May 2008: One Word...

May 11th -17th is National Hospital Week. For all Downstate employees, volunteers and patients, we acknowledge the importance of a community hospital. Downstate is not just any hospital; it is also a successful teaching facility. We know how to convey important information to patients about their conditions and how to improve their lives. What about doing the same for ourselves?

May 21st is National Employee Health and Fitness Day!

Celebrate by being active all day. Walk instead of ride; climb stairs or escalators instead of using elevators. Bike to work! (12-16 May is Bike to Work Week)

Do you know a senior citizen? Make their day on 28 May! It’s National Senior Health and Fitness Day!

Have you gotten the drift of May 2008 yet? It’s all about FITNESS. What is fitness? It’s more than just a state of being. It is a marker of your health status. Being fit is about ensuring you lower your risks of certain conditions or diseases. The best way to lower risk is to

Eat well
Sleep well
Exercise well

All three have been proved to be keys to a good and healthy life.

Wellness programs at Downstate and most other hospitals can offer the most tips on how to “get there” when it comes to fitness.

Diet and exercise seem to have become a boring mantra for many of us, but they remain true: there is no easy out for being a healthy human being. You cannot just take a pill or have surgery and think that you are going to remain healthy for the rest of your days. We read every day about celebrities who have had gastric surgery but who someone gain back much of the weight they’d lost – and we also read about other people famous or not who have true success simply by “sticking with the program”.

What program? Well, Weight Watchers remains one of the most successful weight loss and weight maintenance programs ever, simply because it does not deprive nor does it bring to extremes. You eat healthy meals in reasonable proportions and keep track of intake, while also moving your body. BOTH are key.

This May, celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a festive meal; celebrate Memorial Day in remembrance of the fallen throughout our nation’s history. But celebrate how lucky we are to live in a time where advances in improving healthy living are being made nearly daily. We steer our own lives into a future of wellness!