Five Ways to Start Your Year Off Right!
2020 has likely given you time to reflect and think about what you’d like to change about your lifestyle. This is a good time to make positive life changes and strive for an overall healthier self. Consider the following five tips to start the new year off right:

1. Check in on your mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health in building a healthy lifestyle. Reach out to a professional if you need help.
2. Be social. Isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t have to mean loneliness. Reconnect with others virtually or while practicing social distancing.
3. Get regular checkups. Stay up to date on your annual physicals and necessary health tests. Screenings can help identify health issues to be addressed.
4. Drink more water. Consuming sugary drinks, like juice or soda, can cause liver damage, premature aging and anxiety. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption as well.
5. Count nutrients, not calories. Focus on improving the overall quality of your diet and not getting hung up on calories. Achieve this by adding more fiber, protein and probiotics to your diet.

Kick Stress Eating to the Curb

As the COVID-19 pandemic and winter season continue, you may be fighting the urge to eat your feelings. Although stress eating may be soothing at first, you likely won’t feel better in the end. Consuming excess calories in one sitting can cause fatigue, bloating, stomach discomfort and weight gain over time. Consider the following ways to cope with stress eating:

Don’t Forget, It’s National Blood Donor Month

Winter is one of the most difficult times of the year to collect enough blood products and donations to meet patient needs. That’s why National Blood Donor Month is celebrated every January. This month, resolve to be a blood donor and consider the following health benefits of donating blood regularly:

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‘Tis the season for holiday planning. Yet, gatherings of families and friends, crowded parties and travel may put Americans at an increased risk for COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you carefully consider the spread risk of in-person holiday celebrations.

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The arrival of the fall and winter months signals many things, including flu season. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity peaks between December and February. It’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both spread this fall and winter.

Many symptoms of the common cold, the flu and COVID-19 are similar, so learn how to differentiate between them on the next page.

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An unintentional phenomenon is on the rise—pandemic fatigue. People are tired of staying at home. People want to be the social creatures they inherently are. People want their “normal” back.

This collective fatigue is making some people—consciously or unconsciously—disregard pandemic guidance such as social distancing and mask wearing. Others may be reaching a mental health breaking point.

View and download the October 2020 Live Well, Work Well newsletter

Choosing effective hand sanitizer

TIP: Try to steer clear of hand sanitizers that claim to help prevent COVID-19, as that hasn’t been proven yet.

Read more:

View and download the September 2020 Live Well, Work Well newsletter

TOPICS

Sorting Out Coronavirus Fact From Fiction

Summer Sun Safety Tips

Probiotics and You

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