Thank You and Congratulations!

We celebrated Milestones last week here at H3 during Reunion Week. 2011 was a huge year for Hilton Head Health with the opening of the Culinary Arts Center, being featured on A&E’s weight loss docudrama “Heavy,” as well as developing the H3@Home Coaching and H3 Extended & Intensive programs just to name a few. But the real cause for celebration was the reflection back on where we’ve been: 35 years of Health Choices, 30 years with the Wright Stuff and 15 years of Dedicated Ownership.

The week was filled with special activities commemorating these accomplishments including a 30 mile walking challenge. We had such a great time celebrating our accomplishments and yours! Now that the week has come to a close, we’d like to thank you for participating in our program year after year, writing incredible reviews for H3 and the CAC on TripAdvisor and Yelp, sharing our blog posts with friends on Facebook and Twitter and for simply being a part of the Hilton Head Health family!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we’re taking the time to reflect on all the things that we are thankful for and we encourage you to do the same. Thank your friends and family for their support but don’t forget to thank yourself for having the courage, determination and dedication to make your health a priority.

Congratulations to the following for completing the 30 Mile Walking Challenge last week!

George S.

Chester K.

Tammy G.

Caroline H.

Michael P.

Cynthia W.

Rusty B.

Barbara F.

Kelly M.

Jamie Q.

Virginia F.

Anna E.

Holly G.

Stella W.

 

A Thankful November

This time of year we take a break from our busy lives and schedules to thank our loved ones for all their support and care over the years. Instead of focusing on food, what better way to show your loved ones you care than to help them and yourself put health first. Here are a few simple ways to show your loved ones you care:
• A simple phone call can go a long way. If you’re like me, you have every intension of calling an old friend to catch up but by the time you get home and unwind, all you want to do is go to sleep. We all know time is precious so take the time to call your friends if for no other reason than to let them they were on your mind.
• Go for a walk. Pick a day to meet with a friend regularly for a 20 minute brisk walk. Just a 20 minute walk equals about one mile, during which you can catch up on what’s going on in your lives, take some time for yourself to de-stress and burn about 100 calories.
• Plan a family activity. Whether it’s the whole family, a spouse or friends, strive for participating in at least one group activity per week for the month of November. You can ride bikes, have a field day or even a game night. Just spending quality time together without phones or television interrupting brings people closer.
• It is typical in our society to show love through food so if you just feel the need to give the gift of food make it healthy. Be sure you’re not setting your friend up for failure if you know they’re trying to eat well this holiday season. Instead of bringing someone their favorite dessert that is impossible for them not to eat all in one sitting, give them a healthy dish already portioned for them. Ask for the same courtesy in return. Visit the Healthy Recipes page of H3Daily for some great hor’dourves and healthy dessert ideas like Saucy Apricot N’ Spice Meatballs or Pumpkin Spice Cake.

The Health Benefits of Gratitude

“Gratitude is the hinge upon which a healthy life swings.”

Anonymous

Gratitude is a skill, that when mastered fully, makes us more spiritually aware. It provides us interconnectedness with all aspects of life, as well as our wellbeing, on physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational levels. Part of the virtue of cultivating gratitude is its health benefits, including:

• Self-care: Grateful people tend to take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors.


• Less Stress: Research shows that feelings of gratitude have a tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily stressors.


• Immunity Enhancer: Grateful people tend to be more optimistic, a characteristic that researchers say boosts the immune system.

So how can you adopt an attitude of gratitude? Here are a few suggestions:

Keep a Gratitude Journal. Write down 3-5 things each day that you are grateful for. Try to list different things from day to day. You don’t have to get all introspective. Being grateful for a great parking space counts!



Say Grace: Instead of rushing though your prayer, “Good food, good meat, good God let’s eat,” really become mindful of your meal and experience gratitude for all the abundance in your life and for the opportunity to nourish your body. Use your senses as you do this.

Set a Gratitude Reminder: You can go the old-school route by wearing a string around your wrist and when you become aware of it throughout the day, noticesomething about the present that you are grateful for. Or, you can use a smart phone with a pre-programmed “thank you” chime.

The Thank You Note: No, it doesn’t have to be on fancy, engraved, personalized note cards. Just get in the habit of sending quick thank-you notes via email, text, sticky notes, etc. Try random, anonymous thank-you notes to local shop owners, waiters, or federal/state employees who have given you good service

The Gratitude Scroll: This is a great project for you and your children to do together. Tape several pieces of paper together and roll them up. Each day both you and your children write several new things you are grateful for. As the list lengthens, add more paper to the scroll so that it’s a continuous work in process.

Since it remains important to practice what you preach, I think it only fitting that I end this blog by expressing my gratitude for H3. It is an amazing work environment filled with passionate employees and committed guests. I love my job.