LiveMemorialWell
Explore new ways to learn, eat, and move with Memorial Health System.
Learn
Prioritizing General Wellness on World Health Day
Our health often takes a backseat in a world that moves at an ever-increasing pace. World Health Day, observed on April 7th, serves as a timely reminder to reevaluate our priorities and focus on what truly matters—our well-being.
General wellness is more than the absence of diseases. It is about a holistic approach including physical, mental, and emotional health. In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also altered its course, realizing the importance of wellness.
Therefore, one should aim for wellness. It is about cultivating the right kind of habits.
Three Pillars of Wellness
Wellness is complex. However, physical, mental, and emotional wellness are still the most important dimensions.
To stay well, start by focusing on physical health. That means focusing on regular exercise and nutrition. Exercise is regularly engaging in activities such as weightlifting, running, swimming, or other physical activities. To better support these efforts, take to a balanced diet and optimal nutrition.
The next step towards wellness is ensuring a healthy mind. For this, practice mindfulness, meditation, and breathing exercises. It is also about prioritizing sleep and taking frequent breaks to recharge your mental batteries.
Emotional wellness can be built by focusing on social connections or relationships. So, surround yourself with the right kind of people and additionally, focus on nurturing relationships by paying attention to others and their emotional needs.
Eat
Beans and Rice
Serves: Three to Four
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked (or two 15 oz cans rinsed and drained) black, red, or pinto beans
- 1-1 ½ cups of water or low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos, low sodium soy sauce,
- or tamari
- 1 tsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
- 2 cups or 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
- 1 cup red, yellow, or green pepper, fresh or frozen, chopped
- 3 cups cooked brown rice, or other whole grain (quinoa, barley, spelt, wheat berry, etc.)
Optional ingredients
- Onion, chopped
- 1 can water chestnuts, drained
- Hot peppers diced or whole
- Cilantro, chopped
- Avocado as a garnish on top, sliced or diced
- Salsa/hot sauce as a garnish on top
Directions:
Heat beans with water or vegetable stock, and add liquid aminos, soy sauce, or tamari (whichever you choose), and chili powder.
Other ingredients can be placed in separate bowls to add on top as desired in a buffet style or mixed in and heated to have a one-pot meal.
Move
Strength Training at Home
Getting to the gym for a weight workout is not always easy. Some people work unique hours and jobs, don’t have access to a gym, or would simply rather be in their own space for a workout. Luckily, strength training can be done almost anywhere that there is space with the right equipment!
Strength training, or resistance training, improves muscle strength, power, endurance, and size. It’s different than weightlifting or powerlifting, which are sports that are most known for lifting the heaviest amount of weight. Strength training is the use of weights or resistance bands that forces your muscles to work against gravity. Over time, your body builds and strengthens muscle mass.
Strength training can help with the following:
- Reducing body fat
- Increasing body metabolism (this allows your body to burn more calories each day!)
- Reducing symptoms of chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, or osteoporosis
30-minute home weight-training workout:
- Dumbbell chest press
- Dumbbell rows
- Dumbbell squats
- Hip lifts
- Dumbbell shoulder/overhead press
- Dumbbell arm curls
Building strength
As you get stronger, exercises may get easier! To keep moving towards your goal:
- Gradually increase the amount of weight you use to build strength
- When you are able to lift a weight between 8-15 times, you can increase the amount of weight you use at your next workout session
