!
The team competition certainly gained momentum this year as well with 41 teams, compared to 15 in 2012. The competition was fierce, but friendly, with a lot of encouragement of not just teammates but across team boundaries! With all the excitement and activity, we decided that we should recognize more than just the top team. Here are this year’s winners:
| TEAM | STANDING | LOCATION | TEAM CAPTAIN | TEAM SCORE |
| Minimum Density & Crazy Dingos |
1st Place co-winners | CRC & ARC |
Cynthia Torres & Heidi Fuller |
109.9 & 108.6 |
| ARC All Stars | 2nd Place | ARC | Amanda Corcoran | 108.5 |
Other Top Teams (by location):
| TEAM | LOCATION | TEAM CAPTAIN | TEAM SCORE |
| One Step Ahead of You - ARC | 3rd Place | Alden Crow | 79.5 |
| The Tootsie Rollers - CRC | 2nd Place | Maricela Arevalo | 86.7 |
| Movers and Shapers - DO | 1st Place | Socorro Molina | 86.6 |
| The Fat and the Furious - FM | 1st Place | Shari Fink | 79 |
| The SCC Record Breakers - SCC | 1st Place | Kim Goff | 98.6 |
In addition to the team aspect of the competition, there was an individual competition, as well. There were many impressive individual accomplishments. Amongst those noteworthy accomplishments, the following individual logged over 3,000 minutes of activity:
Julie Steinbach (DO) logged a total of 3,360 minutes!
The following individuals logged over 2,000 minutes: Teressa Tabares (ARC), Amy Wright (SCC), Debbie Weber (CRC) Diane Gross-Haggerty (ARC), Bill Simpson (ARC), Camille Leonhardt (ARC)
Equally impressive, the following individuals demonstrated improvement in total capped minutes as compared to the conclusion of the first week of the competition: Pamela Jurach (ARC), Sarah Hill (FLC), Diana Hicks (ARC), Nicole Griggs (ARC) Denise Engler (ARC), Deborah Cameron (ARC), Mike Angelone (ARC)
Members of winning teams (above): Please contact your team captains to claim your prize. Individual winners: Please stop by the Employee Benefits Department or call Nicole at 568-3197.
All others who finished the route also get a prize! Please stop by Los Rios Wellness table at the upcoming Health Fairs October 7-9 which will be announced soon. If you miss the health fairs, feel free to stop by the Employee Benefits Department after October 9th or call us at 568-3070.
Not done yet with route? No problem! For those of you who haven’t yet finished the route, you can continue logging your activity and make progress across the US. We have access to the Thrive Across America website through February 10, 2015. Let us know when you’re done—you’ll still get a prize for perseverance!
HEALTH WEBINARS
Did you miss the webinar on Combating & Preventing Diabetes or Food & Mood? Those webinars and many more are archived on the Health Talks website.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Get helpful tips on health and wellness from Weight Watchers, Compsych, VSP and Kaiser.
Visit our Community Events page for upcoming activities in your area.