Team Henrico and the Corporate 5k Recap

Team Henrico wants to thank the Henrico County employees who participated in the Anthem Corporate 5k! This was the first year in a while that we could join in person, and we hoped to reclaim one of our first-place titles. After a pre-race meetup that included lots of socializing around intense games of giant Jenga, the 5k got underway. Congratulations to Colin Baumgartner (HCPS), who finished in 7th place overall with a time of 19:25! Once the race was complete, everyone enjoyed music, mingling, food, and more Jenga before heading home. If you are wondering if Team Henrico accomplished our goal, you will have to watch the accompanying slideshow to find out!

Thank you to all the employees, friends, and family members for their support and cheering on the Team Henrico participants. Be on the lookout for the next Team Henrico event you can participate in, and help us make the group bigger!

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Keep it Cool During Warm Weather Workouts

Time It Right

  • Get outside during the coolest parts of the day, like the morning or evening
  • Avoid outdoor activity from 12-3 PM, the hottest part of the day
  • Give yourself time to warm up and cool down before each activity

Stay Hydrated

  • Drink water before, during and after activities, even if you don’t feel thirsty
  • Fuel up with hydrating fruits and veggies, smoothies and infused water
  • Carry a water bottle or hydration pack with you for easy hydration

Dress for Comfort

  • Wear lightweight, light-colored clothes made with moisture-wicking fabrics
  • Lace up with breathable shoes, lightweight socks and supportive insoles
  • Protect yourself with sunglasses, waterproof sunscreen and a hat or visor

Make it fun with warm-weather activities like:

  • Swimming
  • Hiking
  • Outdoor Yoga

For more ideas on staying active, visit heart.org/movemore

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Sun Safety: Protect Your Skin

Summer is full of outdoor activities. So, of course, you probably put sunscreen on yourself and your kids when you go to the pool or the beach. But do you know you should protect your skin with more than just sunscreen anytime you’re outside?

Sun protection is essential all year round, and it’s best to use several different kinds. When you’re working in the yard, watching a ballgame, or taking an afternoon walk, make sun safety an everyday habit so you can avoid sunburn and lower your chance of getting skin cancer.

Here are some tips to help make sure you and your family stay sun-safe:

Why is sun protection so important? Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays causes most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer. Protect your skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning to lower your skin cancer risk. Here are some skin cancer fast facts to be mindful of:

  • Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and includes different types.
  • The sun’s UV rays can damage unprotected skin in as little as 15 minutes.
  • Even if it’s cool and cloudy, you still need protection. UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage.
  • Anyone can get skin cancer, but some things put you at higher risk.
  • The most common signs of skin cancer are changes on your skin, such as a new growth, a sore that doesn’t heal, or a change in a mole.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/SkinCancer/index.htm

Publication Date: 4/25/2017

Last Updated: 5/23/2017

Attribution: Content provided and maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please see our system usage guidelines and disclaimer.

 

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The Division of Fire Continues Their Reign

The May 6th all-employee kick-off reenergized the sixth anniversary of the Public Safety Games season. Forty-six registered athletes between Police, Fire, and Sheriff began to compete for the 2022 Fittest Public Safety Division bragging rights by accumulating as many points as possible over four weeks. There were three individual events, four team events, and ten mini-event challenges for the athletes to attempt. (Visit our SharePoint page for a complete list of events.) The top teams with the most points earned them a spot in the head-to-head final obstacle course challenge, and the division with the highest total number of points was declared the overall division winner. The energy and motivation surrounding the events by each athlete was invigorating and really turned up the heat of the friendly competition. (Check out our SharePoint page to see pictures of each challenge.)

There was a lot of anticipation going into the final team challenge as there was no clear overall winner at that time. Thus, the first to finish the final challenge would be the decide the winner for the entire Public Safety Games season!

The final competition was the consummation of many performance tasks a tactical athlete could endure: teamwork, communication, tactical awareness, mental acuity, dexterity, maneuvering, endurance tasks, strength tasks, and the overall ability to work for an extended period in a high-stress environment. Zachary Sayles and Nathan Beahm from the Division of Fire went head-to-head with Dustin Hazelgrove and Trevor Holmes from the Police Division for the title by completing a seven-part obstacle course with a mental twist:

View the Final Obstacle Course Event recap video.

Congratulations to Zachary Sayles, Nathan Beahm, and the Division of Fire for claiming the Fittest Public Safety Division of the year title for the fourth time! Their names have been added to the Public Safety Games “Fittest Public Safety Division” plaque inside the lobby at the Henrico Training Center. We look forward to the 7th anniversary of the Public Safety Games in 2023, as our vision continues to unfold.

If you are sworn public safety personnel interested in either the Public Safety Games or joining 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 page

 

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Return of the Public Safety Games

For the first time since the inception of the Public Safety Games, on Friday, May 6, 2022, over 50 employees, fans, and volunteers from many different departments contributed to the kick-off of the 6th anniversary Public Safety Games Kick-Off after a 2-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

 

Participants of varying fitness levels completed many different physically and mentally engaging challenges with the incentive to win both door prizes and potential votes for this year’s fan favorite. Fitness and Wellness chose specific challenges to help participants gain insight into the drills used to physically and mentally train our public safety heroes. These exercises included wall vaulting, window climbing, the Keiser sled, tire flips, the how-to or pull-up challenge, fit-tac-toe, stair climb word find, Echo Bike Jenga, and a 150-pound dummy drag. In addition, many other attractions like the K9 Unit, the Bomb Squad, a Fire Truck, and a Sheriff Recruit Vehicle were available to tour. Each successful challenge completed earned a Bucket Beirut toss to vote for the Fan Favorite. Congratulations to the Division of Police for winning the “Fan Favorite” and 50 points toward your divisional Public Safety Games score!

 

During the month-long competitions, eight teams of 2 and 35 individuals from Henrico’s Police, Fire, and Sheriff divisions are competing in Endurance, Work Capacity, Strength, and Mini Event challenges to determine who will win the title of the Fittest Public Safety Division of 2022. Currently, the Police Division is in the lead, with about 50% of the events still to be tallied. Stay tuned by following the leaderboard here: https://henricova.sharepoint.com/Fitness_Wellness/SitePages/PublicSafetyGames.aspx

 

We invite you to come to watch the explosive and entertaining final obstacle course team competition Friday, June 3 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the Henrico Training Center.

 

Check out our kick-off recap video!

 

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Recap: Monument Avenue 10K with Team Henrico

On Saturday, April 23, County Employees from General Government and Schools rolled out of bed early to participate in the Monument Avenue 10K. This year’s theme, “Back and Better,” highlighted the long-awaited return of Richmond’s premiere block party to Monument Avenue after a 2-year hiatus. Ninety-five employees, who took advantage of the Team Henrico registration discount, laced up their running shoes and hit the pavement (and at times the historic cobblestones) for a great race.

 

Enjoy the Team Henrico slideshow with pictures of your co-workers and the Spirit Team mighty in their efforts to cheer on all 10K participants!

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A New Year, a New You! In 2022 Put Effort into a New, Improved, and Healthier You!

With 2022 just around the corner, it is time to start setting your sights on what you want to accomplish in the new year. For many, embarking on a New Year’s resolution is met with a couple of weeks, maybe a month or two, of staying on track and meeting your goals only to gradually fall off the new set course and revert to your old habits.  How can you make 2022 different? What can you do to be more focused on achieving your objectives? Well, if you have goals that are centered around your health, wellness, and/or fitness, here is how!

In 2022 the Fitness and Wellness Division of Human Resources is hosting a year-long challenge available to every Henrico County employee and retiree. The challenge, 2022 in 2022, will consist of breaking the year into quarters (13-week blocks) where each quarter focuses on a specific objective. There will be one constant through each quarter which is accumulating 2022 minutes of physical activity/exercise. 2022 minutes may seem very daunting, however let’s look at it broken down. 2022 minutes = 155.5 minutes per week or 2.6 hours per week or 2 hours and 36 minutes per week.  If we break this down further, it is:

  • 7 days at 23 minutes per day
  • 5 days at 31 minutes per day
  • 4 days at 39 minutes per day
  • 3 days at 52 minutes per day.

 

An important thing to remember is that this does not have to be strenuous exercise. Increasing physical activity, going for a walk, taking on an at-home exercise video, or attending a fitness class will work!  If you would like to learn more about participating, please email Fitness and Wellness at [email protected].

In addition to the year-long challenge, Fitness and Wellness is also continuing the 10-week health coaching groups. The health coaching groups are centered around small group-based topic-specific behavior changes. So far there have been two 10-week sessions completed with great success!  Here is what a few who have participated in health coaching so far had to say:

“This group has helped us focus on healthier habits, redefined relationships with food, and set reasonable goals for getting healthy.”

“I learned a lot about eating healthy, and fueling your body without dieting.” 

“I enjoyed discussing healthier nutrition habits and choices with other colleagues and our health coach in this work group. We learned useful tips and resources to help us stary mindful of healthy eating.” 

Working with our coach alongside friends pushes me to stay committed and keep the big health picture in mind. “

If you are interested in improving your health and wellness and these health coaching groups interest you, please reach out to Liz Stovall at [email protected].

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