National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national awareness week focused on highlighting the importance of influenza vaccination. It is to remind individuals 6 months and older that there’s still time to get vaccinated against flu. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications, including people with certain chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. In fact, in past flu seasons, 9 out of 10 adults hospitalized for flu had at least one underlying medical condition.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jerry Sikes (left) and Dale Koch (right) for being named the August and September Wellness Champions, respectively. Jerry and Dale, who both hold the position of Technical Specialist IV were nominated by one of their coworkers for their efforts to be more active. Their departments posts a monthly activity board to keep track of days they meet 30 minutes or more of activity. Jerry and Dale completed this goal nearly every day in August. Bravo to Jerry, Dale, and their entire department for making physical activity a priority.

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time to heighten awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and show support for the more than 6.2 million Americans living with it.

It can be difficult to stay healthy during the holidays. Thanksgiving is typically celebrated by feasting, followed by seconds, maybe thirds, and topped off with desert. Then there's the post feast nap, a few hours of watching football, and then an additional leftover turkey sandwich and a slice of pumpkin pie. In many households, Thanksgiving is dedicated to either eating rich, unhealthy foods foods, sitting still, and usually doing both. However, there are ways to make Thanksgiving a little healthier. Give these ideas a good ole turkey try!

November is American Diabetes Month and we’re taking The Big Step Up against diabetes. Come join us! Take your health into your own hands through awareness, detection, management, and learning to thrive despite your diabetes.

If you participated in the 2021 spring screenings or uploaded Primary Care Physician (PCP) documentation and did not meet 1 or both of the criteria (BMI < 30 or non-tobacco use), you need to attend the goal checks to continue to receive your wellness incentive. Don't delay!

DID YOU KNOW that employees and spouses are eligible to get reimbursed for participating in a race? You are eligible to submit reimbursement up to 3 times per year and receive up to $30 per race.

Fall is here. It's time to bring out the slow cooker. Try these nutritious and simple recipes this fall.

Focus on Optimism this October. Especially when things are feeling a bit tough, it can help to set some goals. Making goals achievable and ensuring that you have a few short term as well as longer term, more ambitious goals helps us feel we're making progress. It doesn't matter if your goal for the day is something really small, the important thing is to give yourself the opportunity to feel like you've achieved something and to celebrate that! This month's calendar is full of ideas to help you think about how you can put this into practice.

Stephanie Searcy is July's Wellness Champion. Stephanie has always been active with walking and yoga, but it wasn't until she started changing her eating habits that she saw results on the scale. She has adopted a nutrient-rich diet and focuses on consuming healthy foods not 'diet' foods. Stephanie is proud of the lifestyle and sustainable changes she's made to her meals and doesn't see this as a quick fix. Keep up the great work, Stephanie!! We also asked Stephanie to share a favorite recipe - it's a Watermelon Gazpacho. She does skip the cilantro as it's not her favorite herb and she includes fresh scallions. Enjoy!

Did you miss the spring screening or the deadline to submit Primary Care Physician (PCP) Visit documentation? Do you still want to earn the premium discount? If so, you're in luck, but act soon!

The Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, it helps you give support and get support.