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Health/Fitness Holiday Gift Guides

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Wanting to get something health/fitness focused for someone this year? Here are a few articles with suggestions for everything from self-cleaning water bottles to the world’s smallest treadmill:

The Best Fitness and Health Holiday Gift Ideas – Harper’s Bazaar

16 best health and fitness gifts for women and men in 2018

25 Clever Health And Fitness Gifts That Are Actually Useful

Happy holidays!

 

Meaningful Miles on Campus

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Looking for a way to get active during your workday or contribute steps to the Step Up UCI Challenge?

Grab some colleagues and make your walking meetings or breaks more meaningful by exploring these 1 mile loops around UCI.

The purpose behind Meaningful Mile is to promote and encourage the UCI community to move more throughout their day while learning about the UCI campus.

Walking is one of the best, easiest, and cheapest activity you can do to reduce health risk factors, stress, and increase positive health behaviors. Our campus is full of scenic walks bursting with history. The Meaningful Mile Loops are a great way to refresh and relax in the midst of demanding schedules, while incorporating more movement into your day.

For more info, check out the UCI Worklife & Wellness website!

Challenge Yourself This Holiday Season – take the 2018-2019 UCI Maintain Don’t Gain Challenge!

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Challenge Yourself This Holiday Season – take the 2018-2019 UCI Maintain Don’t Gain Challenge!

Don’t wait for the New Year to start your healthy resolutions. Practice habits this holiday season with your colleagues that support weight management and a healthy lifestyle.

All participants will receive:

  • Weekly emails with healthy tips, recipes, and resources for adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors
  • A starter kit with gifts and Challenge materials
  • A chance to win raffle prizes including gift cards and a Fitbit Alta

Sign up by Friday, November 16, 2018

Challenge runs from November 19, 2018 to January 11, 2019

Get your flu shot now!

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It is that time of year again! The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommend that “all persons aged ≥6 months who do not have contraindications” receive the flu shot – that (more than likely) means you!

Especially vulnerable populations who are even more strongly encouraged to get the vaccine include:

  • Children aged 6–59 months;
  • Adults aged ≥50 years;
  • Persons with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (excluding isolated hypertension), renal, hepatic, neurologic, hematologic, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
  • Persons who are immunocompromised due to any cause, (including medications or HIV infection);
  • Women who are or plan to be pregnant during the influenza season;
  • Children and adolescents (aged 6 months through 18 years) receiving aspirin- or salicylate-containing medications and who might be at risk for Reye syndrome;
  • Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
  • American Indians/Alaska Natives;
  • Persons who are extremely obese (BMI ≥40); and
  • Caregivers and contacts of those at risk:
    • Health care personnel;
    • Household contacts and caregivers of children aged ≤59 months (i.e., <5 years), particularly contacts of children aged <6 months, and adults aged ≥50 years; and
    • Household contacts and caregivers of persons with medical conditions that put them at high risk of severe complications from influenza.

For more information, consult the CDC 2018-2019 Summary of Influenza Recommendations.

Flu vaccines are typically offered by health care providers and some local pharmacies – contact your provider for more info today!

 

 

Step Up UCI 2018-2019 – Library Team!

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Say hello to your 2018-2019 Step Up UCI Library Team!

Amando Caiyod
Cindy Tyan
Cindy Zwies
Debora Kreuziger
Kathryn Jeon
Larry Mann
Natalie Marquez
Nicole Carpenter
Nicole Helregel (captain)
Pamela Gordon
Raymond Camero

So far we have collectively walked 1,311,041 steps! The average number of steps it takes to walk a mile is 2,000. So we have collectively walked 655.5 miles! Our goal is to collectively make it to the east coast.

We will be competing through January 31, 2019 – feel free to invite us to walking-meetings!

And if you’d like to get more walking into your life, here are some 1-mile loops on campus:

UCI Meaningful Miles

Surprising health benefits of walking

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Watch for our upcoming email about this year’s Step Up UCI challenge – we will be forming library teams again! In the meantime, check out these surprising health benefits of walking from the Harvard Medical School:

1. It counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes. Harvard researchers looked at 32 obesity-promoting genes in over 12,000 people to determine how much these genes actually contribute to body weight. They then discovered that, among the study participants who walked briskly for about an hour a day, the effects of those genes were cut in half.

2. It helps tame a sweet tooth. A pair of studies from the University of Exeter found that a 15-minute walk can curb cravings for chocolate and even reduce the amount of chocolate you eat in stressful situations. And the latest research confirms that walking can reduce cravings and intake of a variety of sugary snacks.

3. It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers already know that any kind of physical activity blunts the risk of breast cancer. But an American Cancer Society study that zeroed in on walking found that women who walked seven or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked three hours or fewer per week. And walking provided this protection even for the women with breast cancer risk factors, such as being overweight or using supplemental hormones.

4. It eases joint pain. Several studies have found that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place. Walking protects the joints — especially the knees and hips, which are most susceptible to osteoarthritis — by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support them.

5. It boosts immune function. Walking can help protect you during cold and flu season. A study of over 1,000 men and women found that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. And if they did get sick, it was for a shorter duration, and their symptoms were milder.

 

Air Quality & Exercise

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With wildfires happening more frequently and increased development in Orange County, there are many air quality concerns, particularly when exercising outside. A few considerations to keep in mind (Source: Breathe, European Respiratory Society):

1. Consider your location and route

When exercising in a town or city, make use of parks, public spaces and trails with low emission zones as much as possible. A growing amount of research is showing that greenspaces contribute to our health and wellbeing.

2. Keep a healthy distance from the road

If you are cycling, jogging or walking outdoors, it is best to avoid doing this close to roads – particularly busy ones – if possible. Studies have shown that air pollution levels are higher on busier roads, but that the amount of pollution drops in line with how far away you are from a road. For example, you will be exposed to lower levels of air pollution just 1–2 m away from the main flow of traffic. In addition, you may want to consider using a parallel road that is quieter and safer.

3. Move around vehicles

When cycling, jogging or walking behind cars, scooters, motorcycles, lorries and other vehicles, you will breathe in very high levels of pollutants that can be harmful to your lungs. If it is safe to do so, move around these vehicles to try to reduce your exposure and keep your distance.

4. Avoid busy roads with high buildings

Air pollution tends to get trapped within roads with tall buildings on either side, so this type of road usually has poor air quality and should be avoided for exercise. Traffic lights are another pollution hotspot to avoid, as when vehicles move away from traffic lights they give off more emissions.

5. Check the air quality index of the day

Actual air pollution levels depend on the type of pollutant, the location and local weather. Many government agencies have monitoring stations that continuously measure and report levels of different air pollutants. Some also give forecasts, which you could use to decide when would be better to do your outdoor exercise. Try to find a service that is specific for your location.

6. Check the weather forecast

Air pollution tends to be at its highest on hot, sunny days, while the air tends to be cleaner after rainy or windy weather. If you have a pollen allergy, you may have more issues on days where pollen levels are high as pollen can interact with pollution. Check your local air quality forecast for more information.

7. Avoid exercising during rush hours

Try to avoid being physically active outdoors during rush hour in busy traffic areas or other times when lots of cars will be on the roads. Choose an alternative, quieter route or another time to be active.

8. Choose healthy travel options

Driving a car to get around contributes to the air pollution problem. Why not consider using public transport, or ‘taking the active option’ and walking or cycling? These options will help you to reach your daily physical activity goals, while contributing to a cleaner environment.

9. Avoid exposure to indoor air pollution and second-hand smoke

If you exercise at a gym, at home or in another indoor space, you could come into contact with indoor air pollution and/or second-hand smoke, so it is worth considering potential pollutants in this environment and how you can protect yourself from them. Vacuuming, and using cleaning products and air fresheners may reduce air quality, so try to avoid exercise immediately after cleaning.

10. Be active!

Do not be afraid to be active and exercise – environmental and lung health experts agree that the health risks associated with breathing in air pollution while exercising are less significant than those of an inactive lifestyle.

Join the UCI Libraries Summer Volleyball Team

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Looking for a way to stay active this summer? Want to get to know more of your library coworkers?

The Libraries will once again have a Volleyball team as part of UCI Summer Staff Intramural Sports!  The UCI Libraries team already has about 11 signed up and will be getting ready soon for Tuesday games in July and August.

If you are interested in joining, please contact Ashley Burke

 

Most nutritious foods (BBC)

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There are many health claims made about the nutritional and wellness-related value of various foods. The *amount* of different foods that are good for you is also somewhat debated. However, this article from the BBC (which highlights research funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea in 2015) analyzes the nutritional value of 1000 raw foods and lists the top 100. Check it out for some surprising rankings (who would have thought pork fat would be so high) and some new foods (going to have to try some cherimoya soon!): http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180126-the-100-most-nutritious-foods

This story forwarded by the wonderful Christina Woo!