Wellness Works Health Education Programs . . .

The Health Trust offers a variety of different Health Education classes. These classes will be given at your worksite, either during the day or in the early evening hours. Please contact your Wellness Coordinator if you are interested in having the staff from Wellness Works present any of the following programs at your worksite. Most classes require a minimum of 10 participants.

Am I Losing My Mind?: Many factors contribute to age-related memory loss including genetics, environment, and lifestyle. But researchers now know that people have at least some control over their ability to remember and process information and experiences. This class will discuss memory and how to improve it along with how the brain works, why we begin to lose our memory with age and strategies to maintain and increase memory capabilities.

Are You Ready To Quit – A Smokers’ Workshop: This class will explore why participants smoke, barriers to quitting, as well as offer techniques to cut down or quit smoking. Participants will receive a variety of helpful resources to help them plan for quitting. (Minimum 5 participants required.)

Change Your Course: This class will introduce you to an effective behavior change process that will help you to plan and succeed at making changes that will last. We will discuss some potential stumbling blocks and how to overcome them.

Dealing with Diabetes: Hundreds of people are diagnosed with diabetes every day in this country. Dealing with Diabetes is a non-clinical discussion to help you better understand the different types of diabetes, what happens to your body when you have diabetes and how to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

Financial Fitness: Feeling the burn? Tired of living paycheck to paycheck, or hoping to step up your savings plan? This one-hour class will look at ways to trim your debt and bulk up your savings! Strategies will be given on how to: create a budget that fits your lifestyle, avoid financial setbacks, boost your financial performance, and stay on track with your financial plan. This class will take you through a financial workout worth doing!

Healthy, Happy Holidays: A twelve-step program to help you survive and thrive this holiday season. This one-hour class will tackle a variety of issues that threaten to take the joy out of your holidays, including: making time for your priorities, simplifying your life, self-care, safety, finances, holiday nutrition, and many, many more!

Looking Ahead- Things You Should Know about Advance Directives and Living Wills:
Recent media events have highlighted the need for advance directives and living wills; however, the thought of actually doing one can be overwhelming. This one-hour class will walk you through the basics of advance directives and living wills, and will provide you with the forms you will need for both of these.

Managing Emotions- When You Are Under Pressure: A one-hour class focused on giving you the tools to manage your emotions. You will leave with a better understanding of how your outlook affects your reality, Steps for controlling your emotions in difficult situations, and keys for emotional management.

Moving Beyond the Blues – Understanding Depression: This class will give participants a chance to learn about the causes and symptoms of “SAD” (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and other forms of depression.

No Bones About It - Your Guide to Better Bone Health: Optimal bone health and osteoporosis prevention is critical for both men and women. This one-hour class will identify risk factors for osteoporosis, screening options, and preventive steps you can take to maintain healthy bones!

Overcoming Stress: This one-hour class will utilize a power point presentation to discuss stress triggers, our physical response to stress and a few coping strategies to help you turn off the stress in your life.

Simplify Your Space: This class will take you through three basic steps of organizing. Regardless of the space you want to organize, this class can help you identify the methods to make your next organization project a snap!

Sun Savvy: How much time do you spend in the sun each day? Are you doing enough to prevent skin cancer and sun damage? Did you know that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the nation, and also the most preventable? This one-hour class will help you answer these questions while exploring the importance of practicing sun safety throughout the year. Participants will learn how to select sunscreen that is appropriate to them, and how to detect potentially dangerous skin conditions.

Taking Your Colors To Work: Take the next step in exploring your personality by taking your True Colors to work! Participants win this one-hour class will explore individual communication styles, effective communication techniques, ways to use your personality to your advantage and much, much more!

Talk To Your Doc: How many times have you gone to the doctor’s with a health complaint only to be told there was nothing they could do, or you forgot the questions you needed to ask? This can be very frustrating and costly, which is why we have created the Talk To Your Doc class. This one-hour class will review a variety of ways to be good consumers of health care; work with your doctor as a partner; and will discuss situations that can be treated successfully, at home, with medical self-care. All participants receive a reference book of health topics to help them decide whether they should call the doctor or care for themselves.

The ABC’s of ZZZ’s: Sleep is an essential part of life, affecting our daily functioning and our physical and mental health in ways that we are just beginning to understand. However, for millions of Americans sleep is something of a novelty and sleep disorders are wreaking havoc with their everyday lives. Participants in this class will discuss what happens to our bodies when we sleep, answer some basic questions about sleep habits, learn more about sleep disorders and discover strategies for getting a good night’s sleep!

The Heart of the Matter: Cardiovascular disease (including heart attack and stroke) is a leading cause of death in both men and women. The Heart of the Matter will explain the different types of heart disease, how to reduce your risk factors, and the signs and symptoms everyone should know.

The Value of You: This class will look at how self-esteem impacts the choices we make both personally and professionally. Participants will learn to identify and understand self-esteem and be given tools to assist in maintaining and/or improving self-esteem.

True Colors: This interactive class will help participants identify the color of their personality and learn how it impacts their relationships with others. Skills learned in this class may allow participants to have more productive and meaningful relationships with co-workers, friends, and family members.

Weighing Your Options: This ten part series takes a lifestyle approach to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight while empowering participants to take the first steps towards weight management. Combining nutrition, behavior change and physical activity classes, the series can be adapted for each workplace.

Working Well: A comprehensive workplace evaluation focused on creating healthier worksites through policy and environmental changes. Unlike our typical wellness classes, this program does not include any classroom time. Instead, Abby will come to your worksite and work with you to conduct an intensive worksite evaluation to discover ways to make significant policy and enviornmental changes with very little effort! This program does not provide ergonomic evaluations, rather it focuses on policies and environments that support wellness initiatives.

Women’s Health Classes:

A Lifetime of Good Health: Focuses on the unique health issues facing women, discusses the importance of taking care of the whole body, and explains preventive steps you can take to maintain good health.

A Woman’s Touch - A Breast Health Workshop: This informative class explores various aspects of breast health for women, including normal breast changes, breast cancer, and steps to protect against and prevent serious breast health conditions.

Uniquely You- A Woman’s Journey Toward Menopause and Beyond: This informative class will discuss the numerous changes our bodies go through as we prepare for and enter into menopause, as well as post-menopausal health concerns. A valuable discussion regarding the ins and outs of menopause.

Men’s Health Classes:

Men’s Health Matters: This class will provide an overview of men’s health issues and key approaches to improving your well-being. Important self-care skills will be introduced such as: selecting a primary care physician, following periodic health screening schedules, doing self-screening exams, and practicing positive lifestyle behaviors.

Fitness Classes:

Deskercise: Looking for a way to release some muscle tension and increase flexibility? This class will discuss the importance of stretch breaks throughout the work day. Demonstrations will also be given of simple stretches and some resistance type exercises that can be performed right at the workstation.

Emphasis on Exercise: Learn the basics of creating and maintaining an effective exercise program. Topics will include how to get started safely, finding an activity that suits you, how to stick with your program, how to monitor your heart rate, how to track your progress, and how to stay motivated!

FootWorks - The Walking Program: This class will enhance your knowledge for a safe walking program that will improve your overall fitness.

Nordic Walking: Looking for a way to take walking to the next level? Try Nordic Walking! It has been proven that you will expend 20% more calories than walking, increase your heart rate by 7-10 beats per minute, increase upper body strength, it's low impact and adds stability and balance to your workout.

On the Ball: If you have ever wondered what the point of the exercise ball is, this class is for you! Learn the many benefits of the exercise ball, how to safely and effectively use the ball, and how to stay on! You will also learn how to pick the most appropriate exercise ball for you.

Raising the Bar(bell): Equipment Demo Class: This class is designed to demonstrate the equipment that you have in your facility. Demonstrations will show proper form, seat adjustments and appropriate weights. Generic workouts for beginner, intermediate and advanced will be handed out. This is an observation class only.

Snap Into Shape - Working Out with Resistance Bands: Learn the benefits of using resistance bands for strength training. Proper technique will be demonstrated. Participation is voluntary. Participants receive a free band to take home with them!

Strengthen Your Core - Introduction to Pilates: Learn the history and philosophy of this popular fitness activity, including Joseph Pilates’ belief that mind and body must be made healthy as one. Learn some exercises to help develop the abdominal and back muscles, decrease tension, and improve overall appearance and well being.

Stretching Solutions: If you’re looking for a way to release some muscle tension, increase flexibility and prevent injuries, then we have the class for you! This class will discuss the importance of not only stretching before and after exercise (and other strenuous work activities) but also stretch breaks throughout the work day. Comprehensive stretching will be demonstrated.

Nutrition Classes:

Fad Diets and Nutrition Basics: Fad Diets usually overemphasize one particular food or type of food. This contradicts the guidelines for good nutrition, which recommends eating a variety of foods. Learn how you can distinguish between the good and not-so-good information and messages behind some of the popular fad diets, as we review some of today’s most popular diets. Participants will also learn the basic nutritional needs of a healthy diet.

Food Fight: Explore the nutritional value and positive attributes of the various food groups, while learning how to arrange the various building blocks of a healthy diet.

Grocery Grab Bag: This class will put your grocery-shopping skills to work! This one-hour class will teach you to use your label reading and nutrition savvy to create balanced meals, decipher popular health claims, and select foods that are just right for you. This class is very hands-on and requires that the group has already had the Rate Your Plate and Living and Losing with Labels classes.

Living and Losing with Labels: This class will take an in-depth look at how food labels can be used to guide you in making healthy food choices, not only for a healthy diet, but also for weight loss. Participants will determine their daily requirements for each of the nutrients listed on the food label.

Rate Your Plate: This class will break down the new Dietary Guidelines as we look at portion sizes and aspects of a healthy diet.

Shopping Smart: The Healthy Way to Navigate the Supermarket: Ever run into the grocery store for a couple of items and come out with a cartful? Not only is this bad for your budget, but it probably isn’t doing much for your waistline either! Participants in this class will learn the tricks for getting out of the supermarket with money in their pocket and healthy foods to stock the cupboards! This class will explore secret supermarket tips and assist you in making the healthiest choices in each aisle.

Soil To Supper- Gardening Series:

Plan Before You Plant: The first class in this gardening series will incorporate the basics of vegetable garden design and development, including: choosing the ideal garden location, identifying what and when to plant, recognizing important soil qualities in your home garden, starting, maintaining and using a home compost system and utilizing succession planting and crop rotation for the most expansive harvest from your garden. This one-hour course is open to anyone- whether you have gardened for years or you are just thinking about starting!

Grow a Garden- Almost Anywhere!: Topics in this one-hour class will include: seed starting, transplanting, short growing season options, fertilization, container gardening, crop selection, and more! This class is ideal for anyone planting a garden in Maine or who has a limited amount of space to plant a garden!

Garden Gourmet: Now that the planting and growing has been done, it is time to harvest, store and cook your freshly grown produce. Participants in this class will discuss end-of-season garden care, as well as receive a collection of healthy recipes to use with their homegrown vegetables and herbs. One sample dish will be prepared for class attendees to try.

Learn-by-Mail Programs:
No minimum participation required; employees can call us to have these free booklets sent directly to their homes!

Eat Your Way to Better Health: Do you feel overwhelmed with all of the conflicting nutrition advice that is out there? Wellness Works has created a booklet which will make eating healthy a little easier! Detailed information will be given on the new food guide pyramid, keeping your portion sizes under control, how to read the food label, the basics of menu planning and how to deal with picky young eaters.

The Benefits of Pre-Natal and Post-Natal Exercise: Wellness Works has created a booklet to detail the benefits of pre and post natal exercise along with contraindictations of exercise along with exercise guidelines and programming.

Shift Your Priorities: Staying Healthy While Working Other Than 9 to 5: While there are many advantages to working shift work, there are also a lot of disadvantages such as sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue and personal and family problems. Wellness Works has created a booklet to help shift workers learn strategies for a healthier lifestyle which include sleeping well, connecting with family and friends, eating well and staying fit with an alternative work schedule.

Kids’ Fitness - Getting Kids Active & Keeping Them Active: With over 9 million obese children in the United States, parents need to take a more proactive role in their children’s physical activity. This booklet discusses some of the contributing factors that are plaguing our children along with age appropriate activities for the children and parents, and safety and nutritional information.

Wellness Works is the Health Education and Promotion Program of the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust.  Call Us! at (800) 452-8786.

Site Updated 2/2008