Words from Wellness | February 2022

The Wellness Committee is looking for members!

The Wellness Committee is looking for members! We meet on a monthly basis to discuss wellness-related topics and to bring our employee owners great programming. Please reach out to Jessica Fasi if you’re interested in joining. We’re a fun, welcoming group and enjoy learning from one other!

The Wellness Committee is planning out our calendar for 2022 and we want to make sure we’re providing the topics and events that you’d like to hear about and participate in. Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey. If you provide your name at the end of the survey, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a wellness-related gift of your choice, valued up to $100 (options could include yoga mat, workout gear, subscription to a wellness magazine/publication, subscription to a healthy meal delivery service, etc.). Please respond to the survey by 3/11/22.

Strength training—also called weight training or resistance training—isn’t just good for your muscles. It provides a multitude of benefits for your whole body, including improved heart health and balance, stronger bones, weight loss, and improved mental well-being. Incorporating strength training into your weekly workout or routine couldn’t be easier. You don’t need a gym or expensive weights. Push-ups, planks, squatting on a chair or any other exercise that uses your own body weight as resistance will do. Using external resistance in the form of free-weights, weight machines, resistance bands, and even your own body weight, strength training exercises apply a load/ overload to a specific muscle or muscle group, and force the muscles to adapt and grow stronger. And, for those who are aging—and, let’s be honest, who isn’t?—regular strength training can help prevent sarcopenia, the gradual and natural Guidelines for Americans, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends strength training for all ages. For children/adolescents 6 to 17 years old, HHS recommends strength training be incorporated into their recommendation for 60 minutes of physical activity daily, at least 3 days/week. In adults, moderate- to-intense strength training that targets all muscle groups is recommended 2 days/week. loss of lean muscle mass. In its new Physical Activity

Besides providing cardiovascular benefits and preserving muscle mass, as all exercise does, strength training can provide surprisingly broad health benefits. Let’s take a look. Burns more calories. Because it boosts your metabolism, strength training burns calories. But even after wrapping up your strength- training workout, did you know that it contributes to something known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)—more commonly known as “afterburn”? As your body recovers from your workout and moves back to a resting state, it will keep burning more calories because of your workout. The more intense your workout, the longer it takes for your body to return to resting state, and the more calories you will burn. Boosts energy and mood. Like all exercise, strength training raises your circulating levels of endorphins, which serve to improve not only your mood, but gives you an increase in your energy level as well. Reduces anxiety. Researchers have documented the anxiolytic effects of resistance training as well, with low-to-moderate intensity training (less than 70% of one repetition maximum) effecting the most consistent and largest decreases in anxiety. Improves sleep. In a study involving elderly men aged 65 to 80 years, resistance training changed sleep patterns for the better, via less awakening and deeper sleep in those who took part in just a single

training session at 60% of one repetition maximum. Improves diabetes. High-intensity resistance training improved glycemic control and muscle strength in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age: 66 years), according to researchers of a meta- analysis/review of 10 clinical trials. Resistance training brought about significant reduction in HbA1c (0.50%), and led to a 38% increase in muscular strength, they found. Protects bone health. High-intensity resistance and impact training can improve bone density, structure, and strength, as well as functional performance in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, according to results from the LIFTMORE study, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Lowers colon cancer risk. To study the effects of weightlifting on future risk of developing 10 different types of cancer, researchers surveyed and followed over 215,000 adults for 6-7 years. According to their study findings, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, those who lifted weights every week had a 22% to 25% lower risk of colon cancer compared with those who did not lift weights, as well as a modest reduction in the risk of kidney cancer. Are you interested in starting a strength-training routine or want to learn more? The Wellness Committee will be hosting a webinar to help you with all you need to know to get started!

Wellness Resources & Benefits Reminder! Past Wellness Webinars can be found on the Intranet! Documents and Resources > Video Library Solutions EAP Short-term, confidential counseling and/or referral for employees and employee family members. www.solutions-eap.com Cigna Talkspace Convenient, safe and secure online therapy from any location. talkspace.com/cigna

More resources can be found on the Intranet.

Source: https://www.mdlinx.com/article/what-are-the-hidden- health-benefits-of-strength-training/lfc-4268