Power Henrico

Henrico Spread the Love

Christy Nealey

Spread the Love 2024 marks the fourth year of the county’s Valentine’s Day Card drive, aimed at sharing our love and appreciation with senior adults in Henrico. The Advocate for the Aging Office received approximately ten thousand cards from across Central Virginia and distributed them to nearly forty senior living communities. Thousands of beautiful cards came from Henrico County Public Schools. Thanks to our students, we distributed pop-up cards, stamps, and beautifully crafted clay hearts! We also really appreciate the several General Government departments that created wonderful cards as well, including Varina Library, Human Resources, Department of Finance- Accounting, Department of Public Works – Standing Water Initiative,  County Clerk’s office, My Henrico Academy, and individuals from Hermitage, IDD Group Homes and Lakeside Center. Families, seniors participating in Senior Connections’ Friendship Cafés, and countless other groups contributed to this large-scale project. It was such a joy to sort the thousands of cards that included a variety of languages, images, and styles. The cards were nearly as diverse as Henrico County! Community members who donated cards and those who received cards shared that Spread the Love brings smiles to their faces. We are so grateful for those who participated in this project in and can’t wait to see what next year brings!

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From Fads to Fiber: Rethinking Weight Loss Strategies

Christy Nealey

In the relentless pursuit of weight loss, the allure of fad diets and their compelling promises often leads us astray. Internet searches related to weight loss inquiries have increased immensely over the years, so it is safe to say that many are interested in making some changes but need guidance. This guidance often comes from social media and our interpersonal relationships. However, the truth is that consuming a high-fiber and plant-predominant diet is a simple approach to weight loss because it is more sustainable and backed by substantial scientific evidence.

Fad diets are trendy dietary patterns known to be a quick fix for long-term problems. Three key characteristics can quickly identify them: they promise rapid weight loss, focus on one food group or eliminate entire food groups, and provide limited scientific evidence to support their claims. It is also important to note that even if there is available scientific evidence, these studies have not been conducted often or long enough to understand long-term health effects and usually fail to mention high dropout rates. The reason behind these high dropout rates is that the strict regimes of fad diets make them unsustainable long-term, and participants usually revert back to their previous eating habits, regaining the weight they already lost, plus more.

Instead of relying on “quick fix” diets, do yourself a favor by making small but substantial changes to your diet like including more fiber and plant-based foods. Dietary fiber makes you feel full, so consuming more will cause you to eat fewer calories overall. Most meat contains unhealthy fats, so reducing the amount of it you consume will aid you in managing your weight as well. We know that the all-or-nothing approach is only sometimes realistic, so instead of cutting out meat entirely, try a plant-forward diet with a mixture of meat and non-meat protein sources like beans, nuts, and lentils. The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume daily. Making these minor changes to your eating habits and regularly exercising are far more efficient ways to reach and maintain your goal weight than participating in fad diets. 

If you are the type of person who likes to follow a diet plan, consider the Mediterranean diet. This diet is not a quick fix; it’s a complex of dietary choices followed by people living in the Mediterranean region who derive most of their calories from fish and plant-based foods. Whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, and nuts are key components of this diet, with moderate allowances of alcohol, dairy products, and meat. The Mediterranean diet is the most extensively studied diet to this day and is proven to be suitable for weight-loss-oriented people.

The Fitness and Wellness Division of the Human Resources Department is committed to helping you ditch the gimmick diets and improve your eating habits by offering an eight-session nutrition program called Full Plate Living. This program will help you understand how to alter your meals to add as much fiber as possible without relying on an all-or-nothing approach. If you, your department, or work group are interested in participating in this program, please contact the Fitness and Wellness Division to get started!

 

 

References

Khawandanah, J., & Tewfik, I. (2016). Fad Diets: Lifestyle Promises and Health Challenges. Journal of Food Research, 5(6), 80. https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v5n6p80

Nancy C. Howarth, Edward Saltzman, Susan B. Roberts, Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 59, Issue 5, May 2001, Pages 129–139, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2001.tb07001.x

Slavin, J. L. (2005). Dietary fiber and body weight. Nutrition, 21(3), 411–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2004.08.018

Spadine M, Patterson MS. Social Influence on Fad Diet Use: A Systematic Literature Review. Nutrition and Health. 2022;28(3):369-388. doi:10.1177/02601060211072370

Tahreem A, Rakha A, Rabail R, Nazir A, Socol CT, Maerescu CM, Aadil RM. Fad Diets: Facts and Fiction. Front Nutr. 2022 Jul 5;9:960922. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.960922. PMID: 35866077; PMCID: PMC9294402.

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Henrico’s Newest Fitness Trainer Talks Healthy Hearts and Black History Month

Christy Nealey

Every February, the United States honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who helped shape the nation. In our diverse, multicultural community here at Henrico, seeking to understand and support our peers goes a long way to promoting positive relationships and elevating respect for the experiences and insights of all cultures. 

This month, we encourage you to participate in celebrating the black community’s rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities. In Henrico County, there are many opportunities to immerse yourself in Black History Month and engage our community through events and connections.

Building positive relationships with others has benefits beyond forging connections and deeper understanding. Studies show that having positive, close relationships with others can improve your ability to recover from stress, anxiety, and depression and can benefit your heart health. Each February, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and The Heart Truth celebrate American Heart Month by motivating Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent heart disease.  

To understand more about heart health, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Division team member interviewed Sydnei Douglas, a trainer and health enthusiast in the Department of Human Resources’ Fitness and Wellness Division, to ask her thoughts about the importance of heart health. These are some of the highlights of the conversation:

 Why is heart health so important?

Sadly, cardiovascular disease is a public health crisis as it is the leading cause of death in the United States. About one person dies every 33 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease or related conditions. A big reason for this could most likely be hypertension—high blood pressure—which is the number one cause of cardiovascular disease. About 40-45% of the U.S. Adult population has hypertension. That’s almost half of our adult population! 

I think it’s important for our employees to be aware of this and to take steps towards prevention. It’s never too late for a change. Start with the small steps. 

What do you think people should know about heart health or heart disease?

When you think about our workplace setting, a good portion of our employees experience a high volume of sedentary activity because of sitting at our desks. Sedentary behavior and lack of physical activity can also play a huge role in cardiovascular disease. For employees, it’s important to note that we do sit down a lot of the time throughout the day, so one of the things we can do is be more intentional about moving more and getting more physical activity in our daily lives. 

What are three things one can do to be more intentional about heart health? What advice would you give?

The first thing would be to move more. The steps you take towards prevention don’t have to be super intense. Everybody is on a different journey and physical level, so start with what is capable for you. Perhaps start with taking the stairs or getting up to walk around at certain times during the day. Being more physically active in small increments over time is a great way to start being more intentional with your heart and overall health. 

We offer many classes throughout the day at the Training Center for employees to be active. It is also a great way to make connections with other employees! Exercising in groups brings about a sense of community, holds you accountable, and empowers you to overcome challenges. 

Changing your diet is a big one. A small step I recommend is cutting down on fried foods. Fried foods are filled with fat, which can cause plaque buildup in your arteries and blood vessels. We offer many classes and workshops—for both physical activity and nutritional knowledge—throughout the year that our employees participate in. 

Get involved with the programs we have available. You can find this information on the Fitness and Wellness SharePoint site. 

If you are a smoker, choose a quit date. There are good resources out there that provide knowledge and support throughout your journey, including Employee Health Services and our Anthem Employee Assistance Program (EAP). And if you aren’t a smoker, vow never to start!

Even if you have high blood pressure, which is a huge risk for cardiovascular disease, it can be reversed. Making healthier choices now can improve your heart health over time. 

How can employees celebrate American Heart Month and Black History Month in February?

A good way would be to attend our Heart Health Initiative program in February! I will be doing a bunch of different workshops and educational initiatives to help our employees understand how to improve our heart health. You can register online or email me at [email protected]. 

Week two of this initiative will be dedicated to health equity, where we will be talking about health disparities regarding cardiovascular health in the black community. This is a great opportunity to educate yourself about the history behind these disparities and the social determinants and recognize black healthcare professionals and clinicians who have impacted cardiovascular health. 

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Team Henrico Captures First Place in the Concept 2 Fall Team Challenge Rowing Competition

Christy Nealey

Every year, Concept 2 launches a Fall Team Rowing Challenge from September 15th through October 15th, and the goal is to create a team and collectively row as many meters as possible against hundreds of other teams worldwide (view Concept 2’s Challenges). Team Henrico has been conquering since their first 1st Place Corporate Division finishes in 2019 and then again in 2020. After a loss in 2021 and taking a year off in 2022, Team Henrico rejoined this year with a fresh new outlook.

Team Captain and Public Safety Fitness Trainer Joshua Gaskins began to recruit employees in a new way. He enlisted participation from the Division of Fire’s (DOF) 80th Recruit Academy, Henrico Police Division’s 78th and 79th Basic Recruit Academies, the Sheriff’s Office 66th Recruit Academy, the Public Safety Tactical Strength & Conditioning Class, the Fire Training Tower Fitness Class, the Fit Plus exercise group, and Senior Fitness Trainer Joey Pacelli’s Foundations class, to the many already individually registered employees from all public safety divisions and general government. Throughout the competition, participants completed Joshua’s uniquely designed rowing workouts to enhance adherence and enjoyment and increase the meters rowed.

After much diligence, Team Henrico completed a total of 4,164,729 meters and achieved 1st place in the Corporate Division for the 3rd time! They also placed 7th overall worldwide, excluding the virtual teams competition (view results here)! The DOF 80th Recruit Academy led the team with 759,962 meters, and Deputy Fire Chief Douglas Clevert achieved a new all-time individual participant record with 501,409 meters. 

Team Henrico celebrated with a pizza party hosted at the Woodman Road Fire Training Facility, where Joshua Gaskins gave kudos and well-earned calories to the team members (the number of calories burned rowing 4 million meters equals 109 large pepperoni pizzas). An achievement award was given by the Human Resources (HR) Department and can be seen above the check-in computer at the Henrico Training Center gym.

For 2024, Team Henrico is ready to strive for 1st place worldwide, but not without the help of more avid Henrico County employees. Although Joshua and the Fitness and Wellness Division of HR are still working on a game plan for 2024, their vision includes teams from each department that could designate at least once per week to utilize a Concept 2 Rower to add additional meters to the team total.

 

Go Team Henrico! “We Don’t Quit.”

 

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Join us for a Healthy Eating Lunch & Learn Series

Christy Nealey

Healthy eating learning opportunities impart knowledge and skills to help employees choose and consume healthy foods and beverages.

 

Get answers to one of the most important questions you can ask yourself, how can I live the most extended, healthiest life possible? The Human Resources’ Fitness & Wellness Division has teamed up with Bon Secours Outpatient Nutrition to provide nutrition education programming to County employees in person and virtually. 

 

All nutrition sessions present contemporary scientific information on nutrition and disease prevention while building awareness of ways to preserve optimal lifetime health. From diabetes, emotional versus mindful eating, sports nutrition, macronutrients, and meal planning, you’ll go beyond the ‘fluff’ and explore how to make small and sustainable behavior changes to positively impact your nutritional health and overall wellness.

 

In case you missed the ‘Balancing Macronutrients’ class offered in July, you can view the whole presentation or just the slideshow online. Here is what your co-workers had to say about it:

I enjoyed the presenter’s style… the nutrition information was explained in a way that was not technical and easy to understand.  

This was great… I’m looking forward to the next class on Meal Planning.

I thought the class was very interesting and informative! The presentation was easy to understand, and she was obviously very knowledgeable and a good speaker.

The class was really good and what some of us needed. The information was very valuable, and I’m looking forward to the meal planning one. I am going to change some of the things I buy from now on.

 

Visit the Fitness & Wellness SharePoint site for a complete list of upcoming sessions. 

You can attend in person or virtually and register by emailing [email protected].

 

Join us on August 24 for our next session all about Mastering Meal Planning!

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The 2023 Battle for the Throne

Christy Nealey

The Division of Fire earns top honor with firefighters Zachary Sayles’ and Nathan Beahm’s back-to-back wins.

The June 2nd battle for the “Fittest Public Safety Division of the Year” was like no other in history. The 2023 Public Safety Games teams series was quite the performance to watch, with seven very eager Division of Fire teams competing against one another throughout May in 3 qualifying events: A 60-minute Endurance Run-Row-Bike sequence, a 15-minute Dumbbell Work Capacity Event, and a Pentathlon for the Strength Event. Each team earned points based on their rank from the seven events, and the top 2 teams earned their spot in the Final Obstacle Course Event. After many years of participating in the Public Safety Games, Firefighter (FF) Tanner Kump, with his teammate FF Lam Le, claimed the 2nd place spot to enter into the Public Safety Games final event facing the 2022 defending champions FF Zachary Sayles and Lt. Natham Beahm!

The final event included an 8-stage indoor course that featured many “Strongman” implements like the Yoke, “Strongman” bags, rope climbs, kettlebells, and barbells mixed with echo bikes, rowers, and stair climbs. After completing the first four stages of the course, the firefighters had to finish the course in all of their gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). In its entirety, it was a consummation of many performance tasks a tactical athlete could endure that relied heavily on teamwork, communication, tactical awareness, mental acuity, and the overall ability to work for an extended period in a high-stress environment.

Congratulations to Station 6 B-Shift FF Zachary Sayles and Lt. Nathan Beahm for successfully defending their 2022 title and to the Division of Fire for claiming the Fittest Public Safety Division of the Year title for the fifth time! Their names have been added to the Public Safety Games “Fittest Public Safety Division” plaque inside the lobby of the Henrico Training Center.

Alongside the main competition, we had many other public safety personnel support their respective divisions (Police, Fire, and Sheriff) through individual competitions that included cardiovascular, work capacity, and strength events. There were also ten non-competitive, honor-system-based mini-events to give more participants the opportunity to join the fun and support their divisions without worrying about their age or fitness levels. Congratulations to the Division of Police for collecting the most points from the individual competitions. 

All in all, this year’s Public Safety Games were successful, and we hope participation continues to grow! We look forward to the 2024 Public Safety Games, the 8th anniversary of the Games, as our vision continues to unfold.

Head to the Fitness and Wellness SharePoint page to see all the details of the Public Safety Games events, including the preliminary events, final obstacle course, and mini events. There are also plenty of captured moments and videos of the action!

Once again, congratulations to all the winners!

If you are sworn public safety personnel and are interested in either the Public Safety Games or joining any of our sworn only fitness programs please contact Joshua Gaskins at [email protected] or 501-7218.

For more information about all of our programs, please view the Fitness and Wellness Division Sharepoint:

https://henricova.sharepoint.com/Fitness_Wellness

 

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Eat Seasonally

Christy Nealey

Eating seasonally grown foods promotes health, supports local economies, and contributes to environmental sustainability. In addition, the advantage of aligning our diets with natural production cycles. Seasonal eating provides the freshest and most nutritious foods. Fruits and vegetables that ripen naturally and are harvested at the right time are richer in flavor, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients are crucial for maintaining a balanced diet and overall well-being.

Summer brings a seasonal abundance of delicious new foods and is the perfect time to introduce new fresh fruits and vegetables to the entire family. Try these four summer produce superstars:

  • Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries provide vitamin C and antioxidants that support immune systems and overall health. They’re also a good source of fiber – with raspberries leading the way at 8 grams of fiber per 1-cup serving.
  • Try buttery avocados by adding them to tacos, as a spread on grilled cheese sandwiches, or with eggs in the morning. They contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, fiber, vitamins E and C, and potassium.
  • Technically a fruit, tomatoes provide fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, and other important minerals. Available in various colors and sizes, their naturally high-water content makes tomatoes a hydrating choice. Slice tomatoes and serve with a bit of olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. Add them to sandwiches or chop them up and toss them into salads and pasta dishes. Another fun idea – make your own fresh salsa.
  • Nothing says summer like a fresh slice of watermelon. This summer favorite is easy to eat and tastes great. With one of the highest water contents of any food, it’s great for keeping hydrated on scorching days. It is also packed with vitamin C and lycopene – a plant nutrient and antioxidant property. Lycopene is the pigment that gives red and pink fruits their color and is linked to health benefits ranging from heart health to protection against sunburns and certain types of cancers. Serve watermelon wedges for dessert, cut them into cubes and mix them into a fruit salad, or put watermelon chucks in the blender with ice, lime juice, and honey for a refreshing slushy drink.

As different fruits and vegetables come into season, you can explore new flavors by selecting seasonally grown produce as the main ingredient to diversify your meals. By making mindful choices about the foods you consume, you can enhance your well-being while positively impacting the local community. 

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Anthem Corporate 5K

The Anthem Corporate Run is part 5k, part team building, and ALL FUN! Join Team Henrico for this post-work event that is ideal for bringing colleagues together, uplifting spirits, and engaging in some active enjoyment.  With a DJ providing the tunes, this occasion caters to all levels of activity, from avid runners – to joggers – to casual walkers.

2022 marked the first year since 2017 that Team Henrico participated in the event, and we had a blast!  Not only did everyone have a great time at the event but we reclaimed our rightful spot atop the leaderboard for the Military/Government division.  We are encouraging any permanent employee for Henrico to sign-up and help Team Henrico remain in the top spot in at least one of the divisions.  So, dust off your running/walking shoes and start getting some miles in because Thursday June 8th is quickly approaching!

Click here to register for the event and be automatically signed up to be on Team Henrico (use code TeamHenrico if prompted) AND receive the County discount ($20 off).  If you have any questions, please contact Joey Pacelli @ PAC037

Register for the 5k

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