MARCH

During March, we're focusing on Physical Wellness, a key component of overall health. Physical wellness is key to sustaining energy, focus, and long-term health throughout the day. Building in movement, stretching, and hydration helps reduce fatigue and improve work quality and overall health!

During March, there are 3 options to participate in Your Wellness Matters programs.  

1. Wellness Challenge
2. Wellness Event
3. Physical Activity Tracking Challenge 
 
Wellness Challenge: 
Try the Pomodoro Method to enhance your focus and productivity at work. Take the challenge to complete at least one Pomodoro cycle using the attached worksheet. Submit your completed worksheet using the following link: https://www.laxymca.org/employee-wellness by April 5th to be included in the prize drawing for a chance to win a coupon for a FREE Premium Grounded Smoothie! (12 winners total). 
*If you are unable to submit your completed documentation by using the link above, you may send it to me by email ([email protected]) or place your paper copy in my mailbox at either branch by the deadline.
 
 
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Wellness Event: Y Staff Pickleball Tournament! 
Whether you consider yourself a Pickleball expert, a first timer wanting to try it out, or you would like to come and watch and cheer on your peers, join us for our 4th Annual Pickleball Tournament on Thursday, March 26th, from 3pm-5pm at Houser.

 

Be sure to sign up for the tournament by Monday, March 16th. The first 13 people who sign up for the tournament and attend will receive a coupon for a FREE Premium Grounded Smoothie!
 
 

Physical Activity Tracking Challenge:

Track your physical activity minutes during March. If you reach the required goal, submit your minutes at https://www.laxymca.org/employee-wellness by April 5th to be entered in the drawing to earn a meal with a coworker. *If you are unable to submit your completed documentation by using the link above, you may send it to me by email ([email protected]) or place your paper copy in my mailbox at either branch by the deadline.

 

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April

During April, we're focusing on Environmental Wellness, a key component of overall health. Environmental wellness is understanding how your daily environment affects your health. It can be important to take moments to reflect in your environment to better your health. 
 

During April, there are 3 options to participate in Your Wellness Matters programs.  
 

1. Wellness Challenge
2. Wellness Event
3. Physical Activity Tracking Challenge 
 
Wellness Challenge: 
Take time this month to clean up your office space. Declutter, rearrange or refresh your workspace such as your classroom, cleaning cart, office, or work closet. Be sure to take before and after pictures to submit at https://www.laxymca.org/employee-wellness by May 5th to be entered in the drawing.
 
Wellness Event: Sound Bath and Planting Session
We have an opportunity for a sound bath experience with one of our instructors, Linda. Sound Bath is an experience where you are "bathed" in waves of sound and vibration produced by therapeutic instruments like gongs, crystal singing bowls, and chimes. After the 30-minute sound bath, you will have the opportunity to plant a herb to take home for your home garden.  
 
The Sound Bath and Planting Sessions will be held: 
Houser: Friday, April 3 from 11:15-11:45 AM - Studio B (You can bring a Yoga mat)
Dahl: Friday, April 10 from 11:15-11:45 AM - Studio A (You can bring a Yoga mat)
 
Submit a selfie from the event at https://www.laxymca.org/employee-wellness by May 5th to be entered in the drawing.
 
PRIZE: Two employees will win an elevated garden bed & a 3-piece garden tool set.
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Physical Activity Tracking Challenge:

Track your physical activity minutes during April. If you reach the required goal, submit your minutes at https://www.laxymca.org/employee-wellness by May 5th to be entered in the drawing to earn a meal with a coworker. 

Please note: If you are unable to submit your completed documentation by using the links above, you may send it to me by email ([email protected]) or place your paper copy in my mailbox at either branch by the deadline.

Check your wellness journey progress here

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What is the Employee Wellness Program

Description

The Y offers a voluntary employee wellness program (Your Wellness Matters) to all full time employees. The mission of this program is to provide a worksite culture and environment that supports making healthy lifestyle choices. Programs are intended to educate, empower, and engage full time employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors. All full time employees who voluntarily participate in programming are eligible for rewards and incentives.

Programming

Each month will surround a different area of wellness where a challenge and or event will be offered for full time employees to complete/attend. Full time employees may submit physical activity minutes monthly as well.

Vision

Implement a comprehensive worksite wellness program that educates, empowers, and engages La Crosse Area Family Y full time employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Who is eligible?

All full time employees are eligible.

Guidelines

To be eligible to earn up to 16 hours of Personal PTO, participants must log at least 400 minutes of physical activity per month and provide their tracking information by the 5th of the next month AND complete a minimum of 8 monthly challenges or events and submit the required documentation by the 5th of the next month.

All submissions should be turned in at:

www.laxymca.org/employee-wellness

Please Note: We are committed to helping participants achieve their best health. If a participant thinks they might be unable to meet the physical activity goal for a reward or the monthly challenges as they are presented, they might qualify for an opportunity to earn the same reward in a way that is right for them. Please contact Karen Fortin ([email protected] or 608-519-5519) to discuss options further.

Rewards

Those who complete and submit documentation of reaching the physical activity minutes goal each month will be entered in a drawing to win a breakfast/lunch with a coworker of their choosing.

Those who complete and submit documentation for the challenge/ wellness event each month will be entered in a drawing to win a prize (prize revealed each month).

Participants will earn a submission for each physical activity and event/challenge they complete throughout the year. These submissions will be entered into a grand prize drawing that will be announced at the end of 2024.

Your Wellness Matters Team

Please contact any of the following Your Wellness Matters Committee members with questions or concerns:

Karen Fortin

Arianna Lewis

Maddie LaCount

Dana Boler

Anna Stindt

Matt Davids

Natalie Todd

Emma Fox

Julie Siakpere

Jeni Ludwigson

KJ McMillan

Dimensions of Wellness

Physical Wellness: Consists of recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy foods, and sleep, as well as preventing illness and injury or managing chronic health conditions

  • Understand why and how your body works
  • Feel competent at physical activity
  • Become aware of how a lack of sleep, stress, and non-activity affect your body
  • Develop well-balanced and healthy eating habits

Emotional/Mental Wellness: Coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships

  • Develop, establish, and maintain intimate and loving relationships
  • Become more aware of your feelings and accept them as valid indicators of what you are experiencing
  • Develop assertiveness and confrontation skills
  • Develop positive feelings about yourself by creating healthy self-esteem and self-concept

Social Wellness: Developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system

  • Develop the ability to create and maintain close friendships
  • Feel comfortable interacting with diverse individuals and groups
  • Understand and accept those with different sexual orientations, gender identities, races, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status.
  • Work toward becoming a responsible world citizen

Intellectual Wellness: Recognizing one’s creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills

  • Strive to be open to new experiences and ideas in all areas of your life
  • Develop a love for learning and philosophy for “life-long learning”
  • Expand your ability to create, develop, analyze, concentrate, understand
  • Feel competent in intellectual and academic activities

Environmental Wellness: Occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support the well-being

  • Become aware of how your external environment affects you 
  • Redesign your environments to more effectively support and reinforce your needs
  • Be concerned about the future of the local, national, and world ecology and climate
  • Minimize your contribution to the destruction of the outdoor environment

Spiritual Wellness: Expanding a sense of purpose and meaning in life, including morals and ethics (Does not need to involve religion)

  • Explore personal values
  • Become aware of how values develop and change from life experiences
  • Search for meaning in life

Occupational Wellness: Gaining personal satisfaction and enrichment from one’s work

  • Understand the relationship between your career choice and other parts of your life
  • Develop effective job-related skills in assertiveness, confrontation, feedback, time management, and active listening
  • Explore your interests, skills, values, and needs and how they relate to your career choice

Financial Wellness: Satisfaction with current and future financial situations

  • Learning how to gain control of your finances so they work for you
  • Understanding how to manage a budget, credit cars, checking and savings accounts, investments, and retirement funds

 

YMCA360

The Your Wellness Matters Committee wants to share with you all a great tool the Y has to offer. If you do not already know, the Y offers a virtual program called YMCA360 through an app or website. This program offers workout classes on demand so you can do them on your own time, anywhere! We encourage you to try these on-demand classes as well as looking into some nutrition and gratitude courses they offer! You can also sign-up for fitness classes at the Y on this program and possibly join challenges to earn rewards through the app/website!

Other Pop-Up Events

We will be offering other opportunities to be involved in other challenges throughout the year such as tournaments and Y employee-only fitness classes. Look for emails including the details as they are scheduled.

Dimensions of Wellness:

Physical Wellness

Consists of recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy foods, and sleep, as well as preventing illness and injury or managing chronic health conditions. 
  • Understand why and how your body works
  • Feel competent at physical activity
  • Become aware of how a lack of sleep, stress, and non-activity affect your body
  • Develop well-balanced and healthy eating habits. 

Emotional/Mental Wellness

coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships
  • Develop establish and maintain intimate and loving relationships
  • become more aware of your feelings and accept them as valid indicators of what you are experiencing
  • develop assertiveness and confrontation skills
  • develop positive feelings about yourself by creating healthy self-esteem and self-concept

Social Wellness

Developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system. 
  • Develop the ability to create and maintain close friendships
  • Feel comfortable interacting with diverse individuals and groups
  • Understand and accept those with different sexual orientations, gender identities, races, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status.
  • Work toward becoming a responsible world citizen. 

Intellectual Wellness

recognizing one’s creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills.
  • strive to be open to new experiences and ideas in all areas of your life
  • Develop a love for learning and philosophy for “life-long learning”
  • Expand your ability to create, develop, analyze, concentrate, understand
  • Feel competent in intellectual and academic activities

Environmental Wellness

occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support the well-being
  • Become aware of how your external environment affects you 
  • Redesign your environments to more effectively support and reinforce your needs
  • Be concerned about the future of the local, national, and world ecology and climate
  • Minimize your contribution to the destruction of the outdoor environment

Spiritual Wellness

expanding a sense of purpose and meaning in life, including morals and ethics. (Does not need to involve religion)
  • Explore personal values
  • Become aware of how values develop and change from life experiences
  • Search for meaning in life

Occupational Wellness

gaining personal satisfaction and enrichment from one’s work.
  • Understand the relationship between your career choice and other parts of your life
  • Develop effective job-related skills in assertiveness, confrontation, feedback, time management, and active listening
  • Explore your interests, skills, values, and needs and how they relate to your career choice.

Financial Wellness

satisfaction with current and future financial situations
  • Learning how to gain control of your finances so they work for you
  • Understanding how to manage a budget, credit cars, checking and savings accounts, investments, and retirement funds