Monday Motivation: Try This Deep Breathing Exercise

Research has shown that slowing your breathing lowers levels of anxiety, calming your brain & enabling you to deal with challenges more effectively & efficiently.  Taking slow, deep breaths can also help you notice & enjoy the moment you’re in & give you a nice mental break.  
There are so many different apps out there for breathing (Calm, Headspace, the Mindfulness app, even Apple Watches have a feature that encourages deep breaths!  Neat, right?), but if you’d like something to try right now, give this a shot:

Count to 4 as you breathe in.

Hold for 4 counts

Breathe out for 4 counts.

Hold for 4 counts. 

Repeat 4 or more times.  

Breathe in through your nose & out through your mouth.

Let your belly expand. 

Relax your body as you breathe.

Congrats!  You’ve done your first deep breathing exercise.  If you’d like to kick it up a notch, try an app & try turning down the lights, sitting in a quiet, comfortable spot & really getting your zen on.  🙂 

Les Mills Body Combat

Want to travel to New Zealand?  Try this hour-long full-body workout filmed with the background of mountains and lakes of the Kiwi islands.  

This full-body workout is also a low-impact option that can be done without equipment.  These basic movements will hit all major muscle groups as you move to music.  This cardio-infused session is for beginners to advanced members and can be enjoyed by all ages.  While a mat is not required, a non-hard surface is recommended for comfort. 

Please feel free to contact Chris, Y@Work Director at Watterson Towers with any questions, 502-272-5920.

DIY Bird Feeder

Another fun activity you can do at home!​

Ingredients

  • Popsicle stick or butter knife
  • Clean toilet paper roll
  • Peanut butter or vegetable shortening
  • Bird seed
  • String

Instructions

  1. Use a popsicle stick or butter knife to spread vegetable shortening or peanut butter on a clean toilet paper roll
  2. Roll the toilet paper roll on a  plate filled with birdseed
  3. If desired, string a loop of string or twine through the toilet paper roll
  4. Hang the toilet paper roll bird feeder on a bush, or slide it into a branch
  5. Your toilet paper roll bird feeder is complete!

Device-free Sunday

As a society, we have become so addicted to social media that we waste incredible amounts of time that could be spent on things that truly matter.  Today, resolve that you will NOT get caught up in the scroll of your Facebook or Instagram feed, the constant texting & notifications, the video games & social media.  Today, challenge yourself & your family to take a break from your devices.  ​

Ideas for your fun-filled, device-free day:


– Take the dog for a walk around your neighborhood

– Bake cookies or a cake.  Better yet, have a family bake-off!

– Family movie day, complete with popcorn!

– If you have small children, create an obstacle course in your home or give them a ride around in a laundry basket (i.e. the picture shown)

– Create slime or cloud dough (you can use YouTube for this one)

– Go for a family bike ride

– Play in the backyard; you can play ball, jump on the trampoline if you have one, etc.

– Family game night! 

– Color in a coloring book together

–  Take a trip to a state park (just no playing on the playground for now!)


The opportunities are endless.  Challenge yourself to ditch the electronics today & create some new memories with the people most important to you.

YMCA 360: BARRE

Barre is a combination of postures used in ballet, yoga, and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements.

Take your pick of 3 Barre class variations and strive for the Barre trifecta by doing all 3 videos! These beginner Barre classes will target your full body while using a variety of exercise equipment and body positions. You will also be working on your flexibility too.

You can substitute the weighted body bar for a broom stick, chair, or bar stool. Doing this class barefoot is best. Sometimes shoes will hinder your balance during these moves. Try to work out on an even firm surface.

CLICK HERE to begin your workout!

Please feel free to reach out to Brittney, Y@Work Director Norton Hospital with any questions at 629-3760.

Mini Whole Wheat Banana Zucchini Muffins

This is a great cooking with kids recipe that the whole family will enjoy. Healthy and sweet, our favorite combo!

Mini Whole Wheat Banana Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients

– 1 cup whole wheat flour

– 1/2 cup rolled oats

– 1 tsp baking soda

– 1/2 tsp salt

– 2 eggs, whisked

– 1 zucchini, grated

– 1/4 cup canola oil

– 3 mashed bananas

– 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

In a bowl, combine dry ingrdients.

In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients and put into greased mini muffin pan.

Bake 15 min. at 350. Serve warm with butter!

Give Your Home a Face Lift

After all the spring cleaning you have been doing, you may feel as though you are ready for some small home improvements.

Here are a few ways to give your house a fresh look:

1.       Freshen Up an Old Room With Paint

  • Not ready to paint an entire room? You can always choose to paint only one wall and that can be your accent wall.
  • Paint the doors throughout your house

2.       Pressure wash house, sidewalk, walkways and driveway

  • Wash away all the mildew and leaf stains from your house and walkways

3.       Update your entryway

  • Paint the Front Door
  • Add a spring wreath
  • Plant some flowers

4.       Switch Out Your Kitchen Faucet

  • With spending more time in the kitchen these days, you might be ready for a faucet update

5.       Update Your Hardware

  • Changing out the hardware in your cabinet can really give your kitchen a new look

 Updating a few rooms or items at a time can not only be budget friendly, but will make it seem as though big changes were made.

Spring Into Action Week Three

In the third week of the N Good Health Spring into Action steps challenge, 439 participants walked a total of 18,038,603 steps for 7,936 miles.

​Here are the top three teams:

1. NCH Care Steppers

2. PREOP STEPPERS

3. Crafty Feet

Top five steppers:

1. Jerry Melton, Team: ReeseandBarney

2. Christina Miller, Team: NCH Care Steppers

3. Sandy Hepp, Team: PREOP STEPPERS

4. Lisa Mcroy, Team: Rad Walkers

5. Devin Martin, Team: WalkingOnWater

Need some more ideas in staying active during the challenge? Here are 2 ways to stay active at home:

1. March in place, once every hour for 5-10 minutes.

2. Clean out, vacuum and wash your car

Check out the Nsite > Health and Wellness tab for great motivation on ways to move more during the challenge and other great health and wellness tips.

Running safely through a pandemic

Social distancing is in place for a while longer. Many parks and trails are closed and race cancellations are spilling into Fall yet the weather right now is ideal for running outdoors– so what does this mean for runners? With kids home from school, no sports activities to attend, date nights on hold, travel restricted, stresses at work….some just need to run!

Here are 4 tips for running safely through the COVID-19 pandemic:

  1. Keep your distance: stay 6 feet away from others. If you encounter another person, communicate clearly and take extra effort to pass at a distance. Cross the street if you need to.
  2. Hit the streets: run through a relative’s or friend’s neighborhood and maybe you will find a new favorite route
  3. Be safe: you’re probably running alone so stay away from dark side streets and remain visible, carry your cell phone and wear reflective or lighted apparel and accessories
  4. Keep running: the simple act of running requires little equipment and is an inexpensive outlet for reducing stress and maintaining or acquiring a healthy weight. It is also a great way to get some fresh air and sunshine and some might even say it is better than therapy.

Feel Good Friday: Using LEGOs to fight Coronavirus?

LEGO has announced that it is taking on the challenge of providing protective equipment for medical workers as PPE remains in short supply around the world.  They are using its their manufacturing expertise to create clear plastic visors for medical workers in Denmark & are working around the clock to produce more than 13,000 visors a day. Representatives from Denmark’s healthcare system consulted with LEGO designers to create an effective visor, which has a wide, transparent shield and handles to go over ears.

LEGO is also giving away 500,000 building sets to children in need with their rainbow campaign. LEGO builders can:
1. Create a rainbow 🌈

2. Share it with #LetsBuildTogether

3. Tag 3 friends and nominate them to build and share rainbows!


The company says the rainbows are “symbols of hope,” which is certainly something we can all use right now.


LEGO also announced a $50 million donation toward relief efforts, including a contribution to the charity Education Cannot Wait, which “provides education for children in crises.” ​In addition, they ​partnered with the U.K. government to create a cute video encouraging kids to be superheroes by staying home during the pandemic.


​​Thank you, LEGO, for being a good example of how businesses can work with govern​ments and heathcare systems to serve the public during a public health crisis.