NGH Communities

The Summer Steps Showdown is back!

Mark your Calendars; starting May 24th, you can go to NGoodHealth.com to join your facility’s team.
This year’s summer steps challenge will kick-off on June 7th and wrap up on July 12th, so make sure your activity trackers are synced and ready to go! Remember- discounted fitness devices are available through N Good Health. Visit NGoodHealth.com and click on the “Get Your Fitness Device” button in the left-hand column. You must have a device synced to N Good Health to earn step points.

Those who hit the daily step goal of at lease 7500 steps will be entered into weekly prize drawings. Keep in mind- anyone who hits 7,500 steps or more per day earns 1 point toward Step 4 as well! So along with earning points like you normally would, you will ALSO be entered into drawings for some pretty awesome prizes. It’s a win-win!

The infamous golden shoe trophy will be back this year and up for grabs. The facility team with the highest step average each week will get the traveling trophy and have their photo posted on Nsite. At the end of the challenge, the facility with the highest step average keeps the trophy and of course earns the bragging rights as well. 🙂 Will YOUR facility come out on top?? Only time will tell!

N Good Health Success Story Spotlight: The Farmer Family

N Good Health is designed to help you improve or maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle. Over the past several years, employees from all over the organization have used the program to help make their health a priority. These individuals come from various backgrounds and stages in their wellness journeys, but the N Good Health team is always in awe of the dedication they show.  Recently, we received an email with an awesome story and we are so excited to share with you today.

This email is from Dana Farmer, regarding our previous step challenge, the Holiday Hop. Since submitting this, her daughter has joined in on the fun by getting up early to run with mom before work. We love hearing stories involving the whole family!

This was my first time signing up for a step challenge like Holiday Hop, but with the pressure of my coworkers I agreed.  They made it very clear on the first few days the expectation was 7500 steps or more daily.  I was averaging about 5000ish steps a day prior to the challenge.  I have a job that involves a lot of computer work but I found myself looking for any excuse to move between patients.  Cleaning handrails, cleaning the patient waiting rooms, locker rooms during any down time to get extra steps rather than hanging out at my desk.  When I got home, I went from relaxing to looking for more mobile tasks like doing more laundry or cleaning or gathering up the kids for a walk around the neighborhood before dinner.  My husband even became more aware of his steps (or few steps) he was taking. I look forward to the next challenge.  Thanks for all you do.  I am now try to think of fun ways to get my kids moving during this season like creating a Farmer Family step challenge to help us survive NTI!!

Do YOU have a story to share?  Please send your wellness success stories to N Good Health by reaching out to Lacey Nelson at [email protected] with the subject line “Success Story”. You never know who may hear your story and get inspired to make their health a priority!

Grilling Out the Healthy Way

When it comes to grilling out this spring and summer, think beyond the typical burger and hot dogs!  Build a healthy barbecue with lean meats paired with colorful fruits and vegetables.  As the weather warms up, get those grills out and follow these tips for a healthy cookout:

Safety at the Grill

  • Before use, read the manufacturer’s instructions and put in a little elbow grease to clean your grill thoroughly to kill any lingering bacteria.
  • Use a food thermometer!  Relying on the color of meat to determine doneness is not a safe technique to avoid food borne illness.  Follow this food safety chart to learn the correct temperatures for your favorite foods. 
  • Avoid using the same plates for raw and cooked meats to avoid cross-contamination.

Go lean with protein

  • Great choices are poultry, fish, or lean cuts of beef or pork. 
  • Meat-less options that can hold their own on the grill include tempeh, seitan, or try this recipe for Easy Grillable Veggie Burgers.

Veggies roasted on the fire

  • Try vegetables like bell peppers, corn on the cob, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, or eggplant basted with olive oil and seasoned with herbs and spices
  • Use a well-greased grill pan to keep the vegetables separate from the meats or wrap them up in individual foil packets
  • Before grilling, you can marinate vegetables in a pre-made marinate (be mindful of the sodium content!) or a homemade marinade like the one from this recipe for Grilled Vegetable Platter.

Try these dairy-free side dishes

  • For potato salad, try creamy sauces such as tahini, pesto, or dairy-free sour cream to replace the mayo. 
  • Boost fiber and protein intake with these Slow-Cooker Potluck Beans.
  • Instead of the traditional creamy coleslaw, try a vinegar-dressed cabbage slaw. 

Grilled Desserts

  • Fruit kabobs with pineapple, peaches, and melon make a tasty treat!  Cook the fruit on low heat just until hot and slightly golden and pair with a side of honey and minted Greek yogurt. 
  • Grilling watermelon slices can really bring out a unique smoky-sweet flavor. 
  • Choose yellow, firm bananas for this recipe for Grilled Brown Sugar Bananas. 

The Five S’s of Sun Safety

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. As nicer weather pulls us outdoors for hobbies, sports and leisure activities, its up to us to protect ourselves and play it safe while doing so.  While increased exposure to the sun without adequate protection can increase your risk for skin cancer, you can still enjoy the outdoors and safely play in the sun by adhering to the “Five S’s of Sun Safety.”

  • SLIP on a t-shirt – clothing can be one of the most effective barriers between the sun and skin.  Look for a high UPF rated fabric or a closer weave for best protection.
  • SLOP on SPF 30+ broad spectrum UVA sunscreen. Remember, no sunscreen provides complete protection.  Apply 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapply at least every 2 hours and right after swimming.  Don’t forget to protect your lips with an SPF 30+ lip balm.
  • SLAP on a broad brimmed hat.  An ideal hat will shade the face, neck and ears so find a bucket style hat with a minimum 3-inch brim with a close weave or UPG rated fabric.
  • SLIDE on quality sunglasses.  Solar UV radiation can be damaging to the eyes so quality sunglasses labeled with a high EPF that also wrap around the sides offer the best protection.
  • SHADE from the sun whenever possible.  Seek shade whenever possible but especially during the peak hot times of day between 11am and 3pm when UV penetration is strongest.  Combine the above safety measures with shade for ultimate protection.

Small amounts of skin exposure to solar UV radiation are essential in the production of vitamin D and are beneficial to our health.  Vitamin D is important in the development and protection of strong bones and teeth.  Although there is no ‘one size fits all’ recommendation to sun exposure, research shows that 15 to 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure, without skin reddening or burning, per day should be sufficient for most people to produce the required levels of vitamin D. 

So get out there and enjoy this lovely weather! Just remember to play it safe. 🙂

Mark your Calendars; the Summer Steps Showdown is coming soon!

On May 24th, sign-ups begin. On that date, you can go to NGoodHealth.com to sign up for the Summer Showdown Challenge.

The challenge will kick-off on June 7th and wrap up on July 12th. Make sure your activity trackers are synced and ready to go! Discounted fitness devices are available through N Good Health. Visit NGoodHealth.com and click on the “Get Your Fitness Device” button in the left-hand column. You must have a device synced to N Good Health to earn step points.

Weekly prize drawings will be available based off a daily step goal of 7,500 steps. Not only do you get entered into the weekly drawing, you can also earn one healthy action point toward completing step 4! 7,500 steps = 1 point, it’s a win-win!

The shoe trophy will be back and up for grabs. Will your facility hang on to the trophy? The facility team with the highest step average each week will get the traveling trophy and have their photo posted on Nsite. At the end of the challenge, the facility with the highest step average keeps the trophy and the bragging rights.

Spring Clean Your Diet With These 5 Tips

With the change of the season comes warmer weather, new foods, and of course diet fads and trends. Don’t fall for any diet that promises quick and easy weight loss to get ready for bathing suit season! The severe restrictions and temporary weight loss just isn’t worth it when you can learn how to make sustainable changes to diet and lifestyle that will last in the long term. Here are five simple ways to clean up your diet and get on the right path to looking and feeling your best:

  1. Make small changes to your diet.

Place an emphasis on making small shifts to your diet rather than radical changes which are often difficult to stick with. Think of a food habit you’d like to change and slowly ease into a new ritual by making a small shift.

  1. Swap multigrain for whole grains products.

The term “multigrain” is defined by a food containing a blend of two or more grains and often can contain grains from refined sources. These grains can include oats, barley, cornmeal, wheat, millet, flax and others. This should not be confused with whole wheat which is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran which retains all the important nutrients of all parts of the grain.

  1. Go green!

Many green vegetables like kale, spinach, and broccoli are some of the healthiest choices. A favorite springtime produce is asparagus which is full of fiber, folate, vitamin K, and iron. Add asparagus to your spring dinner routine with this recipe for Garlic-Parmesan Asparagus.

  1. Find hidden sugars in your favorite foods.

You may be aware that soda and candy are full of added sugar but you may not pay attention to the hidden sugar in your favorite salad dressings, sauces, or whole grain cereals. Although it would be easier to reduce sugar intake if the label listed it plainly as “sugar” but many foods list it on food labels under names like sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar, honey, dextrose, and evaporated cane juice.

  1. Eat fat.
    Try to include healthy fats in your diet like olive oil, nuts, and avocado. These fats can help you feel full and stay full for longer periods of time, therefore reducing you chance of grabbing those mid-afternoon snacks. Nuts are an excellent snack because they contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats, protein, and fiber. Just be mindful on the portion size, fat contains more calories than carbohydrate and protein so stick to one serving at a time!

Remember- one day at a time, one meal at a time. You got this!

N Good Health Success Story Spotlight: Barry Barmore

** Note: On the picture in our April newsletter, Mr. Barmore is listed as “Robert Barmore”. We apologize for the error and want to make sure Mr. Barry Barmore receives the recognition he deserves for being diligent when it comes to completing his N Good Health visit. Without his dedication to completing his N Good Health four steps, the story you are about to read could have turned out much differently. Barry- you rock!

This picture was taken in January 2020 at the Molly Johnson Foundation Ball & Auction; approximately 8 weeks after surgery.

In August 2019 my husband went to a new internal medicine doctor whom I had found for him on the Norton Healthcare provider search. This was to be his N Good Health visit. She found him to be in A-Fib and referred him to a cardiology group at Audubon for additional tests and imaging. Not only was he in A-Fib but he had a bicuspid heart valve and a large ascending aortic aneurysm that needed surgical intervention to prevent it from rupturing. In November his cardiac surgery team at Audubon hospital performed open-heart surgery to repair the aneurysm. a Maze procedure to fix the A-Fib and inserted an aortic clip to prevent clotting. Thankfully, the bicuspid valve was working properly and didn’t need intervention. Now, a little over a year later he is doing great and even has a big scar that is good topic of conversation!  Thank you Norton Healthcare for a great outcome.

Do YOU have a story to share?  Please send your wellness success stories to N Good Health by reaching out to Lacey Nelson at [email protected] with the subject line “Success Story”. You never know who may hear your story and get inspired to make their health a priority!

Three months left to finish your 4 steps for your chance to win!

N Good Health participants that complete all 4 N Good Health steps by June 15, 2021 will be entered to win prizes. There will be 30 winners!

So, finish completing your steps and schedule your N Good Health physical now. More than 30 prizes are up for grabs!*

You can schedule your N Good Health physical through your MyNortonChart account. The final deadline for completing the 4 steps to earn wellness credits is Sept. 15, 2021. **

Prizes Include:

1) Free health insurance for 2022

2) $910 in cash (10 winners)

3) Pick a prize (15 winners). Some of those options include:

  • Free lunch every payday
  • YMCA family membership
  • Monthly Green Bean Delivery
  • Hot air balloon ride for two
  • Tickets on the Town (Churchill Downs, Louisville City FC, Louisville Bats)
  • Bike to Beat Cancer Family Ride registration
  • Festival of Trees & Lights family tickets
  • Planet Fitness Classic Membership
  • Norton Sports Performance membership

*Some prizes are based on availability.
** New hires get 180 days from their hire date to complete their 4 steps. 

12 ways you can achieve 7500 steps today

Walking is the easiest form of exercise and is something most people can do, regardless of their level of fitness.  Increasing the amount of daily walking to 30 or more minutes has significant health benefits like lowering blood sugar levels, decreasing waist circumference, improving mood and lowering blood pressure. 

We know it’s good for us so let’s talk about how to incorporate it into our days.  Remember, one of the N Good Health Healthy Actions is to walk 7500 steps daily to receive one point towards completing step 4.   When all 4 steps are complete you can earn $910 in wellness credits.  Using an activity tracker (available for a nice discount at www.ngoodhealth.com) or an app on your phone, set aside a day or two to establish a baseline to see how many steps you typically cover in a day.  Everyone is different so if your baseline is 2000 steps, trying to shoot for 7500 steps tomorrow may feel daunting and could possibly lead to injury.  Set reasonable goals and progress slowly to your ultimate target of 7500 daily steps.  If you are already achieving a minimum of 7500 steps daily, think of what level you would like to reach and start increasing your steps by 10 to 20% each day to reach a higher goal.  

Here are some ideas to increase your daily steps:

  1. Park your car far from the entrance of work or the store
  2. After loading your groceries in the car, walk your cart all the way back into the store instead of parking it in the corral
  3. Schedule a “walking meeting” with an associate and take a clipboard or small notebook to take notes on if needed
  4. Walk to your coworker’s desk to ask a question instead of sending an email and stroll to the printer to pick up your copies
  5. Pick the restroom or water fountain that is farthest from your work station
  6. Enjoy a pre- or post-dinner walk around the neighborhood
  7. Put on your favorite tunes and shake your groovy to the beat of the music
  8. Walk along while the kids ride their bikes or walk around the field while they play their sport
  9. Meet for a coffee/drink date and take it for a walk
  10. Volunteer at a local animal shelter/veterinarian/doggy day care and walk dogs for them if you don’t  have your own dog to walk
  11. If you ride the bus, get off a stop early or get on a stop later
  12. Walk around the house during commercials if you watch television

Looking for a change of scenery?  Explore the many parks and trails Louisville has to offer.  Maybe pick one from this list to visit each weekend.  Get creative, break any sedentary habits and enjoy the health benefits of walking each day.

Reducing Stress and Building Resilience

During the month of April, learn how to cultivate mindfulness, positivity and simple everyday techniques to become more resilient to stress.

This four week workshop found in your N Good Health account will show you how you can cultivate mindfulness, positivity, and simple techniques to become more resilient to stress. Identify those aspects of your personality that impact how well you cope with stress. A variety of articles and videos will help you understand how personality and stress are related.

Week 1: Personality Discovery

Week 2: Creating Resilience

Week 3: Cultivating Mindfulness

Week 4: Stress Management in Practice

To access the workshop, participants will need to log into their N Good Health account, click on “Wellness Workshops” and find the workshop “Reducing Stress and Building Resilience” and click “Add”. Complete each week’s information, every week for four weeks.

Earn 10 Healthy Actions points upon completion and get entered to win a wellness basket! To get entered to win the wellness basket, you will need to complete all of week one content by April 30th. A winner will be chosen May 5th.