Putting Wellness to Work, a workplace wellness program, from University of Illinois Extension provides education and practical skills to live healthy lives through a series of lessons. Putting Wellness to Work Objectives The objectives of this program are to help your staff: better understand many topics that affect their health, gain confidence to make positive health choices, and become thriving, healthy individuals, at work and in life. Program Series and Lessons The available packaged series include: Get the Facts Series: From Foods to Fads Complete Kitchen Series: Eating Right Safely and Economically Get Started Series: Essentials to Launch a Healthy Lifestyle Power to Succeed Series: Tools for Reaching Your Health Goals Tackling Stress Series: Strategies for Approaching Stress Reduction Intentional Harmony Series: Tools to Live a Balanced Life Each series contains 4 lessons, covering topics from nutrition, food trends, fitness, stress management, and healthy relationships, just to name a few. Titles and descriptions of the lessons in each series are listed below. Personalized Program Series and Lessons If not all the lessons in a particular packaged series are of interest to you and your staff, create a personalized package in the Your Wellness Series with any number of desired lessons. Series Length Multiple series may be selected and will last for the length of the number of selected lessons. 1
Program Length Each lesson can be taught from 20 minutes to 1 hour depending on the time available. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please call 815-732-2191. Program Schedule Each lesson is individually scheduled with the Extension Educator to reach you and your staff at convenient times. Lessons could be taught early in the day, as a lunch-and-learn, or at another time that is available. Program Cost The cost of the program is determined with the Extension Educator. A minimum of 10 participants are needed for each Putting Wellness to Work series. Costs may be approached as a per-person charge or a single sum for each series. If these methods of charge are prohibitive for a company, the Extension Educator may work with the company to cover costs, such as payments for printing costs, travel costs, etc. Program Evaluation Each series will include an evaluation given to staff attending lessons. Information from these evaluations help University of Illinois Extension better understand the impact of Putting Wellness to Work and improve lessons accordingly. Program Specifications Each lesson is taught on-site at your company. Lessons are taught with a computer presentation and include print handouts. A computer and projector can be brought by the Extension Educator if the on-site setup is unavailable. Food or meals will not be provided by the Extension Educator for Putting Wellness to Work series unless individual arrangements are made. 2
Series with Available Lessons University of Illinois Extension introduces a workplace wellness series titled Putting Wellness to Work. Several series are available to be delivered and include 4 lessons per series. In choosing 1 or more series, please read through the lesson descriptions and mark the lessons or series of interest. Lessons from different series can be combined to create a personalized series. Get the Facts Series: From Foods to Fads To Soy or Not to Soy Vegetarian Diets Gluten-Free: Fads & Facts Food or Supplements? Get Started Series: Essentials to Launch a Healthy Lifestyle Understanding Food Labels Healthy Lifestyle that Lasts Vital Signs: Know Your Numbers Rethink Your Drink Tackling Stress Series: Strategies for Approaching Stress Reduction Looking at the Funny Side Finding Your Get Up and Go De-clutter and De-stress Caregiving: A Burden or Opportunity? Complete Kitchen Series: Eating Right--Safely and Economically Kitchen Safety Farmer s Markets Organic, Local, Natural Nutrition Bang for Your Buck Power to Succeed Series: Tools for Reaching Your Health Goals Be Your Own Diet Detective Dining Out Without Filling Out Fueling for Work and Play Apps and Online Resources Intentional Harmony Series: Tools to Live a Balanced Life Work and Personal Life Harmony in the Workplace Harmony with Parenting and Work Work and Personal Relationships Your Wellness Series Create a personalized series with the number of lessons desired. Mark each lesson of interest you want included in this series. 3
Lesson Descriptions Get the Facts Series: From Foods to Fads To Soy or Not to Soy Vegetarian Diets Gluten-Free: Fads & Facts Food or Supplements? Do you have questions concerning soy foods? Let us answer your questions while you learn about common sources of soy, the pros and cons of eating or drinking soy products, and their nutritional value and health benefits. Are you curious about whether a vegetarian diet is healthy, or maybe just want to experiment with some meatless meals? According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a well-planned vegetarian diet is a healthy and nutritionally adequate diet. In this lesson, define the different types of vegetarian diets and review nutrient concerns, especially for specific population groups. The gluten-free diet is marketed as a healthier way of eating or as a weight-loss tool. Some of the population has a physical need to avoid food products containing gluten. Use this lesson to better understand gluten intolerance and help you determine how it fits into your diet. Vitamins, minerals, functional foods, herbs, and ergogenic aids what do they all mean? As we clarify these terms and discuss the proposed benefits of these types of products, learn about FDA regulations, red flags, and what warrants the use of supplements in one s diet. Get Started Series: Essentials to Launch a Healthy Lifestyle Understanding Food Labels Healthy Lifestyle that Lasts Vital Signs: Know Your Numbers Rethink Your Drink As you grocery shop, you might see shoppers looking at labels on the products they picked. But does anyone really know what they are looking for? What do all those numbers means? Let us show you how to use the food label to your utmost benefit in making healthy food selections. If you are embarking on a healthier lifestyle, arm yourself with the latest dietary recommendations, learn how to make small changes over time, and gain the skills and best behavioral strategies for making lasting changes to your health. Vital signs taken by health care professionals are measurements to assess your most basic body functions. In this lesson, discuss the desirable levels for blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose (sugar) measures. Did you know that beverages are a major source of calories and added sugar for many Americans? Your daily beverage choices may be making it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight. Learn to better understand the calorie and sugar content of popular beverages and find healthier beverage choices. 4
Lesson Descriptions (continued) Power to Succeed Series: Tools for Reaching Your Health Goals Be Your Own Diet Detective Dining Out Without Filling Out Fueling for Work and Play Apps and Online Resources Are you overwhelmed by all of the nutrition information you hear? When the information we see and hear today is confusing and contradicting, let us show you how to judge the reliability of nutrition advice and make better decisions for your health. What s your usual? You may be getting more fat, sodium, and calories than you bargained for. In this lesson, learn to spot sources of extra calories, find healthier menu items, and fit your restaurant favorites into a healthy eating plan. Are you eating to maximize your performance? Improve your productivity at work and make the most of your workouts with the food you eat. Our phones and computers allow us instant access to health information, from recipes for dinner to the latest do s and do not s of dieting. With so much available, learn what sources are trusted and reliable and find apps and online resources to help meet your health goals. Complete Kitchen Series: Eating Right Safely and Economically Kitchen Safety Farmer s Markets Organic, Local, Natural: What It Is, What It Isn t Nutrition Bang for Your Buck Kitchen safety and food safety are very important for your entire family. As you examine your own day-to-day kitchen practices, learn what keeping your kitchen safe means: from cleaning to taking food temperatures to properly thawing, chilling, and separating foods. With farmer s markets available in many cities, have you checked out your local one? Learn reasons why you should shop or stop by a local farmer s market and how to make your trip successful. Organic, local, and natural are buzzwords we hear a lot. Learn what these terms really mean as we explore the science and discuss whether organic, local, and natural foods are really better for you and the environment. Is it really more expensive to eat healthy? It does not have to be! Learn to find affordable yet healthy options when shopping with this lesson, including getting the best value for your money and cutting down on food waste with simple meal planning tricks. 5
Lesson Descriptions (continued) Tackling Stress Series: Strategies for Approaching Stress Reduction Looking at the Funny Side Finding Your Get Up and Go De-clutter and De-stress Caregiving: A Burden or Opportunity? You don t have to be a comedian to enjoy the physical and psychological benefits of humor. This lesson looks at the value of humor and how we can bring it into our lives. There are those times when it just seems hard to get going. Learning what accounts for the ebb and flow of motivation and how to respond can help to increase productivity. Does the clutter in your house cause you stress? Do you want less clutter but you are too overwhelmed to begin? Many of us struggle to keep up with the clutter in our lives. Learn ways to organize your life in order to de-clutter and de-stress. Many caregivers neglect their own physical and mental health, making it difficult to provide care. Caregivers who practice self-care benefit themselves as well as their loved one. This lesson will address the need to care for one s self during the course of caring for another and offer strategies to better care for one s self to provide better care for their family member. Intentional Harmony Series: Tools to Live a Balanced Life Work and Personal Life Harmony in the Workplace Harmony with Parenting and Work Work and Personal Relationships Finding harmony with work and your personal time is intentional. Find out how stress spillover can impact your health and relationships. You will develop a personal plan for minimizing the impact of stress on your personal well-being. You know that you are stressed at work but have you ever taken the time to specifically identify the issues? Through interactive discussion, you will identify your stresses, how to approach your supervisor and identify your resources for managing stress in the workplace. Parents often feel guilty about the effect working might have on their children. But does it really hurt the children? Parents will strategize on how to create harmony at home with children and work responsibilities. Our partners are usually the people we spend the most time with outside of work. For this reason, partner relationships are among the most vulnerable to work-life stress. Learn what pitfalls to avoid and how to keep your partner relationship strong. 6