NGH Communities

Free Fitness Program Available to All Employees and Eligible Spouses

Employees and eligible spouses have the opportunity to participate in a free wellness program that begins Monday, October 19th.  Basic lifeREADY is a 12-week program designed for those who are ready to incorporate an exercise routine into their lives.  

The program combines various movements and strength exercises that allow participants to advance at their own pace and fitness level. It is designed to improve performance in activities of daily living, motivate you to invest in yourself and empower you to set and achieve goals. 

The first 150 to register will commit to three weekly sessions held at Norton Sports Performance (NSP) located at 12101 Sycamore Station Place in Louisville.  Sessions are held M-F at 5:30am and 5:30pm and Sat at 8:00am. 

Register for the free Basic lifeREADY program by calling (502) 409-8888. 

If you’d like more advanced training, Norton Sports Performance is accepting new members. This one-of-a-kind facility has a 10,000-square-foot turf area and offers over 80 weekly classes for adults and sport-specific training for student athletes.

Additionally, employees and spouses that participate in the N Good Health program can earn three points toward a step 4 healthy action for each daily check in.  To earn your points, be sure to check in for your workouts and make sure you are flagged in the NSP system as a NHC employee. 

For more information on Norton Sports Performance, please visit nortonsportsperformance.com

Why Whole Grains?

You hear a lot about eating “whole grains.” But why?

All grains start life as whole, or intact, grains. In their natural state, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed or kernel is made up of three edible parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. When you “refine” a grain, you are only left with the endosperm.

When you refine a grain down to a refined flour, you are left with calories void of nutrients, or “empty calories.” Because of this, it is encouraged to eat whole or intact grains as opposed to white, refined grains. They pack many nutrients, including fiber, that are health promoting.

When you refine a grain down to flour, it also becomes extremely easy for your body to digest. Quickly broken down into glucose, food products made with refined flour cause a large spike in blood sugar and hit our brain hard and fast. This blood sugar spike triggers the pleasure center in our brain leaving us wanting more and more of the product. Additionally, it is leaving us without actual nutrients leaving our hunger hormones to continue to tell us that we are hungry.

So in order to nourish your body well, keep your hunger and satiety hormones happy and keep your intake in control, reach for whole grains!

Several whole grain examples include:

  • Amaranth
  • Barley
  • Buckwheat
  • Corn
  • Millet
  • Oats
  • Quinoa
  • Brown rice
  • Wheat

So, next time you are headed down the bread, cracker, rice or pasta aisle, check your labels. Look for products that are 100% whole grain. Try brown rice with your dinner tonight or make a homemade barley soup. Your body will thank you!

Want to take it to the next level? Try sprouted grains.

Sprouted grain products use a grain after sprouting has begun. Grains that have just begun sprouting offer all the goodness of whole grains, while being more readily digested. What’s more, the sprouting process can increase the amount and bio-availability of some vitamins and minerals, making sprouted grains a nutrition powerhouse. Look for Ezekial bread in your grocer’s frozen section.

Get ready for N Good Health’s Fall Steps Challenge!

Fall is right around the corner, and who isn’t ready for some cooler weather? Sign-ups are now OPEN at NGoodHealth.com. You can participate on a team or as a team of one- the choice is yours! This is a three week challenge running from Oct. 7th – October 28th. Sign-ups are open until October 13th, so if you haven’t sign up yet- you still have time! Get your steps on & earn N Good Health points in the process; each time you hit 7500 or more steps in a single day, you earn 1 points for that day.

Get N sync with N Good Health

Did you know your N Good Health account syncs with more than 10 fitness devices? It’s easy to keep track of your steps and log your activity when you sync your fitness device with your account. To get a discounted Fitbit or Garmin before the challenge begins, visit NGoodHealth.com and click on the “Get Your Device” button. If you need help connecting your device to the website, please reach out.

Questions?

Contact N Good Health at (502) 629-2162 or submit an N Good Health service request on N Good Health’s page under Departments on Nsite.

Be Your Breast Self In October

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and at N Good Health, we want to make sure you have the best resources available to stay up to date on your cancer prevention screenings. In Step 2 in your N Good Health account (Annual Wellness Statement), you are asked if you have an up-to-date mammogram. Women age 40 and older should consider an annual mammogram in addition to monthly self-exams and an annual breast exam from a health care provider. If you’re due for a mammogram, consider the merits of going to a nationally accredited program.

The Norton Healthcare Breast Health Program is the leading provider of breast care in Louisville and Southern Indiana. It offers the latest resources, diagnostic testing and treatment services available to women in the community, including:

  • Five mammography locations and a mobile prevention unit for convenient care
  • The latest breast screening technologies to detect even the tiniest tumors, including state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, digital and 3D mammography, breast ultrasound and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • A full range of diagnostic and treatment programs designed to promote breast health
  • Dedicated patient navigators to help guide patients through the breast health journey
  • Same-day appointments for those diagnosed with breast cancer
  • Monthly breast cancer support groups for any woman affected by breast cancer
  • Norton Cancer Institute Behavioral Oncology Program, designed to provide supportive emotional and psychological care for patients diagnosed with breast cancer

To learn more about prevention and detection or breast cancer treatment options, click below.

Source: NortonHealthcare.com

Don’t let your food go to waste!

How often do you feel like you’re throwing out more food than you’re eating? It might not surprise you that in America, 40% of our food supply goes to waste. That means that 40% of the food developed goes uneaten and ends up in a landfill. Crazy, right? If you’re interested in reading more about the breakdown behind this stat, check out this Natural Resources Defense Council report.

But what’s most important is, ‘What can we do about it?’ With an average of $28-$48 dollars per month per individual of waste, how can we decrease this loss?

Our nation’s savvy cooks are taking on the food waste issue head on, “With a…deeper shift in the mood of the nation’s cooks, one in which wasting food is unfashionable. Running an efficient kitchen — where bruised fruit is blended into smoothies, carrot tops are pulsed into pesto, and a juicy pork shoulder can move seamlessly from Sunday supper to Monday’s carnitas to a rich pot of broth for the freezer — is becoming as satisfying as the food itself.” –K. Severson

Chef Dan Barber is so devoted to this movement that he opened up a pop-up restaurant in NYC where every dish was based on waste. Hence the name, WastED.

But, in order to know how to fix a problem, it’s important to understand how we got here. “Somewhere along the line, the art of kitchen efficiency was lost amid grocery stores packed with pre-made pizza shells, bagged lettuce and fruit so perfect it needed no knife work. Dinner was almost as likely to come from the drive-through … as from the stove. How were home cooks supposed to know what to do with a leftover chicken carcass if they didn’t know how to roast the chicken in the first place?” – K. Severson

But with a new food wave coming, one where we cook more like our grandmothers than our mothers, we can be the difference. The talk of “healthy eating costs more” can be improved with an efficient cook making up the difference.

Now, lacking a professional culinary degree, what can we actually do in our own kitchens to improve our food waste?

Chef Olivia Roszkiwski from the Natural Gourmet Institute shares several ideas that we domestic chefs can apply in our own kitchens!

  • Blanch and blend any greens (like from the tops of produce) for a pesto, relish or salsa
  • Use petite greens as a decorative garnish
  • Save greens for juicing or smoothies
  • Pickle stems for a tangy condiment
  • Coat seeds in oil and roast in  a pan
  • Grind seeds into a powder and use as a crispy coating
  • Use seeds as a garnish for a salad crunch
  • Roast peels into a crispy snack or garnish
  • Chop extra ingredients for a soup or gazpacho
  • Create infused water, drinks or cocktails for a special gathering (great conversation piece)

Some additional ideas include:

  • When produce looks like it is going bad, freeze for a smoothie later
  • Bake apples that are browning
  • Chop up a side salad with dinner to rid the fridge of extra produce
  • Share a dish with neighbors or co-workers
  • Chop produce into ready-to-eat form when you get home from the grocery – when its ready to eat, people will eat it

Have any other suggestions for reducing waste in your home?

Resources:

  1. “At the Chef Dan Barber’s Pop-Up, WastED, Brused and Misshapen Bits are Dinner.” Wells, Pete. 27 March, 2015. The New York Times.
  2. “Starve a Landfill: Efficiency in the Kitchen to Reduce Food Waste.” Severson, Kim. 3 March, 2015. The New York Times.
  3. Natural Gourmet Institute Blog.  

Walking For Exercise!

Something seeming simple can make a big difference – here’s how to make a plan and stick with it!

Getting started

  • Start slowly and set a short-term goal. For example, walk for 5 or 10 minutes every day.
  • Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk every day. Try for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. You also may want to swim, bike, or do other activities.
  • If finding enough time is a problem, it is fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout your day and week.
  • To get the heart-healthy benefits of walking, you need to walk briskly enough to increase your heart rate and breathing, but not so fast that you cannot talk comfortably.
  • Wear comfortable shoes t hat fit well and provide good support for your feet and ankles.

Staying with your plan

  • After you’ve made walking a habit, set a longer-term goal. You may want to set a goal of walking briskly for longer or walking farther. Experts say to do 2½ hours of moderate activity a week. A faster heartbeat is what defines moderate-level activity.
  • To stay motivated, walk with friends, coworkers, or pets.
  • Use a phone app or activity tracking device to track your steps each day. Discounts on devices can be found at www.ngoodhealth.com. Set a goal of 7,500 steps and receive one N Good Health point towards step 4 each day you log it in your account. Once this is comfortable, set a higher goal and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
  • If the weather keeps you from walking outside, go for walks at the mall with a friend.

Fitting a walk into your workday

  • Park several blocks away from work, or get off the bus a few stops early.
  • Use the stairs instead of the elevator, at least for a few floors.
  • Suggest holding meetings with colleagues during a walk inside or outside the building.
  • Use the restroom that is the farthest from your desk or workstation.
  • Use your morning and afternoon breaks to take quick 15-minute walks.

Staying safe

  • Know your surroundings. Walk in a well-lighted, safe place. If it is dark, walk with a partner. Wear light-colored clothing or buy a vest or jacket that reflects light.
  • Carry a cell phone for emergencies.
  • Drink plenty of water. Take a water bottle with you when you walk if it is hot out.
  • Be careful not to slip on wet or icy ground. You can buy “grippers” for your shoes to help keep you from slipping.
  • Pay attention to your walking surface. Use sidewalks and paths.
  • If you have breathing problems like asthma or COPD, ask your doctor when it is safe for you to walk outdoors. Cold, dry air, smog, pollen, or other things in the air could cause breathing problems

Benefits of Walking

  • Burns calories
  • Strengthens the heart
  • Can help lower blood sugar
  • Supports joints
  • Boosts immune function
  • Increases energy levels
  • Improves mood
  • Can extend your life
  • Clears your mind
  • Improves circulation
  • Builds bone strength
  • Better sleep
  • Reduces risk for disease

We hope these tips have helped- happy walking & let us know how we can help you reach your goals!

Get ready for N Good Health’s Fall Steps Challenge!

Fall is right around the corner, and who isn’t ready for some cooler weather? Sign-ups for the Fit For Fall Step Challenge will start on Oct. 1 at NGoodHealth.com. You can participate on a team or as a team of one- the choice is yours! This challenge will run for three weeks from Oct. 7th – October 28th. Get your steps on & earn N Good Health points in the process; each time you hit 7500 or more steps in a single day, you earn 1 points for that day.

Get N sync with N Good Health

Did you know your N Good Health account syncs with more than 10 fitness devices? It’s easy to keep track of your steps and log your activity when you sync your fitness device with your account. To get a discounted Fitbit or Garmin before the challenge begins, visit NGoodHealth.com and click on the “Get Your Device” button. If you need help connecting your device to the website, please reach out.

Questions?

Contact N Good Health at (502) 629-2162 or submit an N Good Health service request on N Good Health’s page under Departments on Nsite.

EAP: Earn 30 points with a Life Balance Assessment

Emotional wellness is so important to our overall health and wellness. Norton Healthcare not only takes care of their patients, but values and wants to care for their employees too. With coronavirus (COVID-19) now a global pandemic, anxiety and stress levels may be higher than normal for many people. One great way you can take care of your emotional well-being, is by utilizing the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with Wayne Corporation.

Complete a Life Balance Assessment with a specialist from Wayne Corp. and earn 30 N Good Health points per session.

This assessment can be completed virtually or in-person, generally lasts about 20 minutes and is completely confidential. There is no cost to you. 30 Points are awarded when you voluntarily submit a tracker form to N Good Health by faxing it to (502) 666-7667 or emailing it to [email protected]. To make an appointment, contact EAP by calling Wayne Corp. at (502) 451-8262 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

N Good Health Physical- you have options

You still have time to get your N Good Health Physical completed before the September 15th deadline!

Various options are available for you

  • If you have a Norton Healthcare primary care provider, you can use MyNortonChart to schedule your N Good Health physical. Simply click on “Schedule an appointment with your physician” and select “N Good Health.” 
  • If you do not have a Norton PCP or would like to find out more about available appointments with other providers that might fit your schedule, you can call 629-1234; option 3 for appointments.
  • N Good Health participants who don’t have a Norton Healthcare primary care provider or simply need further after-hours or weekend options for scheduling can visit NortonHealthcare.com/PromptCare to schedule online for any Norton Prompt Care at Walgreens location. Or, you can call (502) 629-1234, option 3,to make an appointment.

* Be sure to say you are scheduling your “N Good Health physical” when making your appointment. 

What is step 3?

The N Good Health physical is step 3 of N Good Health’s 4 steps. Employees and spouses eligible to earn wellness credits can earn more than $1,800 in wellness credits in 2021 when you complete your 4 steps by Saturday, Sept. 15, 2020.*

Thank you for your dedication to your own health and wellness, and the safety of our patients and your colleagues during this challenging time.

Questions?

Call (502) 629-2162 or submit an N Good Health service request form on Nsite. To find the form, select N Good Health under Departments and click on “Contact Us.”

*If it is unreasonably difficult or inadvisable due to a medical condition for you to complete the 4 steps to earn wellness credits, you may complete a medical exclusion form in order to qualify for them. Call N Good Health at (502) 629-2162 for the form or answers to any questions.

N Good Health Physical – you have options!

You still have time to get your N Good Health Physical completed before the September 15th deadline! 

Various options are available for you

  • If you have a Norton Healthcare primary care provider, you can use MyNortonChart to schedule your N Good Health physical. Simply click on “Schedule an appointment with your physician” and select “N Good Health.”
  • You can call (502) 629-1234, option 3, to find an available appointment with a Norton provider.
  • N Good Health participants who don’t have a Norton Healthcare primary care provider or simply need further after-hours or weekend options for scheduling can visit NortonHealthcare.com/PromptCare to schedule a visit at a Norton Prompt Care at Walgreens location.

Be sure to say you are scheduling your “N Good Health physical” when making your appointment. 

What is step 3?

The N Good Health physical is step 3 of N Good Health’s 4 steps. Employees and spouses eligible to earn wellness credits can earn more than $1,800 in wellness credits in 2021 when you complete your 4 steps by Saturday, Sept. 15, 2020.*

Thank you for your dedication to your own health and wellness, and the safety of our patients and your colleagues during this challenging time.

Questions?

Call (502) 629-2162 or submit an N Good Health service request form on Nsite. To find the form, select N Good Health under Departments and click on “Contact Us.”

*If it is unreasonably difficult or inadvisable due to a medical condition for you to complete the 4 steps to earn wellness credits, you may complete a medical exclusion form in order to qualify for them. Call N Good Health at (502) 629-2162 for the form or answers to any questions.