Monday, June 18, 2018

2018 Wellness Program - Challenge 10 - Forest Bathing

Forest bathing is the practice of immersing oneself in the forest atmosphere.

This challenge requires you get outside 15 minutes per day for 5 days.




What was your experience?

That in the early hours of the morning Estes Park is not a mad-house and the it's quiet and you can see the beauty.


Where did you go?

Thursday, June 14 - sitting along the river walk by the post office very early in the morning.
Friday, June 15 - sitting by a pond watching the ducks and listening to the river flow past.
Saturday, June 16 - sitting by the river in the national park, early in the morning
Sunday, June 17 - sitting on a rock under the trees up the hill from where I am living early in the morning
Monday, June 18 - sitting at the top of Trail Ridge road at 12,009 feet watching the sun rise.


Did you feel more relaxed after having been outside?

Yes - but that went away quickly as I had to be around others who were driving to and from and busy, busy, busy.


While this is a great concept - the effects didn't last long for me. Within 5 minutes of leaving my little area each day there were people that were loud, being rude or foolish and the sounds of traffic and the like. It's sad to say that the calming mood this exercise gave me was quickly destroyed by others doing things that, in the early hours I was doing this exercise, 5 AM-7 AM, should really not be a part of Estes Park. It's like the human race can't be quiet and people don't respect a new place, they treat it like where they are from and just keep doing what they always do no matter what.





Friday, June 1, 2018

2018 Wellness Program - Challenge 13 - Recognize Others


This challenge was to Recognize Others.  Fill out a Kudo for a co-worker or nominate someone to be the Wellness Employee of the Month.

I did both.



I did a Kudo for my co-worker Ellen Meinking for constantly answering her phone at all hours when something at work happens that I have never dealt with before. Being another night shift ER Admitting worker - she knows the challenges that I face and is always willing to help.

I did a Kudo for my supervisor Ellen Roach for being the kind of boss who "has your back" in a tough situation. She makes you feel appreciated and encourages the best from her employees.

I nominated fellow employee Pam Duemig for being a great team captain and leader for our Walking Challenge (#6) and for putting in the most miles each week. She was encouraging and inspiring. I thought she deserved the month to be recognized by all employees.






2018 Wellness Program - Challenge 6 - Get involved in the EPMC Community - Walking Challenge

This walking Challenge took place from April 9, 2018 until May 24, 2018. (It was supposed to be April 1, 2018-May 17, 2018 but there were some delays).

You needed to get a team together.

This started off as a challenge for itself for me. I work nights and don't know any people really outside of my department. I asked a couple people I knew and they waited 2 days to get back with me to tell me no. I had a momentary trip back to high school when no one wanted the nerdy girl on their team. It was a bit of drama but it worked itself out.

I ended up on a team with:

Melissa Addison (me)
Lynn Stepaniak
Deidra Hues
Maria Yazzie
Sally Steele
Susan Steele
Erin Hayes
Monica Annicks

Pam Duemig (team captain)

The challenge is to walk the Appalachian Trail. (2,189 miles). Each person is required to walk a minimum of 5 miles per day/35 miles per week.

Equivalents:

Walking - 2500 steps = 1 mile
Biking 7 miles = 1 mile walked
30 minutes aerobic activity = 1 mile walked
30 minutes gardening/mowing/etc = 1 mile walked
60 minutes of yoga = 1 mile walked
1 mile swimming = 1 mile walked

I kept daily totals and turned those totals into the captain every Monday.

Total miles walked:

Week 1: 36.7 miles - best day 8 miles in 1 day.
Week 2: 36.3 miles - best day 8 miles in 1 day.
Week 3: 26.7 miles - best day 6 miles in 1 day.
                THIS REALLY made me upset because I had done so well before.
Week 4: 31.1 - miles - best day 7 miles in 1 day.
Week 5: 55.0 miles - best day 10 miles in 1 day.
Week 6: 29.7 miles - best day 7.6 miles in 1 day.
Week 7: 28.6 miles - best day 7.6 miles in 1 day.

Grand Total: 244.1

I needed 245 miles - so I was .9 short.

Miles came from walking, yoga, and aerobics mostly. Had a few from gardening/mowing/etc no swimming or biking for me.

This was a great challenge with vacation and moving in the mix. The discipline to keep going was hard and there were days I would have been a lot higher if I had just gotten off my duff and walked.