Stimulate Your Brain

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. The activities help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.   

Today’s lesson is on stimulating your brain.  

Give your thinker something new to chew on. 

Changing routines and rituals stimulates new neural connections. It also helps us stay interested and engaged in life while enhancing the health of our gray matter. 

Our brains quickly respond to different information by forging paths and links; this process — called plasticity— is how we learn, adapt, and grow at any age. We can mold our brains in positive ways, changing structure as well as function with the right stimulation. Activities as simple as eating unfamiliar foods or having a conversation with someone new create novel pathways; so do more complex experiences like learning a hobby or taking a trip to an unknown destination. Anything unexpected triggers neurological rewiring, and that’s a good thing. 

Cash in on unique ways to keep your brain guessing and adapting; more fun and intrigue are part of the payoff. Examples: 

• Socialize/meet new people 

• Learn a skill/hobby or teach someone else 

• Explore a different neighborhood or town 

• Expand your vocabulary 

• Practice a new language 

• Take a different route to work 

• Eat with your non-dominant hand 

• Listen to an unfamiliar style of music 

• Switch the order of your daily routine. 

Stepping out of your comfort zone can be exciting; it’s one of the most important things to do for brain health, energy, and enjoyment. 

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.  

Read more lessons from Renew. 

Improve Your Zzz

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on sleep.

Practice good sleep hygiene for more restful, restorative slumber.

Just as maintaining healthy teeth and gums requires regular oral hygiene, so too does quality sleep require regular maintenance. Sleep often takes a back seat to busy schedules, work and family demands, or holidays and travel. But good sleep is vital to feeling your best; getting 7-9 hours consistently should be a top priority. Research shows sleep benefits learning and memory, the immune system, cardiovascular health, and more. Try these tips to get the rest you need:

• Set a sleep schedule — go to bed and get up at the same time every day (even on your days off)

• Make it dark, cool, and quiet — create a sleep-conducive environment by covering light sources or using a sleep mask, setting your thermostat between 60-67 degrees F, and using a sound machine or earplugs

• Go screen-free — transition away from TV, phones, and tablets at least an hour before bedtime

• Avoid disruptive food/drink — stay clear of large meals, alcohol, and caffeine close to bedtime

• Reset when necessary — if you haven’t fallen asleep within 20 minutes, get up and read or do something relaxing before trying again.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Take an Active Break

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on active breaks.

Move your body to give your brain an edge.

When you need to refresh and recharge for better focus, shake a leg. Physical activity promotes good circulation and balances neurotransmitters that influence learning, attention, and decision making. Get in the habit of taking active breaks, and you’ll improve your ability to concentrate.

Extended periods of sitting impair circulation and metabolic health, detracting from mental performance. You’ll do your best thinking when you break up sedentary time with movement. Actively stepping away from any task gives your brain a needed rest and change of scenery. A brisk walk works wonders, but it’s not the only option. A few ideas:

• Take several flights of stairs

• Do a couple sets of jumping jacks, push-ups, squats, or lunges

• Stand up and stretch your back, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, hips, and legs

• Use exercise equipment like a stationary bike, elliptical, or rower

• Be active outdoors whenever possible

• Follow along with a fitness video

• Try some yoga poses

• Build strength with dumbbells or resistance bands

• Jog in place or dance for a few minutes.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Cultivate Curiosity

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on cultivating curiosity.

Stoke your drive to learn something new.

People are naturally curious — hardwired to seek out experiences and learn new things, from infants to adults. Paying attention to and amplifying this trait can be beneficial, with positive impacts on relationships, career, and overall well-being. Studies reveal what we feel intuitively: that people who show curiosity by asking questions and genuinely listening are more likable and have closer relationships.

Try these tips to cultivate your own curiosity:

• Talk to a stranger — challenge yourself to strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know; offer a compliment or inquire about their day and where they’re headed

• Ask questions — use open-ended ones, especially; find out something new about a colleague, family member, or long-time friend

• Read widely — indulge your interest in topics you’ve always wondered about; spend a few hours just browsing the library, bookstore, or magazine rack with no predefined goal in mind

• Diversify your to-dos — jot down activities that pique your interest; they can be anything from looking up an historic event to watercolor painting

• Scramble your routine — do something new; you can even simply walk a different route or try a new recipe to cajole your curiosity.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Get Better at Managing Conflict

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on managing conflict.

Learn to approach differences with compassion.

Disagreements are a normal, inevitable part of communication and need not derail a relationship. Instead, working through problems can be an opportunity to build stronger, more resilient bonds.

Think about how you’ll address differences ahead of time, before emotions run high. Having the tools to deal with conflict in a positive way can help keep a disagreement from escalating. Keep these attributes in mind to maintain your level head:

• Respect — remember, during a heated discussion, that you value the other person; try these techniques for making yourself heard without hurting feelings

• Attention — read the other person’s body language and tone of voice; some people tend to withdraw rather than express their feelings

• Calm — work on keeping your emotions in check; if you need time to decompress before continuing the conversation, ask for a break to cool down, and learn ways to recalibrate

• Compromise — focus on coming to an agreement and moving on; your goal isn’t to convince the other person or win the argument.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Exercise Early for Maximum Rewards

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on exercising early.

Start your day with physical activity for a range of benefits.

Exercise at any time of day makes you feel great — it’s far better to fit in your yoga video or trip to the gym at 9 PM than not at all. But when your schedule is flexible, moving your body in the morning gives you bonus perks:

• Get it done — good intentions can easily be waylaid by work, social obligations, and flagging motivation; if you leave it to the end of the day, exercise is easy to put off until tomorrow — but if you make it your first priority, you’re apt to fit in physical activity more often

• Set the tone — starting your day with exercise is a positive step that creates momentum for healthy choices throughout the day

• Sleep better — morning workouts provide the biggest benefit to quality sleep.

• The why is easy, but the how to make morning workouts a habit can be more challenging; use these tips to get up and at ’em:

• Try a wake-up light — sunrise-simulating alarm clocks can make it easier, especially during winter

• Set out clothes — make it as convenient as possible to get moving by laying out your exercise clothes

• Enlist a friend — plans to meet a buddy on the track or at the gym can add fun and make you more likely to show up.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Pen a Mission Statement

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on personal mission statements.

Write a summary of your values, goals, and priorities.

Your personal mission statement is a roadmap for your life… a plan for where you want to go and how to get there. Over time, you may begin wandering off course, but consulting a summary of your values and goals can get you back on track. Going through this process will help you identify and stick to your core priorities. Start by responding with self-honesty to these prompts:

• What do you want out of life? Identify your values and what is most important to you.

• What are you here to achieve? Think about how you can contribute to the world through your community, friends, family, and work.

• What is your purpose? Consider both short- and long-term goals here.

Take some time to deeply contemplate your answers — there’s no rush to get it “right.” Distill your thoughts into a page or less, focusing on your top priorities in a clear mission statement. Return often to this compass for your life’s journey, when making decisions or seeking fresh motivation, and refresh/revise as needed.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Picture Your Best Future Self

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on setting goals

Imagine your optimum future and plan how to get there.

Goal setting can feel a little abstract… we vow to improve eating habits or exercise more for better health or strive to work harder for success. But what if you reframe goal setting — driven not by what you want to do better, but by a sharp view of where you want to end up?

Start by vividly creating in your mind, then writing down the best future you can imagine. Envision yourself having reached important milestones and enjoying life at various points ahead. Be sure to include clear specifics and distinct details, for example:

• Instead of: “I hope to advance at work,” try “I’ve advanced to assistant manager, and I feel fulfilled in carrying out my responsibilities.”

• Instead of: “I’d like to spend more time with family,” try: “I’ve created a tradition of hosting regular Sunday family dinners, and I’m more connected to them than ever before.”

• Instead of: “I want to exercise regularly,” try: “I’ve become a walker, and I look forward to being out in the fresh air — I feel great and can’t imagine going without my daily walk.”

A detailed, concrete, positive vision is exciting and motivating, encouraging you to move toward goals with purpose.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Give Meditation a Try

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

 Today’s lesson is on mediation:

 Breathe deep and focus the mind for myriad health benefits.

Meditation has ancient roots in cultures all over the world. Despite its rich history and traditions, you don’t need much to experience the advantages — just a quiet room and a few minutes. Here’s how:

• Find a guide. Meditation is a solitary practice, but a good podcast or app can provide useful tips and techniques to help keep you on track. Mindful.org is another excellent resource.

• Practice, practice, practice. As with learning any skill, improvement in meditation requires repetition. Don’t burn yourself out in the first week — play the long game and start with just 5-10 minutes each day, building up to 20-40 minutes a day.

• If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Your mind will wander; it happens to everyone. You’ll sit down to focus and end up thinking about groceries or bills. That’s natural and expected. Progress comes when you pause and bring your attention back to the breath each time. 

The simple act of sitting quietly has persevered through the ages for good reason; research shows it has numerous health and wellness benefits, ranging from stress and pain reduction to smoking cessation.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.