January 2020 Newsletter

Y O U R W I N T E R
H E A L T H Y W O R K P L A C E C H A M P I O N
Kelly Bell
HOW DO YOU INCORPORATE HEALTH AND WELLNESS INTO YOUR EVERYDAY ROUTINE AT WORK?
I drink lots of water and make my lunch almost everyday and choose the healthy option in the
cafeteria when I don’t. I also wake up around 5am to get my workout in before work, it makes me
feel great and gives me the energy I need to keep me going all day.
WHY DID YOU START TO INCORPORATE THESE PRACTICES?
11 years ago I made a decision to get healthy because I was not happy with my health and my
weight. I made a choice to never “diet” again and be on the up and down roller coaster ever again.
It took me 2 years but I lost 70lbs and have kept it off since then. Having young children at the time
I wanted to set the example of a healthy lifestyle and positive body image.
WHAT BENEFITS HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED FROM IMPLEMENTING THESE PRACTICES INTO YOUR DAY?
I was able to loose 70lbs and kept it off for over 9 years. I was able to increase my activity; I was
able to start running, I learned how to water ski and started downhill skiing again! Hiking and
snowshoeing became a part of my routine. Over the last 9 years I have been very active learning
new sports/activities and plan to continue this as I get older.
WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS FOR OTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE WHO ARE LOOKING TO SWITCH UP
THEIR HEALTH AND WELLNESS ROUTINE/IMPLEMENT NEW WELLNESS ACTIVITIES AT WORK?
*Knowing what your current state is so you know what your challenges are. I spent a week
recording everything I was eating before I made any change. I realized I was eating way too
much food and a lot of bad food.
*When trying to make changes, choose one thing at a time to focus on until it becomes a habit.
When you try to do everything all at once it is harder. I started with changing how much I was
eating before I changed what I was eating.
*Change your relationship with food, which happens naturally with small choice and habit
changes.
*Set specific goals!
*Don’t beat yourself up when you have a downfall and don’t let it become a snowball. Setbacks
happen, identify it and keep going. Don’t allow a setback to derail your focus and goals for that
day/weekend/week
DO YOU OR A COLLEAGUE OF YOURS HAVE A HEALTHY LIVING SUCCESS STORY?
Contact April-Lynn: atheriault@lh.ca if you're interested in sharing your story in an
upcoming "Live Your Best Health" newsletter

SIMPLY SOUP
A warm bowl of soup can hit the spot on a cold day. It can also be a healthy way to start
off a meal because it tends to be high in vegetables, filling and low in energy density.
Homemade soup is a better choice than canned soup, however, because canned soup
often contains the chemical BPA and is high in sodium.
It Increases Vegetable Consumption
Many Canadians don't get the
recommended amount of vegetables.
Adding soup to your diet can help you
increase your vegetable intake, especially
if you choose a vegetarian soup, such as
gazpacho, a tomato-based soup that is
served cold.
It's Filling
Unlike many liquids, soups can be about
as filling as solid foods. This means you
can serve soup as a meal without
worrying you'll be hungry again shortly
after you finish eating. If you make a
meal out of soup, however, be sure to
choose one that contains protein (ie.
beans, quinoa, lean meats)
Choosing the Right Soup
Cream-based soups can be high in fat
and calories, so they are less healthy than
broth-based soups. For example, New
England clam chowder has 201 calories
and 10 grams of fat per cup, compared to
90 calories and 0.8 gram of fat in
vegetable soup. Regularly eating canned
soup can increase your levels of
bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical that may
increase your risk for heart disease and
diabetes, notes a study published in "The
Journal of the American Medical
Association" in November 2011. Canned
soups are also one of the major sources
of sodium in the Canadian diet. Even
reduced-sodium soups can have almost
20 percent of the DV for sodium. Make
your own soup at home using fresh
ingredients, and you can avoid the BPA
and limit the sodium in the final dish.

LIVE YOUR BEST HEALTH
Free Certification Training
*Basic Mental Health First Aid
*The Working Mind
Lakeridge Health is committed to providing
and maintaining a healthy and safe work
environment.
To provide a supportive environment for all
of our LH colleagues, we will continue to
offer the Mental Health Commission of
Canada’s “Basic Mental Health First Aid
(MHFA)” training and starting in January
2020, we are now offering The Working
Mind (TWM) training too.
Both MHFA and TWM support mental
health awareness and aim to reduce
stigma. MHFA’s primary focus is assisting
others during a mental health crisis, while
TWM is about increasing someone’s selfawareness
related to their place along the
Mental Health Continuum Model, noticing
when they are moving away from the
‘Healthy’ range, and then proactively
responding with positive coping strategies
to return to the ‘Healthy’ range.
These sessions are free and open to all LH
Team Members to attend.
For a full listing of upcoming session dates
please visit the Healthy Workplace page on
the WAVE or contact April Theriault at ext
34195
Best Moments Award Winners Spotlight
The Best Moments Award is a part of Lakeridge Health's corporate recognition program which inspires a culture that values
teamwork, excellent performance and dedication to patient-centred care, and the advancement of our
vision: One System. Best Health.
This is a special award as it is a peer nominated award. When you see your peers or a team living our values and delivering
exceptional performance ('above and beyond the call of duty') or acts of safety, we encourage you to recognize them by
nominating your peer for a Best Moments Award.
Please join us in congratulating our latest Best Moments Award Winners:
Chris Aiken, Organizational Development Consultant, Lakeridge Health
Sydney Atkinson, RN Emergency Department, Ajax Pickering Hospital
Patricia Boyd, Hepatitis C RN, Positive Care Clinic, Whitby Hospital
Patricia Carrigan- Diagnostic Imaging Clerk at Oshawa Hospital
Karen Law- Clinical Order Set Specialist Corporate Lakeridge Health
For the full story on our latest Best Moments Award recipients please visit the Recognition Page on the WAVE