Professional Self-Care

Walking
Healthy Steps
Walking is a popular, easy, and safe form of physical activity. Worldwide studies confirmed the health benefits of walking my encompass:
. A reduced risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
. A lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol levels and improved blood lipid profile
. Reduced body fat
. An enhanced mental well being
. Reduced stress
. A fortified immune system,
. A reduced chance of becoming ill
. Improved sleep
. Increased bone density helping to prevent osteoporosis
. Helps with osteoarthritis
. A reduced risk of certain cancers, especially colon cancer.
. A reduced risk of Type-2 diabetes
. Improved flexibility and coordination,
. A reduced risk of falls,mostly for elderly.
. Helps maintain healthy lung function
. Higher energy levels
School walking buses are now providing a popular way to get groups of children to walk to school quickly and safely under the guidance of trained adult supervisors.
Caring for a pet not only gets patients exercising on a daily basis, but also helps to reduce stress,according to British Health Foundation.
The World Health Organisation European Network for Promoting Health- Enhancing Physical Activity(HEPA) has taken its " Walk for Health" campaign to the UK, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Austria, and Germany.
Japanese physiologists developed the idea that walking 10,000 steps a day will help you keep fit and healthy without the need for additional exercise. Many countries leaped on this notion with international programs. Most people walk around 4,000 steps a day without thinking about it. People who sit at a desk all day do around 2,000, while those who walk as part of their work, such as nurses, will walk around 8,000 steps a day. 10,000 steps are around 5 miles and will burn about 500 calories.
• The important thing to remember is that exercise should be fun. If you don’t enjoy it, you will probably not continue doing it.
• Brisk walking: walk fast without overexertion. You should just about be able to hold a conversation while you are walking- “ the talk test”
• 10 minute walks can increase fitness. A study at Loughborough University found that women walking continuously for 30 minutes 5 days/ week; had an identical increase in fitness as women who split their 30 minutes into three 10 minutes walks.
• Devices such as pedometers and pulse monitors can give feedback on your performance during exercise and after completing a session.
Well Being
Global Corporate Challenge ( GCC) was founded 2004 in Melbourne Australia. 87% of the workforce do not go to the gym, and may develop health problems if they don’t do an exercise of some sort.
Accessibility is important. While among employees would like to adopt healthier habits they often find it hard to sustain a fitness regime. Men and women have different path's to success, women did best when they share their plans with friends. Men prefer goal- setting or focusing on the rewards of achieving their goals. The GCC program encourages the participants to increase their daily steps from 3,500 steps/ day - the average distance walk by the sedentary worker- to 10,000 or more recommended by the World Health Organization. To sign up to the program the employee has to pay a certain amount of money, each employee receive a package containing a backpack and two pedometers and then join the 16- week program, recording and entering their daily steps count into GCC website.
Medical research carried out at the GCC participants found that after completing the program, there was a 32.8% reduction in the number of women classified as having a risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Women also had an average weight loss of 13 lbs. Men with a high risk of the same conditions were 95.3%, after completing the program the percentage of men at risk had fallen to 23.3%. The survey found that GCC participants took 41% less sick days than their non- participant colleague.
Personal Wellness
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One should manage one’s body like a business, the principle of good business needs to be translated into specific self-management guidelines.
Managers on-going running their bodies as systematically and carefully as they do their business, there would be fewer premature deaths due to cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, less lost productivity due to stress, colds, headaches, and lower back pain, and more personal happiness.
Without an appropriate idea of the dimensions of physical fitness, exercise can become a useless and sometimes even hazardous journey. Walking would be the safest physical exercise.
Walk Through Snow
A treadmill is a great way to get and stay in shape. Fair weather walker, the treadmill is the secret to making walking a habit.
If you love simplicity, without preprogrammed workout settings, you set your speed and incline, and it stays that way until you change.
Treadmills come with the control panel offers tons of programs. A pulse- check grip bar, cup/remote, book holders, and calorie- burn readouts.
Walk While You Work
Standing desk, desks that go from sitting to standing in one second. A treadmill desk treadmill on the floor and a raised desk, seated tasks such as reading typing and making phone calls become walking tasks. Avoiding the health hazards of too much sitting while doubling or tripling the number of calories you burn.
Some treadmill- desk users can glide through six or seven miles at the end of the working day.
Not all the employers will agree to assign the funds for such an unconventional way of working, also space is an issue.
Wellness Navigation
1. Wellness Navigators will help community members outline and prioritize health and wellness needs and develop a plan to meet their needs by using their internal personal resources and connecting them with health and/or community resources.
2. Decrease barriers when community members try to access health and community resources.
3. Create partnerships and relationships between people, family, friends, community resources, and health services.
4. Building capacity of community members and organizations in navigation skills by increasing knowledge and access to health and wellness.
Services Provided by the Wellness Navigator
• Referrals to a community resource.
• Interim follow- up ( if on the wait list).
• Behavior change support.
• Education provided.
• Advocacy.
• Outreach ( email, phone calls, home visit, community visit).
• Emotional support.
• Practical needs addressed ( help with transportation, filling out forms).

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