OPH360

In an effort to increase physical activity, encourage healthy eating, improve productivity, and boost a positive culture in our workplaces, the Office of Public Health is implementing a statewide wellness program for all employees. OPH360 will support you in improving your personal health through peer encouragement, educational opportunities and wellness activities. Wellness activities will focus on healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco cessation and mental health. Be on the lookout for emails from your Wellness Champions for upcoming events and activities.

Join our Facebook group to stay updated on all things OPH360! Your wellness champion will share what’s happening in your area there. Stay engaged and motivate your coworkers by sharing your healthy habits, recipes and successes. 

Moving Well-Ahead

Making small, healthy changes is easy when your community is also committed to health! Find health resources near you with the Community Resource Guide! You can find resources for different health topics here.

Is your child’s school a WellSpot? Use our Find WellSpots tool to learn more. What about your favorite lunch spot? Find out here!

Become a Wellness Champion

A Wellness Champion is a co-worker that volunteered to lead your region or location’s wellness activities. Have a question? Contact your Champion and shoot them an email. Our Wellness Champions include OPH employees who are committed to moving OPH’s health forward. Click here if you’d like to apply to become a Wellness Champion. 

Reduce Your Stress

Did you know that watching fish can help to relieve stress?  The motion of the fish swimming is distracting and helps to lower your blood pressure and heart rate.   We have stress hormones that promote growth and release chemicals that benefit our body.   Maintaining healthy levels of good and bad stress helps to bring balance to our lives.   Healthy stress helps to:

• Boost Brainpower
• Increase short term immunity
• Increase resilience
• Motivate you to succeed

Short-term stress helps to increase your daily performance.   A positive mindset helps productivity, focus, and motivation.  Positive stress helps you to remember situations that have affected your life.  Don’t focus on the downside of a situation; redirect your thoughts and change your mood.  Here are some calming activities to consider when you are having a stressful moment:

• Exercise
• Play soothing music
• Meditate
• Deep breathing
• Laugh
• Indulge in your favorite self-care activity

Stress is dangerous when it is chronic.  Chronic stress is a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a period.  Chronic stress can become debilitating and lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and death.   Learn the symptoms of chronic stress and ways to de-stress when needed. Here are a few ways to handle stress:

• Set limits – create a list of your commitments, determine what is required, and what to eliminate.
• Build a support system – determine your core relatives/friends who are able and willing to provide guidance and support when it is needed. 
• Make healthy commitments – challenge yourself to take daily walks, reduce or eliminate caffeine, and incorporate healthy habits.  
• Increase your sleep – a symptom of chronic stress is a lack of sleep.  
• Positive thinking – a positive mindset helps to alter your mood.
• Seek help – when self-calming techniques are no longer working, seek help from a trained professional.

Resources

Healthy Workplace Stress

The Advantages of Stress

What Are the Three Stages of Stress & How Can You Cope

12 Health Problems Stress Can Cause

The 4 A’s of Stress Management

Southwest Breakfast Burritos

Southwest Breakfast Burritos

This Mexican-inspired breakfast burrito recipe makes a large batch of fixings. My wife and I love eating Mexican, so I came up with this recipe for more variety in our morning meals. We are busy and don’t have time to make elaborate meals in the morning. In the past, we have bought frozen breakfast burritos, but they are not very tasty, and I knew they could be improved.

Ingredients:

• 12 large eggs
• ⅔ cup milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (3.5 ounce) can diced jalapeños (Optional)
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 20 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Gather all ingredients.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk, and salt in a large bowl. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in egg mixture; cook and stir until eggs are completely set, about 5 minutes.
3. Break up cooked eggs into small pieces and place into a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Heat the same large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage and garlic in the hot skillet for 5 minutes, Add onion; continue to cook and stir until sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease.
5. Transfer sausage to eggs in the bowl. Stir in tomato, cilantro, jalapeños, and taco seasoning until well combined. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, then stir in Cheddar cheese.
6. Lay a tortilla onto your work surface, then spoon some of the egg filling halfway between the bottom edge and the center of tortilla. Flatten filling into a rectangular shape with the back of a spoon. Fold the bottom of tortilla snugly over filling, then fold in the left and right edges. Roll burrito up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
7. Wrap individual burritos tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
8. To serve, heat burritos in the microwave until hot, 3 to 4 minutes.

Tips

You can also store the burritos in the refrigerator.