HealthMiles Blog

Pin on Your Pink Ribbon Spirit

Everyone is going pink this October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So take some time to learn the facts from the American Cancer Society.  
 

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancer) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. It is found mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer, too

How many women get breast cancer?

The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2010:

• About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women
• About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 39,840 deaths from breast cancer (women) Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer

Lowering your risk:

You can lower your risk of breast cancer by changing those risk factors that are under your control. Women who limit alcohol use, exercise regularly, and stay at a healthy weight, have a lower risk of getting breast cancer. Women who choose to breast-feed for at least several months may also reduce their breast cancer risk.

Not using hormone therapy after menopause can also help you avoid raising your risk. It's not clear at this time whether chemicals that have estrogen-like properties (like those found in some plastic bottles or certain cosmetics and personal care products) increase breast cancer risk. If there is an increased risk, it is likely to be very small. Still, women who are concerned may choose to avoid products that contain these substances when they can.

Finding breast cancer early:

It is also important for women to follow the American Cancer Society's guidelines for finding breast cancer early.

So, what's the pink ribbon all about?

Pink Ribbon International is a not-for-profit organization that raises  worldwide awareness for breast cancer; providing information, resources, support and guidance for patients, caregivers, providers, and all persons whose lives have been affected directly or indirectly by breast cancer.

Show your support and get active this month.  You can find a local Race for the Cure^® in your area if you'd like to raise money for a good cause.

So You Think You Can GoZone?

If any of you out there are watching So You Think You Can Dance, you’ve probably heard that National Dance Day is July 31. Why not take the opportunity to “shake things up” in your workout and join the movement?

Watch this video and learn the routine (performing in public is up to you). 

2010 Eye on Wellness Award Individual Winner: Mark McIntosh

The Eye on Wellness awards recognize both an organization and an individual who’ve shown to be outstanding wellness advocates and excellent role models for others.

Dr. Mark McIntosh is a role model for wellness. As both an emergency medicine physician for the University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville, and director of the Employee Wellness Program at University of Florida & Shands Jacksonville, Mark uses each interaction with both patients and employees as a way to educate and inspire others to become healthier. 

In a health care organization responsible for patient care, employees' lifestyle choices impact not only themselves and their employer, but also the lives of others. Mark has played a pivotal role in expanding his hospital's focus on wellness and formalizing a broad wellness initiative. He develops and delivers excellent, medically-based wellness programs for employees and has enjoyed success in helping them become more physically active, stop smoking and make better nutritional decisions. As a result, the organization has seen tremendous positive outcomes with employees changing their lifestyles. Employees recognize Mark as both a leader and “guru” of all things wellness. The demand for Mark to speak is well beyond the capacity he has to give of his time, but he always takes time to talk to employees and offer advice.

Mark's vision and leadership have helped to take the Shands Employee Wellness Program to new heights. His efforts enabled Shands Jacksonville to be recognized as one of "Jacksonville's 100 Healthiest Companies" and his passion for wellness makes him valued and respected by all levels of employees, including the hospital's president and the dean of the University of Florida Health Science Center Jacksonville.

When it comes to serving as a wellness advocate for his organization, Mark truly "walks the talk."

Get the scoop on our Eye on Wellness Awards and start thinking about who you'll nominate next year!

True confessions of a reformed couch potato

Check out this great article written by a member about the Virgin HealthMiles program published in the Pensacola News Journal. 

"At my house is a sofa that we call the Couch Monster. Somewhat stylish yet serviceable, the Couch Monster waits for its next victim to relax upon it..." (Read more.)

September is "National Employee Wellness Month"

In partnership with The STOP Obesity Alliance (www.stopobesityalliance.org), we've declared September as National Employee Wellness Month!

It's an annual event designed to raise awareness about the benefits of workplace wellness and to educate business leaders and employees about how they can take steps to create healthier and more physically active workplace communities.

Over 60 organizations and 17,000 employees have shown their support of the campaign by participating in a nationwide GoZone step challenge.

Watch the daily challenge rankings, learn all about National Employee Wellness Month, and check out some members we've highlighted at www.nationalemployeewellnessmonth.com

Then watch our CEO Chris Boyce in his Fox Business News interview, which aired today!

Facing rising health-care costs...

"... employers are realizing they can save money by paying workers to live healthier."

Read more of the recent TIME Magazine article featuring Virgin HealthMiles!

100 Billion and Counting!

Way to go HealthMiles members - you've just taken your 100 billionth collective step!

What a fantastic milestone. Keep up the great work, and keep stepping!

Capitol Steps Challenge results

We're officially announcing today that the team led by Idaho Governor Butch Otter was the “Most Active Governor’s Team” in the nation and the winner of the Capitol Steps Challenge, a fitness competition between 14 U.S. governors and their executive teams (first mentioned here). Idaho's childhood obesity prevention program received $55,000 in recognition of the big win!

From January 1st - 14th, governors and their executive teams from Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin joined together to lead by example and raise awareness of the correlation between increased activity levels and good health.

Collectively the participants tracked their daily activity for two weeks and walked a total of 63,341,550 steps - or approximately 31,671 miles - to encourage all Americans to become more physically active.

The competition between the states was intense, with some participants repeatedly logging 30,000 steps a day. Alaska’s team led by Governor Sarah Palin had the most team members consistently achieving over 30,000 steps per day. 

But it was Idaho Governor Butch Otter’s team that stepped its way to first place by walking an average of 226,240 steps, or 113 miles, per participant over that two week period. Congratulations to Governor Otter and his team!

Additional top performing states in the challenge included teams led by Governors Sarah Palin of Alaska, Mitchell Daniels of Indiana, and Rick Perry of Texas. California and North Dakota also finished well. In recognition of the role it took in raising awareness of the relationship between physical activity and obesity, each participating state will receive a $5,000 donation to benefit state childhood obesity prevention programs.(For more information about the Capitol Steps Challenge, visit www.virginhealthmiles.com/capitolstepschallenge.)  

Capitol Steps Challenge in the news!

VT Leaders Join Fitness Challenge

(Montpelier, Vermont - December 31, 2008) Labor Commissioner Patricia Moulton Powden says she spends a lot of time sitting at her desk.... Read the full article or watch the video.

Governors Stepping Up For a Good Cause

THE CAPITOL STEPS CHALLENGE: Participating state governors have created teams of their key executives. Each team member will wear a GoZone pedometer for 2 weeks: January 1st through 14th. The team with the highest average steps per person wins and is declared the Most Active Governor’s Team in the US!

AWARD: Sir Richard Branson will present a donation of $50,000 to the winning state’s obesity program.

PARTICIPATING GOVERNORS:

• Alabama Governor Bob Riley
• Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Florida Governor Charlie Crist
• Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter
• Indiana Governor Mitchell Daniels
• Kentucky Governor Stephen Beshear
• North Dakota Governor John Hoeven
• Texas Governor Rick Perry
• Utah Governor John Huntsman
• Vermont Governor James Douglas
• Virginia Governor Tim Kaine
• West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
• Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle

So members, who do you think will win the Capitol Steps Challenge?