Jump into spring this March by making healthy lifestyle choices! In this newsletter you will find a number of ways to make it possible to incorporate healthy living into your day. One way to get involved includes pariticpating in the new  Healthy Choices program. Sign up and participate this month to qualify for up to a $200 deposit into your HSA or one time payment on your paycheck for standard plan and opt out members! Have a healthy month!

Know Your Numbers and Earn $100 or more!

TAKE CHARGE of your life and REAP THE REWARDS! Know Your Numbers, a component of our new Healthy Choices Program, is back this year and with NEW INCENTIVES tied to your benefits plan.

Participate MARCH 2-MARCH 23 to qualify for the incentives!

REGISTER NOW!

Success Story: Tara Bivens

Health and Wellness Success Story
March 2012

Tara Bivens, Benefits Specialist, is a single, working mom with two kids. At one time, staying fit and healthy was far from her main focus in life. Like many people, Tara and her kids resorted to fast food and unhealthy habits to get by.  It wasn’t until a year ago that she decided to make it a goal to lose weight and become more fit. So what motivated her to get started?

Last year, Tara and her coworker decided to participate in GVSU’s boot camp class offered on the Pew Campus. Tara's goal was to lose 15 pounds. She stayed motivated with her eyes on sight of a vacation cruise awaiting her if the weight was lost. Unfortunately, Tara did not meet her goal, however she still stayed positive. She kept working hard and eventually lost the weight and saw a new her. “I look at old photos of myself, and I don’t want to go back to the old me,” exclaims Tara.  She now has a second goal of losing 30 pounds!

The  boot camp class mantra "No Struggle, No Progress" has definitely paid off for Tara. Since she started making healthier changes to her life, Tara has gained energy and is a star a role-model among peers and for her kids. She motivates others to try classes and to have fun working out. “It’s not just a workout when I attend classes, but it’s a mean of socialization. For me, taking classes offered on the Pew Campus is fun! I don’t even look at it like it’s a workout,”    Tara now believes there are no excuses to start living healthfully and advocates that people should just join a class or activity and try it out! Tara's advice?  “If it doesn’t work the first time, then keep trying,”

Interested in participating in the next 8 week Boot Camp class at GVSU? Registration is open now at www.gvsu.edu/seminar

Do you know a GVSU faculty, staff member  or department who serves as a role model for others living a healthy lifestyle? Nominate your coworker for our next newsletter!

How to Retire Happy & Informed

It has been said that the retirement years are the best years of your life.  Planning carefully now will help make that a reality for you later. Plan your new beginning by making the choice to be well informed. Please join us as we help you explore your options with regards to social security benefits, GVSU retiree benefits, financial planning and transitioning into a new phase of your life.  If you’re contemplating retirement, be sure to register for the “How to Retire Happy and Well Informed” seminar on Thursday, March 29th from 1-5:00 pm in the Bicycle Factory, Room 330.  To register visit www.gvsu.edu/seminar.  Partners and spouses welcome.  Light refreshments will be served.

The Best and Worse Girl Scout Cookies!

It's cookie season, and most of us can't usually resist the delicious cookies that we all grew up to love. Before you reach in your wallet and place an order, know what your choices are. Don't be fooled, but there are healthy cookie options, and their are some that you should try to eat less of. 

According to Everyday Health:
 "Even though the cookies were famously reformulated in 2006 to be labeled trans-fat free by U.S. government’s standards (meaning each serving has to contain less than 0.5 grams), some varieties still contain trace amounts of trans fat. So if you indulge in multiple servings, you could be consuming more of this cholesterol-raising fat (also called partially hydrogenated oil) than you realize."

To make your choices easier, read through the list of good and bad cookie choices.

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