1. Use your two open hands to guide you in selecting a healthy serving of vegetables. 2.

Use your fist to select a healthy portion of grain products. Your serving of rice or pasta should be equal to your fist. 3. Use your palm to measure a healthy serving of meat and alternatives. Your chicken breast or lean steak should be the size of your palm. 4. Include a fist-size serving of fruit with or between your meals. 5. Use a thumb tip-size serving of fat. Choose fats that are heart-healthy.

Things to look for when reading nutrition labels~Ingredients that are difficult to spell or are clearly indicated as artificial ~ Genetically modified or filled with chemicals and preservatives ~Look for: What the fat content is How much sugar is in it What the serving size is Tech savvy?
For all smartphone users: download the ShopWell app and get tips on healthy alternatives to foods you love that may not be so healthy.

Winter scented oils that can aid in reducing stress and improving your emotional well-being: Used instead of medicine to relieve stress, depression, and other ailments - many essential oils have antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibiotic properties. Why use essential oils? For emotional well-being Emotional wellness follows these tenets: It is better to be aware of and accept our feelings than to deny them. It is better to be optimistic in our approach to life than pessimistic. Emotional Well-being defined: Emotional well-being is not the absence of emotions, but it is your ability to understand the value of your emotions and use them to move your life forward in positive directions. Everyday emotional well-being also involves identifying, building upon, and operating from your strengths rather than focusing on fixing problems or weaknesses. The better you are able to master your emotions, the greater your capacity to enjoy life, cope with stress, and focus on important personal priorities. With emotional well-being, you can experience: Healing from stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and other issues Change to transform unhelpful patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving Self-confidence as you gain trust and belief in yourself
Where to purchase essential oils? http://www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com http://www.iherb.com http://www.luckyvitamin.com

Natures Market Health Food Store

How to use essential oils

1. For scent-sational smelling towels, sheets, clothes, etc. place a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto a small piece of terry cloth and toss into the clothes dryer while drying. Add 5 drops essential oil to 1/4 cup fabric softener or water and place in the center cut of the wash 2. For tired, aching muscles or arthritis aches, mix 1 part Cajeput, Sage, and Basil oil to 4 parts carrier oil (Jojoba, Sweet Almond or other vegetable oils) and use as massage oil. 3. Ease headache pain by running a drop of Rosemary/Lavender oil onto the back of your neck. 4. To blend your own massage oil, add 5 drops of your favorite essential oil to 1 oz. Jojoba or other skin nourishing vegetable oil. 5. Apply true Lavender oil and Tea Tree oil directly to cuts, scrapes, or scratches. 12 drops will promote healing. 6. One drop of Lemon essential oil applied directly to a wart is an effective means of elimination. Apply the essential oil daily until the wart is gone. 7. Rosemary promotes alertness and stimulates memory. Inhale occasionally during long car trips and while reading or studying. 8. Overindulge last night? Essential oils of Juniper, Cedarwood, Grapefruit, Lavender, Carrot, Fennel, Rosemary, and Lemon help soften the effects of a hangover. Make your own blend of these oils and use a total of 6-8 drops in a bath 9. Place 1 or 2 drops of sleep enhancing oils such as Chamomile, Lavender, Neroli, Marjoram, or Hops on your pillow before retiring for restful sleep 10. For burns or scalds, drop Tea Tree oil directly on to the affected area 11. Place 1 drop of Peppermint oil in 1/2 glass of water, sip slowly to aid digestion and relieve upset stomach 12. Use 1 drop of Chamomile oil on a washcloth wrapped ice cube to relieve teething pain in children 13. Six to eight drops of Eucalyptus oil in the bath cools the body in summer and protects it in winter 14. When the flu is going around add a few drops of Thyme to your diffuser or simmer in a pot on the stove 15. To bring fever down, sponge the body with cool water to which 1 drop each of Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Lavender oil have been added. 16. A blend of Geranium, Lavender and Bergamot alleviates anxiety and depression. Use in a room diffuser or use 8 drops of this blend in the bath 17. One drop Peppermint oil diluted in 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil rubbed on the back of the neck helps relieve headaches.

Cinnamon-lowers blood pressure, stress, exhaustion Fir Needle-arthritis, common cold, flu, coughs, muscle aches Nutmeg-poor circulation, digestion, fatigue Juniper Berry-acne, cold, flu, obesity, gout Peppermint/spearmint-exhaustion, nausea, headache, fever, vertigo Sweet orange-stress, slow digestion, flu Spruce-cough, depression Spanish Sage-anxiety, cuts, dandruff, hair loss, poor circulation, sweating Clover oil-sprains, strains, toothaches Sandalwood-depression, scars, chapped skin, stress Allspice-nerves/tension, stiffness, muscular and gastric cramps Frankincense-anxiety, stress, extreme coughing, scars

Healthy Best Employee Wellness Library:

The Metro Health Medical Library will soon include an employee wellness section dedicated to the six dimensions of wellness. Employees will be allowed to check books out and be kept up to date on how to maintain healthy lives. This section will include:

Books
o Cookbooks o Self Help books

DVDs
o Workout DVDs o Documentaries

Other information related to health and wellness

SPIRIT DAY-November 1

st

Support your favorite team by wearing spirit day apparel -clinical settings can participate by wearing their teams accessories (earrings, headband, socks); send us pics of you or people in your department showing your team spirit and your pic could end up on the Metronet!

What is a Wellness Ambassador?

Wellness Ambassadors are liaisons between the Wellness program and their departments, relaying events, challenges and upcoming programs to their fellow employees and passing on requests from their department to Healthy Best. You do not have to be a manager to be a Wellness Ambassador.

Role DescriptionThis person:

Communicates new events and challenges to their department/site in a way that works best for your department (e-mail, word of mouth, flyers, etc.) Encourages participation Answers questions and concerns from your department Provides Healthy Best with feedback on what went well and what we can be doing better. Is enthusiastic about wellness initiatives and is willing to be a source of information for their co-workers.

Purpose:

Healthy Best has a lot to offer, but we need help making sure everyone KNOWS about our programs! Thats where our ambassadors come into play. The Ambassador program also gives the employee an opportunity to be a leader and confidant in their department, in a fun and exciting role without too much added time and responsibility.

Who is my Wellness Ambassador?

Visit the Healthy Best page on the Metronet to find out!

Interested in becoming a Wellness Ambassador?

Simply email Healthy Best with your name, department and shift.

Metro Health Spiritual Care

Chaplains: John DeVries Mike Westerveld

Chaplains are part of the healing team at Metro Health Hospital~
Chaplains are available to help with the spiritual needs of our patients, their families, as well as staff.

Chaplains are trained to work in the healthcare environment~

Chaplains have a Masters of Divinity and ordination from their faith group Chaplains also take a year of Clinical Pastoral Education which teaches them how to provide ministry in a healthcare setting Chaplains receive certification from the Association of Professional Chaplains

Chaplains are available to provide support in times of~

Illness Difficulty in coping Spiritual distress Crisis A new diagnosis

 End of life issues

Chaplains work with people of all faiths and cultures~

Chaplains are educated to understand how to provide spiritual support to people of all faiths and cultures Chaplains listed to the concerns of the patient and/or family and respond to their needs Chaplains pray with patients and may read from sacred scriptures Chaplains connect patients with their own clergy or find spiritual resources from the community for patients (such as a Rabbi for Jewish patients) Provide Communion by Eucharistic Ministers or Anointing of the Sick by a priest Our Volunteer Chaplain introduces the service to patients soon after they are admitted to the hospital