livewellSummer 2009 volume 4 iSSue 3

UI Wellnessa unit of ui Human ResouRces

in thisissue

PeRsonal Resilience in cHallenging times

exPand youR caPacity foR eneRgy

enHance youR emotional well-being

welcometo the summer issue of the liveWELL newsletter. In this edition, our intent is to provide you with information and highlight services that can assist you in maintaining personal resilience and energy during challenging times. From the Summer 2008 Flood to the current financial challenges, our campus community has experienced demanding and difficult situations during the past year. Our ability to sustain good health and energy while responding to these demands is key to both our success at work and overall life satisfaction. Personal resilience can be developed and strengthened in all of us. I encourage you to read through this issue and think about how you might create your own

personal resilience plan.

Joni Troester

Director

UI Wellness is a unit of UI Human Resources.

Joni troesterDirectorjoni-troester@uiowa.edu335-2692 • 121-50 USB

megan moeller Coordinatormegan-moeller@uiowa.edu335-5424 • 111 CC

Joanna arguelloHealth Coachjoanna-arguello@uiowa.edu353-2973 • 111 CC

erin littonHealth Coacherin-litton@uiowa.edu353-2974 • 111 CC

carla melby-oetkenHealth Coachcarla-melby@uiowa.edu353-2973 • 111 CC

Joann millerHealth Coachjoann-miller@uiowa.edu353-2975 • 111 CC

Jean o’donovanSecretaryjean-odonovan@uiowa.edu353-2973 • 111 CC

Ruth HurlburtSecretaryruth-hurlburt@uiowa.edu353-2314 • 121 USB

ui Wellness staff

Layout and Design by IMU Marketing & Design

Printed by UI Printing Services on recycled paper

liveWeLL @ ui At The university of iowa, we aspire to fully incorporate health and wellness into the lives of our campus community members. This is possible through a commitment to continuous development of a healthy campus culture in the spirit of learning and discovery that is at the heart of a distinguished public university.

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Personal resilience in Challenging TimesThe state of your well-being

expand Your Capacity for energy

enhanceYour Emotional Well-Being with Positive Psychology

Q&A with a Health Coach: Yoga at your desk

$500 monthly WinnersStaycation idea Winners

Calendar of events

i n t h i s i s s u e

r e g u l a r f e at u r e s

Look for different sections of the Wheel of Wellness throughout the newsletter.

what’s the wheel of wellness?

liveWELL 3

Personal Resilience in challenging times:The state of your well-beingby Joni tRoesteRui WellneSS DireCTor

This article representsEMOTIONAL, PHYSICALand OCCUPATIONALdimensions of Wellness

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Everyone needs resilience because one thing is for certain,

life includes a variety of adversities from the daily hassles of balancing your work and family obligations to perhaps major setbacks in your life. Your capacity for resilience, or the ability to sustain good health and energy under constant pressure and bounce back from setbacks, is key to your success at work and overall satisfaction with life.

The good news about resiliency is that it is not a genetic trait. Resiliency can be learned, developed and strengthened over time. Resiliency research shows that you can improve your mental and emotional strength the same way you can enhance your physical well-being. Just like keeping your body in good shape, developing or strengthening your resiliency involves actively practicing behaviors and thoughts that build your mental and emotional stamina.

Resilient individuals pay attention to their own personal health and practice appropriate self-care. Taking good care of yourself by exercising regularly, eating fruits and vegetables, getting enough sleep at night, and taking a few moments each day to catch your breath will improve the way you respond to life’s challenges.

Resilient people also share several traits that include an acceptance of reality, a deep belief that life is meaningful, an ability to improvise, and an underlying sense of optimism. These traits provide the foundation in maintaining a sense of meaning when faced with setback, and viewing challenges as opportunities rather than threatening situations.

During the coming months, strive to be at your best in responding to life’s challenges. Take stock of your own resiliency, look for ways to strengthen your capacity, and take good care of yourself.

reSilienCe CHeCkliST

Do i...

...fuel my body with foods that will support my needs?

...exercise for 30-60 minutes per day on most days?

...get 8 hours of sleep on most nights?

...search for opportunities to learn and grow?

...maintain a positive outlook about the future?

Do more research on exploring Ways to Build Resilience at the

American Psychological Association’s website apahelpcenter.org.

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focus on your personal well-being this summerNow is a great time to set aside a moment to reflect on your current health status by participating in one of the many facets of the UI Wellness liveWELL program.

the first step: taking tHe PeRsonal HealtH assessmentA confidential, online Personal Health Assessment (PHA) is the foundation of the program. The PHA consists of questions related to individual lifestyle practices, health history, and readiness to change health-related behaviors. You can access this assessment through your Employee Self-Service webpage (https://hris.uiowa.edu). You receive an annual award of $50 the first time you complete the survey, and $65 for completing it in subsequent years. Monthly, there are two $500 drawings for all who have taken the PHA this calendar year.

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youR PeRsonalized RePoRt and online lifestyle management PRogRamsUpon completing the PHA, you will receive a feedback report that identifies specific health issues that you may face, recommendations for making healthy lifestyle changes, as well as contact information for University and community resources. After you receive your personalized report, you will have access to free Lifestyle Management Programs to help you set and achieve goals in health areas like nutrition, stress management, exercise, managing high blood pressure, and weight management. After each area-

specific assessment, you can use your online workbook for tips and ideas on how to best make your plan for health improvement.

woRking witH a HealtH coacHDepending on your needs and interests, you may choose to meet one-on-one with a Health Coach. Your Health Coach is:

specially trained to help you build new skills to work •toward your health goals.

available from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. •

located at two campus locations (Communications •Center, East Campus and University Employee Health Clinic, West Campus) or via phone.

liveWELL HealtH coacH client success stoRy

Robin worked with Health Coach Erin Litton in 2008. She is currently training to ride RAGBRAI in July with a co-worker.

“Erin helped me come up with a strategy for tracking my exercise on a calendar. I found that when I was unable to exercise as I had hoped due to a knee injury, I actually was fitting a fair amount of exercise in, in different ways. Once I saw that, I realized that I hadn’t slipped as much as I thought I had in my exercise goals.”

Robin Paetzold, carver college of medicine 2008 Health coach client

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expand Your Capacityfor energyby megan moelleRUI Wellness Coordinator

This article representsINTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL and OCCUPATIONALdimensions of Wellness

Time, time, time…. it comes as no surprise

that time (or the lack thereof) is the number one barrier for sticking to our best intentions to improve lifestyle habits. With so many “must do’s” like going to work, meeting deadlines, picking kids up, getting groceries, etc... it is no wonder we run out of time (and energy) for our “should do’s.” Time is not a renewable resource; we are never going to be able to recapture it or get more of it in a day.

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Need more help with renewing your energy? Consider working collaboratively with a Health Coach for ideas, support and accountability to your best intentions for personal well-being. Contact 353-2973 or livewell@uiowa.edu for more information on the free, confidential Health Coach service.Content adapted from “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy in the Harvard Business Review printed October 1, 2007. Learn more at www.theenergyproject.com.

Take brief, regular breaks as •

your natural energy dips every

90-120 minutes throughout the

day. Don’t push through a natural

physiological trough – use it as a

time to stop and recharge.

Express appreciation to others when •

they may least expect it. express

the gratitude in specific detail to

show that you are sincere.

Do high-concentration and •

attention-to-detail projects while

turning off interruptions like email

and phone calls. Stopping and

starting a project can add 25% onto

the total project time.

Connect to your core values. • if

you aren’t sure what your core

values are, think about what you

find most off-putting in others

(i.e. being late) and practice the

opposite.

manage your energy; not Just your time New Fall Series!

explore the four main energy wellsprings: Emotions, Spirit, Mind, and Body. Attend one or all of this four-part series designed to provide tools to help you increase your energy level.

september-manage your energy: Emotionsoctober-manage your energy: Spiritnovember-manage your energy: Minddecember-manage your energy: Bodyvisit www.uiowa.edu/livewell/calendar or call 353-2973 for a full descriptor of the series, locations, and registration information.

Rather than trying to squeeze more time from the day (like staying extra late at the office or burning the midnight oil), tapping into renewable resources is a more logical place to look. Our personal energy capacity can be expanded and renewed, much like resilience. Finding rituals throughout the day that are energy boosters rather than energy drainers can be keys to productivity, as well as allowing time for the things in life that we enjoy most. Expand your capacity to renew personal energy by attending one or all of a four-part series this fall (see below) or by trying a few of these simple rituals:

Coming THiS FAll!

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yoga at youR desk

Q.A.

i often notice that my neck and shoulders tense up after a long day at work. Do you have any suggestions on how to relax?

one way to address common shoulder/neck tension is through yoga practice. Yoga allows you to reach a calmer sense of being by practicing slow deep breaths and enabling your body to sit and be still. The quiet time allows your body to “come down” from higher levels of tension and anxiety.

many feel that they don’t have enough time for yoga, but even five minutes of yoga practice can have a positive impact on your response to stress. next time your shoulders and neck feel tense, try doing two stretches to relieve the tension from a vigorous morning in front of the computer.

view a variety of stretching and yoga pose options online or attend a class or event for ideas to get you started. See box below for more information.

Q&A witH tHe HealtH coacHerin liTTon, ui WellneSS HeAlTH CoACH

PRintable Routine use your HawkiD and Password to view yoga and other stretching poses at www.uiowa.edu/hr/wellness/woow/vhi/.

RecReational seRvices fitness classes

visit www.recserv.uiowa.edu/programs/FitandWell/wellness for a schedule of on-campus classes and fee information.

HealtH coacH csi: yoga at woRk

tuesday, august 4 uiHC Atrium Dining Space (7214 RCP, Elevator F)

thursday, august 13 university Capitol Centre2520D (Conference)

Register at your Self Service website (https://hris.uiowa.edu). Go to “My Training” and search on the word “yoga” for related events.

basic tools to get staRted

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upgrade Your emotional Well Being with Positive Psychologyby caRla melby-oetkenui WellneSS HeAlTH CoACH

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter

his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”

-William James

This article represents EMOTIONAL dimension of Wellness

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our emotional mind is incredibly powerful. Our thoughts play an important role in our level of energy, our motivation and our

resiliency. An effective way to improve resiliency is to work on consciously choosing which thoughts to pay attention to and which ones to discard. Talking, thinking and focusing on negative things tends to drain energy and leave us feeling discouraged. When negative thoughts come, we can choose to redirect them.

exAmPle:

“All the adults in my family have gotten sick and depressed as they age, so what’s the point in taking care of myself now?”

“I am going to nourish my body, keep active and get the medical care I need. I want to enjoy my later years, be strong and vibrant. I am choosing a healthy and creative path.”

vs.

What are some routine negative self-talk conversations that you have with yourself? How might you rewrite it to have a kinder intonation? Another way of looking at the idea is to consider three different viewpoints and ask yourself a question for each one:

Stand in another’s shoes. “What would the other person in this •conflict say and how might that be true?”

Time will tell. “How will I view this situation in six months?”•

Emotional Intelligence. “Regardless of the outcome, how will I •learn and grow from this experience?”

Actively changing your thoughts can feel awkward at first, but becomes easier with practice. Like strengthening a muscle, this new mental habit will strengthen as it develops. If you are patient with yourself and persistent in redirecting negative self-talk, the following benefits will assist you in overcoming great obstacles and in achieving your goals:

•improvedself-esteem •strongermentalfocus•morepersonalenergy •increasedcreativity•greatersenseofpurpose •higheradaptabilitytochange

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i will improve my thought habits by:

Noticing my thought habits and reframing negative thoughts more positively.

Curbing thoughts of self-loathing and mental put-downs as they come up.

Practice taking myself lightly, forgiving my imperfections and making an effort to see the humor in difficult situations.

Not engaging in gossip, fault-finding, or other forms of negative talk with others.

Need a little help in shifting “thought habits”? Support is avialable (at no cost to UI employees) through our UI Employee Assistance Program. Contact the EAP at www.uiowa.edu/hr/fsseap/ or 319-335-2085

“Change your thoughts and change your world.” -Norman Vincent Peale

“it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” -Aristotle

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$500 monthly Winners

benJamin bessmanUniversity Library

“Taking the liveWELL Personal Health Assessment is a quick, easy way to remind you just how important taking care of yourself is.”

tess tudas-boddickeRHolden Cancer Center Clinic

“i used my $500 to buy some good workout shoes!”

keitH staleyRehabilitation Therapies

“This program is a wonderful way to receive this information and to be encouraged to accentuate the positive aspects of your lifestyle and to at least make you aware of possible alternatives to some negative aspects.”

andy banseAthletics

“The assessment opened my eyes to all aspects of health from exercising and eating well to mental health and stress relief.”

cHRistoPHeR smitHInternal Medicine

“i turned down the Health Coach service the first time i received a phone call about it, but the following year i decided to participate. it was truly a valuable experience, and my Health Coach helped me refine my approach to a healthy diet, exercise regimen, and attention to stress.”

Julie keaRneyAthletics

“i am planning to do something fun for my co-workers with some of my money. They should participate because when i’ve taken the PHA, it reminds me to look at wellness across my whole life.”

each month, all who have taken their Personal Health Assessment (PHA) in 2009 are eligible to win one of two monthly $500 drawings. The PHA is available to staff and faculty in 50% or greater regular positions at The university. Take your PHA at your Self-Service website (https://hris.uiowa.edu).

aPRil

may

June

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“Staycation” Winnersfrom Spring liveWELL newsletter

donna d’ambRose, Info. Technology Service“Have a ‘rainy day picnic’ with a blanket, picnic basket, and goodies – right on the living room floor.”

kaRlyn laRson, Accounting Services“Camp in the backyard with a tent or hammock and host a campfire along with neighbors.”

gRace tully, College of Law“request a visitor or tourist guide for theiC/Coralville area and go somewhere you’ve never visited.”

James veRRy, College of Education“‘unplug’ from the outside world with no computer, cell phones, doorbell, etc... and revisit board games, old family photos and videos, etc... it saves money and energy and is very easy to do.”

caRlette wasHington-Hoagland,University Libraries

“Create an inexpensive backyard oasis: Plant a small butterfly garden, build a simple stone patio and fire pit, purchase a modest size above ground pool and you have a cozy getaway for the family.”

The Fall 2009 liveWELL newsletter will feature information on Nutrition. What habits do you have to eat healthy given a busy schedule? Send your tips to livewell@uiowa.edu by August 15. Three winners will have their ideas published in the Fall edition.

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ui wellnessHuman ResourcesliveWeLL program111 cc, iowa city, ia 52242phone 319-353-2973 uiwellness@uiowa.edu

visit www.uiowa.edu/livewell/calendar for dates, time, locations, and registration information or call 353-2973.

Calendar of Events

august 20098.04 Health coach csi: Yoga at Your Desk 7th Floor Atrium main Dining room (uiHC)

8.13 Health coach csi: Yoga at Your Desk university Capitol Centre

september 20099.15 Health coach csi: A Good Night’s Sleep 2520D university Capitol Centre

9.16 manage your energy series: Focus on Emotions Room 102 CDD

9.17 Health coach csi: A Good Night’s Sleep 7th Floor Atrium Room A&B (UIHC)

9.23 manage your energy series: Focus on Emotions 2520D university Capitol Centre

coming this fall!fall series on managing your energy:

sep: Focus on Emotions

oct: Tap into the Human Spirit

nov: The Power of the Mind

dec: The Body and Physical Energy

Find out more on these series at www.uiowa.edu/livewell/calendar

coming in october!nutrition on the go! series

• Quick, Healthy Snacks

• Packing a Healthy Brown Bag

• Easy Dinnertime

• Dining Out Tips

UIHC location. 12:15-12:45 p.m.

Register at “My Training” via Employee Self Service website (hris.uiowa.edu). View a complete Fall Health Coach CSI schedule at www.uiowa.edu/livewell/calendar.

we welcome you individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all university of iowa

sponsored events. if you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in

order to participate in this program, please contact UI Wellness at 319-353-2314.