Week Three: Stay on Your Hydration Game!

Don’t forget to drink water when you are active, whether you’re doing so inside or outdoors. The human body is about 60 percent water. Getting enough H20 is essential to your health for a variety of reasons. Water has an assortment of roles, from providing energy for your muscles to keeping your skin looking healthy. No matter what time of year, it is important to stay on top of your hydration game. When you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to a multitude of scary health issues from swollen feet or a headache to life-threatening illnesses such as heat stroke. You lose water constantly from breathing, sweating and digesting, so it’s important to keep restocking your supply.

While the general rule of thumb is to drink before you are thirsty, remember that your water needs are unique and depend upon your environment, food intake, activity level and medical conditions.

Here are a few tips to keep you hydrated:

• Carry around a 1-liter reusable water bottle with you when you’re on the go.
• Drink sparkling mineral water instead of soda.
• Flavor your water with fresh herbs and produce, e.g., mint, basil, lime or lemon.
• Make a goal for how much water you will drink each day and stick to it.

As a reminder, you need to record at least 200,000 steps on your own before the challenge ends June 25 to complete the challenge!

Wondr Health: Join the Program Today!

Wondr is an online program which helps you change how you eat instead of what you eat. Learn the skills to lose weight and keep it off forever while still eating your favorite foods. It is not a diet. As you lose weight, you also improve your health by improving the risk factors that can lead to serious, chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more.

The Wondr program is covered 100% by Your Riverside UMR Health Plan as a preventative care benefit so there is no out-of-pocket cost and you can join at anytime!

Complete 8 WondrSkillssessions to also earn credit towards your Level 2 Reasonable Alternative Standard (RAS).

The entire dashboard is available to you 24 hours a day so you can watch whenever it is convenient for you. Click the button below for more information and to apply for the program.

The challenge will run from May 29 to June 25. In this challenge you will choose between two teams to register with — ‘Northside Cubs‘ or ‘Southside White Sox‘. You can register with your chosen team on the wellness portal beginning May 22. As your team achieves their steps, see how far you travel — logging the distance between seven iconic baseball stadiums across the United States! All participants that individually record at least 200,000 steps by the end of the challenge will earn 25 points towards their incentive!

Steps can be reported manually, or you can report your progress by syncing your activity tracking device, such as a Fitbit or Garmin. To sync your device, click on Settings at the top of the homepage, then select Authorize Device in the left menu bar and follow the prompts to have your steps data automatically reported for the challenge (If you synced your device for a previous challenge or goal, your device will already be connected).*For those using an Apple device to track steps, you can download the Asset Health Mobile app and sync up your device for step tracking.

Registration is required in order to participate in this challenge. You can register beginning on May 22. To register for the challenge, log in to your wellness portal at RiversideHealthcare.org/REACH. Select the Challenge tab at the top of the homepage and follow the prompts. The last day to register is June 4.

Keep your eye out for weekly emails with tips and motivation to help you make the most of the challenge. Be sure to explore your wellness portal as well for resources and tools to keep you going.

Login Instructions for First-Time Users:

Username: first name + last name (johnsmith)
Password: date of birth (mmddyyyy)

You will be asked to change your password after logging in.Returning Website Users: Sign in using the username and password you’ve already established.

The Mental Health Bargain of a Homegrown Garden

Preparing for the first sprout of spring may help shield us from those pesky winter blues. Much like the perks of planning for our mental wellbeing, garden planning can encourage a futuristic mindset that can help release some of the layered stress we are all undoubtedly experiencing.

In addition to the enjoyment we might get from planning for our springtime spread (while the winter winds howl at our window), gardening itself provides a bounty of benefits for both our mental and physical wellbeing:

1. It might stave off symptoms of depression and anxiety and can improve stress management.
2. It helps us cultivate a growth mindset.
3. Being in nature helps us live seasonally (which has a laundry list of its own benefits).

Not to mention, the healthy eating bonus – growing your own produce organically without the sometimescostly price tag!

OPTUMRx

OptumRx convenient home delivery program makes it easy to get your maintenance medications securely and privately delivered to your home (maintenance medications are medications you fill on an ongoing regular basis).

Optum’s network is large and includes the major retail pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens, so you have plenty of options to fill your non-maintenance medications. Use Optum’s drug pricing tool to shop for the lowest cost.

Home delivery will be required for maintenance medication in 2024, so now is the time to get it set up. As an extra incentive, we will be drawing two names in June to win $50 Amazon gift card.

Home delivery is safe and reliable, and you get:

1. A three-month supply of your medication, saving you time and possibly money
2. Free standard shipping
3. Phone access to pharmacists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
4. Helpful reminders letting you know when to take or refill your medications

It’s easy to sign up and start saving. Just choose one of the options below:

1. Ask your doctor to send an electronic prescription to OptumRx.
2. Visit optumrx.com or use the OptumRx app. From there, you can fill new prescriptions, transfer others to home delivery and more.

Call the toll-free number on your member ID card to speak to a customer service advocate.

WIM Lunch & Learn
Mental Health Month May 26

Register by emailing Laura Hogan at [email protected]. Don’t forget to report your Healthy Habit Points for attending on the REACH portal!

Employee Wellness Department Key Dates

1. Employee Health and Fitness Month
2. Mental Health Awareness Month
3. REACH Level 1 Deadline: Aug. 31
4. Healthcare Week: May 7-13
5. Employee Appreciation Dinner: May 10 (invitation only)
6. WIM Lunch & Learn: May 26