Meet Your Wellness
Ambassdors!
Wellness Ambassadors are a group of USM staff and faculty who act as information liaisons between their departments and Healthy USM Employee Wellness. Click here to learn who they are.
Get in Shape with Lifeline!
All USM faculty/staff can take part in Lifeline’s professionally guided exercise programs with a non-credit tuition waiver. The only cost is your gym usage fee (which can be payroll deducted), and the one-time fitness evaluation cost of $60. Please click on this link to learn more about the programs.
Trying to Quit Smoking?
Are you trying to quit smoking, or thinking about quitting? Perhaps you tried to quit, but found it hard to not smoke? Quitting can be difficult, but every time you try, you will be closer to living without tobacco. The Center for Tobacco Independence and the Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine can help you. Healthy USM offers free smoking cessation kits and coaching for USM employees and their family members and retirees. Contact Suzanne Roy at 228-8151 for more information.
Looking for More Articles?
Then visit our Site Index, which has all of our previous articles, resources and recipes, arranged by topic.
Monthly Quiz
National Health Observances
National Handwashing Awareness Week
National Handwashing Awareness Week is December 7-13, 2008. To keep the flu virus and other illnesses at bay, wash your hands with soap and water several times a day. This article from WebMD contains some helpful tips on keeping flu-free at the office and at school. Click here for a printable PDF poster that focuses on the correct way to wash your hands.
National Safe Toys and Gifts Month
The holiday season is the time when most of the toys and games are purchased. Click here for tips for buying safe toys for children.
More Features
Sniffle Season
If the cold bugs hit you this winter, there are many ways to treat your symptoms other than with contempt. Here are some ways that may help.
What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that is triggered by the seasons. The most common type of SAD is called winter-onset depression. Symptoms usually begin in late fall or early winter and go away by summer. A much less common type of SAD, known as summer-onset depression, usually begins in the late spring or early summer and goes away by winter. SAD may be related to changes in the amount of daylight during different times of the year. Click here to learn more.
Need to Slim Down?
Find a role model: It can help you avoid holiday weight gain. Studies have shown that people who maintain a healthy weight throughout life do some fundamental things at mealtime that overweight folks don’t. How many do you practice?
101 Ways to Save Money
Click here for 101 common sense ways to save money. In all likelihood, some of them won't apply to your situation. However, taking advantage of some of these tips could save you money in the long run.
Eat Right During the Holidays
The holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with family, friends, and colleagues. But holiday events pose a special challenge for healthy eating and may have the unwanted result of weight gain. Click here to learn new strategies for planning what, when, and how much you eat or serve at holiday events.
Holiday Depression and Stress
The holiday season can be a time full of joy, cheer, parties and family gatherings. But for many people, it is a time of self-evaluation, loneliness, reflection on past failures and anxiety about an uncertain future. Click here for tips for coping with stress and depression during the holidays.
Recipes of the Month
This month we are featuring recipes for healthier holiday treats: Blueberry & White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cookies, One Nutty Date, and gluten-free Cinnamon Stars.Employee Assistance Program
USM, along with all campuses in the University of Maine System, has contracted with CIGNA Behavioral Health to provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to all employees. Services include free counseling sessions and 24-hour crisis intervention. You can reach CIGNA 24 hours a day, seven days a week by making a confidential, toll free call. Call 1-877-622-4327 or access the CIGNA Web site at cignabehavioral.com. If you would like further information about the program please contact our Benefits Office at 780-5218, 780-5653, or call Suzanne Roy, Health Promotion Manager, at 228-8151.
WinterKids
WinterKids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping children develop lifelong habits of health, education, and physical fitness through participation in outdoor winter activities. For more information, visit their website at www.winterkids.org
