Inside this issue:
Maintaining Your Weight this
Holiday Season
Meet the Anaheim Oasis
Walking Club
Employee Assistance Program 2
Making Your Resolutions Stick 2
Exercising When You’re Sick
Top 10 Turkey Mistakes
Our Mission
(präv’e dens) – Defined as the exer-
cise of foresight and care for the
future.
Our Mission is to support the wellness
of our employees, who in turn support
the wellness of all our customers, and
their families.
We are committed to supporting a
balance of physical, mental and emo-
tional health within the workplace.
We encourage responsibility for one’s
health and wellness as a way of life.
We promote the exercise of foresight
and care for our own wellness, and
that of our coworkers and customers.
Defining Wellness
Wellness is a way of living that
promotes optimal health and well-
being. It is a continual lifelong proc-
ess, not a fixed point. The key com-
ponents of wellness are generally
described as physical, emotional,
social, intellectual and spiritual well-
being. Most commonly, people
think of the physical health dimen-
sion with programs focusing on
smoking cessation, exercise, weight
control, and better nutritional hab-
its and safety practices. However,
there is growing interest in emo-
tional health, as a result of recent
research showing the importance of
stress and depression in driving
health care costs. But whether
physical or emotional, to practice
wellness is to actively pursue the
goal of being in good health. Prac-
ticing wellness means considering a
variety of lifestyle choices, and
consistently selecting those that
seem to be in the best interest of
the individual. Helping employees
make good choices is what work-
place wellness is all about.
1
1
2 A publication from Providence Service Corporation &
2
UnitedHealthcare
Winter 2010 Issue
Maintaining Your Weight During this Holiday Season
The holiday season is always extra challenging for those
watching their weight, but there are ways to participate in
the fun without packing on the pounds.
Julie Redfern, manager of the Nutrition Consult Services at
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, recommends
trying to simply maintain your weight rather than shedding
pounds as a good strategy. In a news release issued by the
hospital, she also offered these tips:
 Before going to a holiday party, eat a light snack. Arriving
hungry often results in overindulging. Also, offer to bring
your favorite healthier choice dish to ensure that you
have good food options.
 Don't hang out near the food. Proximity increases temp-
tation.
 Practice good portion control. Fill your dinner plate with
half vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter carbs. Try
to avoid seconds and thirds. As for desserts, chose only
those you like the most and have smaller portions.
 Reduce your fat intake by skipping the skin on turkey or
Meet the Providence Oasis Anaheim Walking Club!
The OASIS Walking Club started in April of this year and has
been gaining momentum each week. A group of staff from
the office get together for 20-30 minutes to walk in the
surrounding neighborhoods. The club meets twice weekly
and the walking routes are varied to keep things from be-
coming mundane. There are generally between five and
eight people walking at a time with about 1/3 of the total
staff having shown an interest in participating in the walking
club. The walking club has so many benefits for participants:
 It allows staff to spend some time bonding, away from the
office and the pressures that we all face..
 By actively walking, it prevents people from ignoring their
break time or spending g it sitting at their desk or snack-
ing on something.
 Participants seem more energized when they come back
from their walk and their mood is always positive. This
positive feeling is contagious and helps with the overall
morale in the office!
 The stress of the job can be great and the walking club
allows for staff to have some “me-time” to re-energize,
connect with others, and just step back and gain a better
perspective.
In addition to the Walking Club, one of the OASIS staff
members is a certified exercise instructor who has started a
Pilates class for staff after hours once a week. About a
dozen staff have taken advantage of this opportunity to find
yet another way to get some exercise in while having that
Wellness LIVE!
December 7, 2010
chicken. Also, refrigerate
gravy, then skim off the fat
once it cools.
 Watch out for high-calorie
holiday drinks. Enjoy just a
small cup of apple cider,
eggnog or the like, then
balance it off with lots of
water to help curb your appetite.
 Eat once, not all night. Grazing at the food table quickly
piles up the calories, so instead, make a balanced plate
of food just once during a party.
 When hosting a holiday party, give away your leftovers.
Keep plenty of disposable dishes ready to give away
sweets and other unhealthy food choices to guests.
 Focus on conversation or activities with your family
and friends, rather than on food. For example, take a
family walk after the main holiday meal.
© myuhc.com
ongoing connection
with teammates.
Exercise is important
for so many rea-
sons. From a health
perspective, exercise
reduces the risk for
heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even
cancer. It makes your heart and lungs work better and
improves stamina which translates in being able to do
more things. It increases a person’s metabolism, helps
burn body fat, and enables people to become tone and
fit. Studies show that exercise has a positive impact on
mental health as well. Exercise helps release chemicals in
the body such as endorphins and adrenaline which reduce
stress levels and make people feel better. Additionally,
exercise promotes healthy sleep and improvement in self-
esteem.
In addition to exercise, the OASIS Leadership Team has
listened to staff in regards to community food in the
office. Modifications have been made so that food
brought in for meetings has changed to become more
balanced with fruit and healthy options in addition to the
standard sweets such as donuts.
OASIS is committed to improving the overall health and
well being of our staff and helping to role model positive
behaviors for participants in our program.
Page 2
10 Turkey
Mistakes!
1.Buying fresh turkeys too early. Don't buy
your turkey more than two days before
you cook it. It isn't safe to refrigerate
fresh turkey longer than that.
2.Not washing everything thoroughly.
Wash the outside of the turkey and all
the cavities with cold water before
cooking. To avoid cross-contamination,
use soap and hot water on anything that
touches the raw turkey or its juices. That
includes your hands, utensils, the counter,
a cutting board or any produce.
3.Thawing a frozen bird at room tempera-
ture. A frozen turkey will keep well in
your freezer for a year. Once out of the
freezer, the risk of spoilage returns.
Defrosting your turkey in the refrigerator
- not on the counter - lowers this risk.
Allow one day of thawing in the fridge for
every five pounds of turkey. For a quicker
method, submerge the turkey in a leak-
proof bag in cold water, changing the
water every 30 minutes. Or, you can
microwave the turkey until it is thawed
and then roast it right away. You can
stick a frozen turkey straight in the oven
at 325 degrees F, too. Once it has
thawed, remove the giblets and neck
from the cavity and continue cooking.
This process requires 50 percent more
cooking time, but it is safe.
4.Partial cooking. Never cook a turkey
partially and then refrigerate it for cook-
ing later. This can be a set-up for bacterial
growth.
5.Cooking the turkey at a low temperature
overnight. Cooking a turkey at a tempera-
ture lower than 325 degrees F is unsafe.
Temperatures could stay below the
danger zone of 140 degrees F inside the
turkey.
6.Cooking the turkey too far ahead of time.
Cooking a turkey a day or two in advance
is okay, but putting it in the fridge without
removing the stuffing or carving it first
can lead to bacterial growth. You can
safely keep cooked turkey slices for three
to four days in the fridge. Use stuffing and
gravy within one to two days, and bring
the gravy to a boil before serving.
7.Overstuffing the turkey. You'll wind up
with either undercooked stuffing or an
overcooked bird. Stuffing inside the
turkey takes longer to reach a safe tem-
perature. To further lower chances of
cross-contamination, don't stuff the
turkey until it's ready for the oven, or
cook the stuffing separately.
8.Not testing with a thermometer. Tem-
perature, not color or cooking time, is
the only true indicator that a turkey is
done. Place a food thermometer in the
innermost thigh and the thickest part of
the breast. The turkey should reach a
temperature of at least 165 degrees F
throughout.
9.Letting fryer oil overheat. If you are using
a turkey fryer, there is the added danger
of fire and burns. Always keep the fryer in
full view while cooking and leave at least
two feet between the liquid propane tank
and fryer burner. If you see any smoke
from the oil, turn off the burner right
away. Avoid getting splattered by cover-
ing bare skin while cooking.
10.Leaving out the leftovers. Turkey, stuffing
and gravy can spoil if left on the table
more than two hours. Refrigerate left-
overs promptly after dinner.
© MyUHC.com
Your Providence Employee Assistance Program from UHC
Don’t forget, the Providence Employee
Assistance Program from UnitedHealth-
care offers 24/7 help to all Providence
household members, regardless of
whether or not you are enrolled in the
company’s medical insurance. Care24
services offer you access to a wide range
of health and well-being information—
seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Using
one toll-free phone number, you can speak
with registered nurses and master’s-level
counselors who can help with almost any
problem ranging from medical and family
matters to personal legal,* financial and
emotional needs.
Care24 services connect people with
reliable resources for information and
support regarding a wide range of personal
concerns – 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. One toll-free phone number gives
Make Your New Years’ Resolutions Stick; Tips to Motivate Yourself
It's a new year. You know what you have to
do: Lose weight. Exercise more. Eat more
fruits and vegetables. But will you follow
through? Many of us make the same New
Year's resolutions year after year, only to
find that we can't make them stick.
Making a major change in your life just
because it's the start of a new year isn't
enough to keep most people motivated for
long. If you truly want to kick a bad habit or
make a commitment to yourself, try these
tips:
1. Be realistic. Make resolutions that
you're sure you can achieve. This will
set you up for success. If your goals are
too ambitious, you may get disappointed
and start to feel badly about yourself.
That can make you give up completely.
Meeting small goals will keep you in the
game.
2. Approach the change with enthusi-
asm. This is about improving your
health and well-being. View your resolu-
tions in a positive light - not as a means
to punish yourself for past behavior. Be
sure you are making the behavior
change to please yourself, too, and not
because someone else thinks you
Should You Exercise When You’re Sick?
You've got a miserable cold, but are
anxious to get up and around again. Is it
OK to hop on the treadmill, or will that
use up energy that you need to fight off the
bug?
Use good judgment, doctors say. It's usu-
ally all right to exercise as long as you feel
okay, your symptoms are minor and you
don't overdo it. But going to the gym and
pushing yourself too hard is not a good
idea. Vigorous exercise can stress the
immune system.
Symptoms above the neck: Some experts
say that exercise in moderation is fine if
your symptoms are mild and above the
neck - such as a stuffy nose, sneezing or
you access to experienced professionals:
 Registered nurses
 Master’s-level counselors
 Legal and financial professionals
 Community resources
When you call the same toll-free number,
you can listen to audio messages on more
than 1,100 health and well-being topics. To
listen to your message of choice, press * to
speak with a nurse who will provide you
with information on the health topics along
with the three digit access pin number. More
than 600 audio messages are recorded and
available in Spanish, along with multi-lingual
translation services, and service for callers
with hearing impairments.
If face-to-face resources are appropriate for
your situation, a Care24 representative can
refer you to local, in-person support. Coun-
should.
3. Keep it simple. Many people make the
mistake of setting too many resolutions
at once. Don't try to stop smoking, lose
weight and give up alcohol all at once.
Put your energy into winning one major
challenge before you take on another.
4. Write it down. Put your resolution in
writing, along with specifics. You're less
likely to follow through on vague prom-
ises like ''I will exercise more'' if you
don't have a plan of action. Assign your-
self daily tasks so you can feel you've
achieved something every day. If you
miss one day, you can get back on track
more easily.
5. Ask your doctor. Include your doctor
in any plans that involve your health.
Your doctor can suggest resources to
keep you on track, such as support
groups, books or, if appropriate, medica-
tions or a referral to a counselor or
dietitian. Plus, you may be more moti-
vated to stick with a lifestyle change if
you look at it as something your doctor
ordered.
6. Build a support network. Don't try to
go it alone. If your resolution involves a
scratchy throat. Just be sensible and reduce
the length and intensity of your workout.
Think "low-impact." If you usually jog 30
minutes, go for a 15 minute walk instead.
Feeling sick may be a sign that your body
needs a rest.
Symptoms below the neck: Exercise is not
usually advised if you have symptoms
below the neck, such as muscle aches,
vomiting, diarrhea, chills or a cough. And
don't exercise if you have fever or feel
extremely tired. In all these cases, working
out could put stress on the immune system
that could hamper recovery or make you
feel worse.
When resuming workouts, limit the inten-
Wellness LIVE!
selors also can refer you to a wide range of
national and community resources.
Care24 nurses and counselors help you and
your family identify and address concerns
that span the spectrum of work and life.
Care24 nurses and counselors offer service
based on up-to-date medical and profes-
sional guidelines. We consistently deliver
high-quality service, so you can be confi-
dent that you and your family receive
reliable health, personal legal and financial
information you can use every day.
To take advantage of Care24 services,
nurses and counselors are available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-888-887-
4114. TTY/TDD callers, please call the
National Relay Center at 1-800-828-1120
and ask to be connected to the 800 num-
ber listed above.
major problem like smoking, drugs or an
eating disorder, get professional help.
Once you have talked to a doctor or
therapist, tell your family, friends and
co-workers about your goal so they can
cheer you on. Don't let embarrassment
keep you from getting the extra push of
support you may need.
7. Reward yourself. Set measurable goals
and reward yourself when you meet
them. Perhaps a spa treatment, tickets
to the big game or a shopping trip? Pull
out all the stops to keep yourself moti-
vated and feeling good about your
efforts.
© myUHC.com
sity and duration of your
sessions for a few days or
weeks after your illness.
Ask your doctor for the
best strategy. Perhaps plan
on exercising half your usual time. Or go
half-speed on aerobics and lift less weight
until you regain your endurance and strength.
When you find that you are no longer ex-
hausted, you'll know it's time to ease back
into your regular routine.
© MyOptumHealth.com
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