National Sleep Awareness Week

March 6-12 is National Sleep Awareness Week.  We all know how important it is for professional drivers to get a good night's rest.
Here is some practical information from Connect Care 3. Find more in their monthly P.E.P. Talk Newsletter

How much sleep do you get a night? Many people do not get the recommended amount of sleep and suffer negative consequences because of it.  Most people that have pulled an all-nighter know that lack of sleep can make you cranky, forgetful and stressed out. But did you know that lack of sleep can cause a wide range of health issues including weight  gain, elevated blood pressure and increased risk of accidents?

While it’s tempting to skip sleep in favor of doing something we deem more productive, that is a bad idea. Rest and recovery are vitally important to our health.  Our physical health, our emotional health and our mental health can all be affected by sleep or the lack of it. Doing a few simple things can help prepare your mind and body for sleep. Exercise can help you sleep more deeply, provided you exercise earlier in the day or afternoon. Set your room up as an area for sleep, not television watching or work. Make sure your room is dark enough and, if you can, turn off your mobile devices up to an hour before bedtime.  By tweaking your sleep habits just a bit, you might find yourself feeling a bit more energetic and healthy. Give it a try!

3 Diets to Help You Follow the New Dietary Guidelines

The new 2015-2020 federal dietary guidelines focus on the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases instead of just weight management alone. Here are three suggested diets designed around the guidelines to help make them more user-friendly:

Healthy American Diet: A healthier version of what people in the United States typically consume, it suggests 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 6 ounces of grain, 3 cups of dairy and 5.5 ounces of protein daily.

Mediterranean Diet: Heavy on protein and fruits while light on dairy, this diet suggests 6.5 ounces of protein, 2.5 cups of fruit and 2 cups of dairy daily. Like the American diet, it also suggests 2.5 cups of vegetables and 6 ounces of grain daily.

Vegetarian Diet: This diet only suggests 3.5 ounces of protein daily. To replace meat and seafood, it prescribes 7 ounces of nuts and seeds, as well as 8 ounces of tofu and other soy products. It also recommends 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit and 6.5 ounces of grain.

*Above examples are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

This information is provided by the E.K. McConkey Live Well, Work Well Newsletter

February is American Heart Month!

It's Heart Month - and not just because of Valentines Day.

Your heart is an amazing organ.  It supplies your body with blood that runs through thousands of miles of blood vessels, arteries and capillaries.

That is why it is so important to keep it and all the paths your blood travels through working properly.  Cardiovascular exercise is an important part of heart health and supporting that health with proper nutrition is crucial too.  Keeping fit, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting sugar intake and including more fruits and vegetables can all help keep your heart healthy.  To learn more about how you can make healthy changes, visit the American Heart Association's web page at heart.org.