Category: General

Don’t Keep Problems to Yourself

Talking to someone about your problems can help you solve them or gain a new perspective on them. Consider talking to family members, friends, co-workers, or religious advisers. If you feel highly stressed or depressed, you may want to consider speaking with a health professional.

talking to people

So today, remind yourself that you should avoid keeping some of your problems to yourself, and that it is okay to reach out to others for help!

 

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Pitcher-Perfect Iced Tea

Ingredients

  • 4 tea bags:Iced Tea regular, decaffeinated, or herbal
  • 4 cups water

Directions

Bring water to a rolling boil. Pour water over tea bags in a teapot, pitcher, or other one-quart container. Let steep 5 to 7 minutes. Remove tea bags. Chill. Serve in glasses over ice.

Serves 4

Instead of adding sugar or artificial sweetener, try adding fruit juice for a new flavor. Mixing 1 cup of tea with 1/2 cup orange juice adds about 56 calories, 1 g protein, less than 1 g fat, 13 g carbohydrates, less than 1 g fiber, and 1 mg sodium.

To make this recipe gluten-free, use only tea that is gluten-free. Read food labels carefully and contact the company if you have any questions.

 

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Try 10 Lying Leg Raises Today

Your core is the foundation for all your body’s movement, and weak abdominal and lower back muscles can make you more prone to injury. In fact, about 8 in 10 of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives.17

To help build a stronger core, try this straight-leg raise today: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, legs extended. Keeping your right leg straight, lift it toward the ceiling until it’s perpendicular to your torso, exhaling as you do so, then lower it back down, inhaling. Lift and lower the left leg next. That’s one rep; do 10 total. (To make the move more challenging, you can lift both legs at once—but avoid this if it bothers your lower back.)

 

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Southern Chicken and Dumpling Soup

This is a lighter variation on a Southern classic, chicken and dumplings, which are a type of homemade noodle.

The trick is to use a light, fresh noodle that doesn’t have to be pre-boiled.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken brothsoup
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 can condensed low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
  • 1 10-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, and corn), or
  • 3 cups fresh vegetables
  • 6 sheets of refrigerated egg roll wrappers
  • 1 tbsp. parsley

Directions

Put chicken broth into a large soup pot and add onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add condensed mushroom soup and chicken. Heat thoroughly and add vegetables.

Slice each egg roll wrapper into three “wide noodles.” Add noodles three at a time to simmering soup. Stir gently so they don’t stick, and continue adding until all are in the pot.

Continue simmering for about 2 minutes. Ladle into 4 bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Each serving contains about 353 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat, no trans fat), 58 mg cholesterol, 664 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugars, and 29 g protein.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Make a To-Do List Before Turning in at Night

Making a to-do list before bed every night is a great way to prioritize what you want to accomplish tomorrow. At the same time, it can help you relax and free your mind from thinking about tomorrow’s responsibilities. You can sleep easier knowing you’ll wake up feeling organized and in control of your day. Here’s how to make the most of your to-do list today:

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  • Don’t overload your list by including more than you can get done in a day. This can cause you to feel overwhelmed before your head hits the pillow. Instead, list a maximum of five things you want to get done, in order of importance.
  • Make first things first. Do the first thing on your list as soon as you can in the morning, when you’re most fresh. Distractions are inevitable as the day progresses, so this way you’re sure to accomplish your highest priority item.
  • Use your list as a memory extender. Knowing you’ve listed and prioritized tomorrow’s needs gives you permission to forget about them tonight.

 

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC

Title & Total Compensation Project Update – June 2019

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The University of Wisconsin (UW) is embarking on a complete redesign of its current classification and compensation structure. The goal of the Title & Total Compensation Project will be to develop new systems that will enable institutions to continue to attract and retain the best talent.

For Title & Total Compensation Project background information related to job titles, job descriptions, compensation, and benefits, please see this handout.

Managers and Division Leaders – would you like a poster for your area about Title & Total Compensation Project? Please print off this poster and showcase within your department!

Recent UW System Updates:

  • Updated job titles & standard job descriptions are on track to be posted online by the end of the calendar year 2019. The TTC project team will work over the summer to provide a proposed match for each employee to an updated job title. This step will allow employees to discuss their specific job title and standard job description with managers. Employees and managers can anticipate fall training in preparation for employee-manager conversations in winter 2019-2020. The fall training will offer instructions on where to find the updated titles and job descriptions, the new job title structure, and the next steps. This work sequence will allow for more productive and informed employee-manager conversations.
  • Thank you for participating in the Employee Benefits Preferences Survey. We were pleased that forty-seven percent (18,634) of UW benefits-eligible employees took the survey to help the UW assess employee priorities, needs, and wants related to benefits. Our project partner, Mercer Consulting, is developing a summary of the survey with a comparative analysis of benefits other employers with similar workforces are offering. We anticipate that this summary will be made available to employees in fall 2019. The TTC project team will develop benefits enhancement recommendations that will be shared with employees, based on Mercer’s analyses, by the end of the calendar year 2019.

In the Queue:

  • Review and Revision of DRAFT Titles and Standard Job Descriptions, estimated completion: June 2019 (Q2)
  • Summary of Results for the Employee Benefits Preferences Survey & Benefits Value Analysis, estimated completion: September 2019 (Q3)
  • Proposed Titles and Standard Job Descriptions Posted Online, estimated completion: December 2019 (Q3)
  • Titles and Standard Job Descriptions Implementation, estimated completion: March 2020 (Q1)

For up-to-date information about the Title & Total Compensation Project, please see the UW System Title & Total Compensation Project Website. Answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the UW System FAQ page.

UW-Green Bay Updates:

  • UW-Green Bay HR has started conversations with University Staff and Academic Staff governance groups related to a potential appeals process for title determinations.
  • UW-Green Bay has an institutional T&TC project team, whose goal is to engage with subject matter experts and stakeholders. Feedback and information about T&TC flows to and from the project team. A listing of members of the UW-Green Bay institutional T&TC project team can be found here.
  • The Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity keeps employees informed on project updates through their weekly HR Connect newsletter and HR Connect Blog as well as presenting T&TC updates at monthly governance meetings.
  • The next T&TC open forums will likely be scheduled in late summer or early fall. Please watch the HR Connect newsletter and HR Connect Blog for updates.

Barley Pilaf

This is a lovely side dish for chicken or fish.Spinach and mushroom barley pilaf served on a blue plate with a spoon on the side

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes cut into strips
    • (if you use tomatoes that come in oil, add them first to the pan and omit the tablespoon of olive oil)
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 cups cooked barley
  • 2 tbsp. parsley

Directions

  • Heat oil in large frying panSauté onions until translucent and add tomatoes, spinach, and almonds.
    • Stir in barley.
    • When spinach is wilted and barley is hot, sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Each serving contains about 219 calories, 8 g fat (less than 1 g saturated fat, no trans fat, and no cholesterol), 102 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 7 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugars, and 6 g protein.

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

 

Don’t Dwell on Guilt Today

Guilty feelings are common. But are they healthy? Sometimes guilt can motivate us to do better. Studies have shown that people who experience guilt are more likely to be proactive in solving a problem. They are also more likely to reassess the problem later, see how they may have contributed to it, and learn from it.

Guilt over something trivial, such as eating an extra dessert, guilt that turns into shame, feeling that you’re not good enough, or blaming yourself for something that’s not your fault can be harmful. Both can diminish self-esteem and lead to depression.

Here are some tips to help you start handling guilt today:

  • Learn from what’s making you feel guilty.
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself. You can’t be kind and understanding all the time.
  • If you’re troubled by chronic feelings of guilt, a counselor may help to sort out the contributing emotions and issues

 

Article from the StayWell Company, LLCopportunity-road-sign-wooden-shining-blue-sky-background-47231617

Crunchy Chicken Salad

IngredientsP1140059

  • 2 cups chunked cooked chicken
  • ½ cup celery
  • ¼ cup green pepper
  • ¼ onion
  • ½ cucumber
  • 1 small diced apple (leave the peel on)
  • ½ cup grapes
  • ¼ cup yogurt, plain

Directions

  1. Use leftover cooked chicken, or cook enough chicken to make 2 cups of chicken pieces.
  2. Chop the celery and green pepper. Peel and chop ¼ of an onion. Peel and chop half of a cucumber.
  3. Chop the apple into pieces. It’s OK to leave the peel on the apple. Cut the grapes in half.
  4. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together.
  5. Serve on lettuce, crackers, or bread.

Makes 5 servings

Each serving is about ¾ cup each and provides: 140 calories, 4.5 g fat, 65 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 17 g protein.

 

Recipe from the StayWell Company, LLC.

Eat Spinach for a Better Night Sleep

If you toss and turn at night or struggle with a sleep disorder like insomnia, you could have a magnesium deficiency. But even if you sleep like a baby, it’s a smart idea to eat foods high in this mineral. Every organ in the body needs magnesium. It contributes to energy production, helps regulate levels of nutrients in your body, and affects sensors in the brain that promote sleep.

Spinach

Luckily, you can find magnesium in lots of foods, but many Americans don’t get enough. For maximum magnesium, look to spinach, other leafy greens, almonds, pinto beans, nuts, and legumes. It’s simple to incorporate them into your diet, too. Try cooking up some spinach with olive oil and pine nuts as a savory side dish, or make a spinach salad that includes chickpeas and almond slivers. Research a new recipe today to try out! You knew that spinach makes you strong—now you know it may also help you sleep.

 

Article from the StayWell Company, LLC