Category: Health and Wellness

2012 is here and that means a new year to work toward your health and fitness goals. What better way to start then by purchasing a membership to the on-campus Recreational Sports and Fitness Centers. The Recreational Sports and Fitness Centers offer a wide variety of equipment and classes at affordable prices that allows everyone to choose a workout that fits their schedule and preferences. From treadmills, ellipticals and weight machines, to group exercise classeslike cycling,  yoga, Zumba and more, the Recreational Sports and Fitness Centers have something for everyone.  See below for membership prices and facility features.Continue Reading… Recreational Sports and Fitness Services Memberships

It is the time of year when there are lots of holiday gatherings where food is served.  As we graze our way through potlucks, office parties, family gatherings and meals with friends, it’s good to keep some food safety tips in mind at this time of year. Many experts agree you can greatly decrease your risk of getting sick from food (or making others sick with your culinary creations) by paying attention to some food rules in the following four areas: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.

Clean: The first rule of food preparation is to keep things clean by washing your hands, your utensils, all surfaces that come in contact with food and some (but not all) foods thoroughly. (Avoid rinsing or washing raw meat and poultry, though, as that tends to just spread bacteria around to other surfaces.)Continue Reading… Happy (and Safe!) Eating

A great way to stay motivated about exercising during the cold weather is trying out a group cycling class at MSU’s Recreational Sports and Fitness Services Facilities. There’s no better way to keep fit and relieve stress this holiday season than exercising in a group! Gather some friends and move to the beat of your favorite songs.

Royalty Free Music provided by Danosongs.comContinue Reading… Keep Moving this Winter with MSU Group Cycling

Have you signed up for MSU Moves yet? If not, now’s the time as you can register for the first MSU Moves Me 2012 Challenge! Registration is now open until January 19, 2012. The challenge runs from January 23, 2012 through March 4, 2012.

MSU Moves is a customized, online movement/fitness tracking system with the goal of encouraging participants to maintain or increase their overall daily/weekly activity level. The program activities reflect the understanding that all movement counts. Participants are not graded and their information is confidential.Continue Reading… Challenge Yourself with the MSU Moves Me 2012 Challenge!

You feel it coming…your stomach starts to grumble, your mouth starts to water…you’re hungry! But wait, it’s 10 a.m., or 3 p.m., and it’s not meal time. So, what do you do? You may ignore it, but then you’re starving by your next meal and you overeat. Or, you look around the office and settle for a couple candy bars that ruin your appetite for your next meal. To avoid this dilemma, here are some tips for planned snacks:

1.  Notice your hunger patterns. Each person’s is unique and doesn’t vary much from from day to day. Most people need their meals plus a snack or two.
2. Plan for it. Bring in snacks you enjoy to work, and then you’ll have something ready for those hunger pains. Taking a break from work while you snack allows you to eat undistracted. You can return to work refreshed. And your hunger will return in time for your next meal.
3. Give yourself permission. Planning the snack is the first step in permission giving that will help you avoid bad feelings and binge eating. There’s a reason your body is asking for food!Continue Reading… Planned Snacks: Recognizing and Planning for Your Hunger Patterns

This is a guest post by Lisa Davidson. Lisa is a counselor at the MSU Employee Assistance Program, a consultant for Health4U and a facilitator for numerous Human Resource Development courses.

When something happens that is challenging, unpleasant or not what you expected, how able are you to adapt in the moment? Do you respond from your core values, or do you tend to become reactionary and respond in ways you later wish you hadn’t? Increasing your psychological flexibility allows you to respond to the inevitable pain of life with greater acceptance, clarity and effectiveness.

According to Russ Harris, M.D., author of The Happiness Trap, psychological flexibility is “the ability to be in the present moment, with awareness and openness, and take action, guided by your core values. In other words, it’s the ability to be present, open up and do what matters.”Continue Reading… Are you Psychologically Flexible?

Did you know that November is National Diabetes Month and that World Diabetes Day occurred earlier this week on November 14?

You’ve probably heard that diabetes is a chronic health condition becoming increasingly common in the United States that can contribute to serious health complications, such as blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, nerve damage and amputations.  But did you also know that there are different kinds of diabetes and lots of things people with diabetes can do to help control the disease and protect their health?Continue Reading… What Do You Know About Diabetes?

If you already enjoy dining at Brody Square, why not learn a thing or two about cooking while you’re there?

MSU Residential and Hospitality Services and Health4U have partnered to bring the Recipe for Health Cooking Series to MSU faculty and staff. One day each month, over the lunch hour, chef Kurt Kwiatkowski will be in the Brody Square demonstration kitchen to present a cooking demonstration of that month’s featured recipe. Recipe for Health offers information and recipes to help you prepare healthy meals for you and your family.

Whether you call them muskmelons or cantaloupes, September’s featured recipe was the Fire and Ice Melon Salad. View a video of the demonstration here.

Be sure to check out the cooking demonstration of November’s featured food, turnips, at Brody Square on Wednesday November 16 at 12:10 p.m.

If you would like to receive future recipes and articles via email, please email health4u@msu.edu with your name, email address and “Recipe for Health” in the subject line. Archived editions of all the recipes from the Recipe for Health series are available on the Health4U website.

Visit health4u.msu.edu for more information and to register for future programs.

It’s easy to find health information on the Internet. But sorting through thousands of sites and trying to determine which ones are actually offering accurate and medically sound information is far from simple.

Luckily, MSU has a powerful weapon for cutting through all the cyber-clutter when it comes to searching for health information on the web. By visiting healthwise.msu.edu, you will have immediate access to accurate, reliable health information.Continue Reading… Try the Healthwise Knowledgebase for the Right Information, Right Away!