Many of us start the year by setting New Year’s resolutions or making plans for what we want to accomplish over the coming months. Here are five tips for setting New Year’s resolutions that will stick.

Determine resolutions you really want

Ask “do I really want this?” and “why have I not done this yet?”  When I got married, I worked hard to get into the shape I wanted to be in.  I had a strict exercise routine and an extremely healthy diet.  I was in the best shape of my life for my wedding.  In the five years since then,  I slipped back into old habits but I keep resolving to do it again.  I finally had to realize the truth is – I know how to do it; I just don’t want to.  While I eat healthy most of the time and work out regularly, I also enjoy cake and nachos and I don’t want to give them up! Realizing that I am happier as I am, I have shifted my goals to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and not worrying as much about the number on the scale.

Set realistic resolutions

If what you want to do feels too overwhelming, you probably won’t do it at all. For example, maybe this year you want to finally clean and organize that cluttered basement storage area. If your basement looks anything like mine, that may feel like a very overwhelming task. So instead of looking at the whole room and not knowing where to even begin, break it down. Make your resolution small, for example pledge to spend one hour every Saturday cleaning the basement or going through one storage bin each week to find items to donate. Small actions feel doable and will be more likely kept.

Do not set too many resolutions

If you set too many resolutions, it is unlikely you will keep any of them, therefore, focus on one or two at a time and build in more later.  If you want to organize that basement, start a new fitness regimen, learn to cook, and paint three rooms in your home – you are either going to need a lot of free time or just focus on one to start.  In the same way, one resolution can feel too large, having too many can result in doing none!

Make changes

These are YOUR goals. If what you are trying is not working, adjust it instead of quitting.  When I set out to run a 5K, I found I was terrible at running and did not enjoy it.  Instead of quitting, I started walking instead.  I shifted the goal to walking each day, until I got up to five miles a day and then got myself to start running.  The shift let me still keep the main point (physical activity) and kept me from quitting when it was initially too hard.

Find ways to hold yourself accountable

Share your resolutions with friends and family or share it on social media.  Talk about what you are doing and find people who will cheer you on as you get to your goal.  It may sound simple, but it works!  When I was learning to run a 5K, every time I went out to run, I came home and told my husband how far I had made it that day.  He was thrilled and proud (or at least he said he was) every time I hit a new longest run or best time.  Every run when I felt I had given it my all and was ready to stop, I would think, “If I can go just 5 more minutes, it will be my longest run yet and I can go home and share the good news.” It kept me pushing harder every time!

What are your resolutions this year? Share with us in the comments section below.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things in our lives, and many activities that directly contribute to our personal mental and physical health have not been exempt. One activity in particular –going to one’s favorite gym or fitness club – has been particularly hard-hit by the demands to stop the spread. But, with a little ingenuity and persistence, you’ll find you have all you need to build a little gym of your own at home.

You may not have needed to think about it before, but you can build your own home gym out of many things you already have at home, and you can make it as basic or as ambitious as you desire.

There are many options for building a home gym that meets your specific needs. According to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Wellness Specialist Sharon Field, your home gym plan should have three main considerations: space, technology, and equipment.

 

Space

“When setting up your home gym, you have to consider what you want to do in that space,” says Sharon. “You need space to move. Whether its yoga, resistance training, indoor cycling, jumping jacks or any combination of those and more, you’ll need to plan accordingly.”

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Things to consider:

1. Flooring: Cement and wood floors are unforgiving and can contribute to injury. Look into having at least a yoga mat, or cover your floor in rubber matting or Styrofoam padding to save your knees, joints, feet, etc.
2. Storage: Seems like a minor concern, but in order for your home gym to be a safe and inviting environment that you feel good about, you’ll need a place for things such as resistance bands, jump ropes, hand & ankle weights, equipment/stack pins, etc. A cluttered gym, or not being able to find what you need for your next exercise, can be the difference between a workout and workout-killing frustration.
3. Mirrors: No one is going to stop you from using a mirror for a selfie after a satisfying go in your own home gym. But far more importantly, mirrors are in fact a very important workout tool. Use a large wall-mounted mirror (preferably large, but a small mirror will suffice in a pinch) to ensure that you are using proper form during your exercises. You’d be surprised at the difference between what you think you are doing and what the mirror tells you. Improper form can cause of injury and ineffective exercises.

 

Technology

We’ve entered the third decade of the 21^st century and, while flying cars still seem to be at least a light year away, technology in the home gym has become a near-necessity.

According to Sharon, here are the things to consider:

1. Mobile device/laptop: This can serve as your hub – whether to catch a workout video on YouTube or live stream online or simply to listen to some inspirational music, you’ll want a laptop, iPad, or mobile phone.
2. Tripod/Stand: To go along with #1 above, a convenient accoutrement for your viewing device is a suitable tripod, stand, or small table on which to prop/place your device in a manner so that you can watch the workout and simultaneously perform the exercises comfortably.
3. Online videos: In addition to YouTube, do some online searching for workouts that appeal to you. Yoga, bodyweight, dumbbell, Tabata, kickboxing, and much, much more are all available online.
4. Smart TV/monitor/DVD player: An upgrade to #1, but not a necessity; if you have a treadmill or stationary bike in your gym, you may want a smart TV or monitor with a DVD player or Apple TV, etc. (or the capability to mirror one of your devices) so that you can play your own workout DVDs or catch your favorite show while reaping the benefits of exercise and without squinting.

 

Equipment

The pandemic has created some shortages in the home fitness equipment world as more people than ever have flocked online to buy what they need to get their fitness on at home. So, whether you want to save money or your favorite equipment is out of stock, here’s where your ingenuity can really shine. Some of you may already have some hand weights, dumbbells, a treadmill or stationary bike, while others may be thinking they have no gym equipment at all. Not true. You can outfit a gym with many things you already have at home. And, that’s in addition to the fact that simple bodyweight exercises, using no equipment at all, can provide a very challenging full body workout for even the most experienced fitness enthusiast. Here are some of Sharon’s recommendations:

1. No handweights? No problem! Use (filled) water bottles or unopened 16 oz. food cans.
   • 10 Alternatives to Dumbbells
2. No kettlebells? Use laundry detergent containers with handles
   • Kettlebell Shortage Solutions
3. No ankleweights? Put dry beans in a Ziplock bag, put the bag into a sock, and tie it around your ankle.
   • If you’re a real Do-It-Yourselfer, try this: Wrist and Ankle Weight Sewing Pattern
4. No resistance bands? Use a towel! In fact, a towel can fuel a full body workout:
   • A Full Body Workout You Can Do With A Towel
   • Full Body Towel Workout
5. No time to even prep household items? No problem. Try these bodyweight workouts:
   • 25-Minute Bodyweight Workout
   • 30 Minute Bodyweight Workout
6. Surprisingly, you can work out with nothing but a simple chair. Try it!
   • 10-Minute Chair Workout
   • 8 Exercises You Can Do With Just a Chair

 

Other considerations

Fitness can be a family affair. It’s much more difficult to shrug off a workout when your loved one(s) are putting on their sneakers and getting ready to go. And don’t forget your pets. A dog can make a great workout buddy. Let him or her take you for a walk. “A home gym is a place where you can feel completely at ease doing as much, or as little, as you want, however you want to do it—as long as you use proper form,” Sharon concludes. “With no one else watching, it’s a judgement-free zone!”

Now build that gym! No excuses!

“Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and responsibility to pick yourself up.” –  Mary Holloway

2020 has been unlike any other year.

Carlette Bradley, from Erie County, knows that all too well. Earlier this year, her life was turned upside down. Back in June, Carlette suddenly lost her husband, Antwain, to a heart attack. Her birthday was a few days later.

While grieving, Carlette, an ordained minister at Edison Street Community Church in Buffalo, N.Y., manages to continue to encourage, uplift and inspire others through her social media pages.

Recently, Kandis Fuller, communications manager at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, interviewed Carlette on how to overcome adversity during tough times. Watch the video to learn more.

 

Carlette’s Tips for Building Resilience

1. Connect between being productive and your well-being
2. Live a life of gratitude
3. Emotional intelligence – develop a high sense of self-awareness
4. Know your triggers
5. Practice your new behaviors

Resilience Resources

To learn more about resiliency, check out a few of Carlette’s book suggestions:

• “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren
• “Mindset: Changing the Way You Think To Fulfil Your Potential” by Dr. Carol S. Dweck
• “Until Today!: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind” by Iyanla Vanzant
• Any book by John Maxwell

According to Greater Good Science Center at University of California, Berkeley, gratitude’s amazing powers can shift us from focusing on the negative to appreciating what is positive in our lives. People who practice gratitude daily tend to have:

• Fewer feelings of isolation and loneliness
• A stronger immune system
• Better sleep
• Lowered blood pressure
• Reduced anxiety and depression
• Reduction in body aches and pains
• More forgiveness
• Increased satisfaction at work

My New Gratitude Habit

To develop a daily habit of gratitude and fulfill a personal goal to improve my Procreate app skills, I designed this playful graphic and shared to social media (LinkedIn and Facebook) on Nov. 1, which marked the first day of National Gratitude month.

So far, my experiment has been a success; after the first three days of practice, I was bursting with gratitude! I thanked my husband for the renovations he’s made to our home which we’re now spending most of our time together in and for preparing healthy and delicious meals each night.

Gratitude is Meant to Be Shared

To further hold myself accountable to my daily commitment, I sent the graphic to peers in my workgroup and invited them to participate with me. Using the prompts on corresponding days, I kicked off meetings by asking participants to share what they were grateful for, sharing first what I was grateful for to model the behavior.

What I’ve enjoyed most about this activity was the opportunity to grow relationships and say thank you by sharing stories that might not have come up through our day-to-day discussions.

I’ve seen my graphic shared on social media along with the posters’ personal gratitude reflections. As Thanksgiving approaches, I hope it may inspire creative ways for some to celebrate the holiday virtually as needed.

Comment below what you are grateful for. I promise it will make you feel good.

When I first started working from home full-time in March, I developed a new routine for watching the news. I watched the news in the morning while I ate breakfast, at noon while I ate lunch, and then at and after dinner time, usually two different news broadcasts.

Watching the news at lunch time was the biggest change for me. While working in the office, I preferred to spend lunch out of the office, exploring downtown Rochester. Now, instead of enjoying the daily special and a coffee at a restaurant, I was watching the news alone, feeling stressed out. I was getting myself worked up over the same news stories I heard just hours earlier.

The Importance of Taking a Break

“Taking a break during the workday is imperative for good emotional health,” said Amanda Shanahan, RD, Employee Wellbeing Manager, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. “But it’s important to break and do something you enjoy and look forward to. This will increase your focus, creativity, and productivity while also reducing stress. This leaves you refreshed to start working again.”

Calming Power of Cooking Shows

After about a month or two of what I’ll call “binge doom viewing” during lunch, I knew I needed to try something different. Still at home by myself for lunch, I looked for something less stressful to enjoy during the lunch hour. That’s when I discovered the calming power of cooking shows. I’ve found that the WXXI Create channel has some great programs on at lunch time, mostly cooking and food shows. I find myself looking forward to watching each day. For me, there’s something calming about watching someone slice vegetables and prepare food.

More Than Just Cooking

One program that really took me by surprise was To Dine For with Kate Sullivan. Not knowing what the show was about, I was expecting to learn a new recipe for potato pancakes, or perhaps a better technique for making a pie crust. To my surprise, Kate’s guest was Deepak Chopra, offering to “solve the mystery of our existence.” I learned that the show is actually about interviewing notable guests while enjoying a meal together at their favorite restaurants. So, here was a gem of enlightenment only a click away.

I still miss my lunches out exploring the city. But I have settled into this new routine and now look forward to taking a break at lunch to step away from work and check in with my new WXXI Create friends.

Has your lunchtime routine changed? Share how you relax and unwind during your break in the comments below.

This Veterans Day – and every day – it’s important to reflect upon and celebrate the true meaning of this national holiday by honoring those who have served our country. Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield is one of many companies in our community that are honored to have veterans in their workforce who have played important roles in our country.

This year, as parades and in-person celebrations are paused, look for new ways to celebrate their courage and sacrifice. Talk to a veteran in your life and have a conversation with them to learn more about their lives, hear their moving and compelling stories, and understand their experiences while serving our nation.

As Chad Tooke in our Utica office said, “Ask a veteran about their experiences. Talking may enlighten you as to why they are the way they are, and you may appreciate them a little more. They may have seen things and experienced things that they will not talk about, but have affected them greatly… Most veterans are humble and don’t want to be thanked and don’t need the accolades.”

We would like to share some of the stories of the brave men and women who wore our country’s uniform and come to work for us each day continuing to serve our communities.

Bob Berie, Director, Claims Cost Containment

Bob joined the Air Force in May of 1981 and retired in 2018.

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“I spent 12 years on active duty. While on active duty, I was assigned to bases in Florida and Texas.  Most of my active time was spent in logistics and as an instructor.  Then, in 2009, I went back into the Air Force Reserve in Medical Administration at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, MA. In 2012, I transferred to the 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse and joined the 174th Medical Group. I retired in 2018 as the First Sergeant of the Medical Group after 23 years of service. “

Chad Tooke, Provider Network and Strategy Manager

Chad joined the Army on in 1992 earning his badge from Air Assault school. He retired in June 2015.

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“I started at Excellus BCBS Sept. 23, 2002 and, on my first day, I let Excellus BCBS know that I was deploying for Afghanistan on Sept. 26, 2002 and it did not feel proper to accept the position I was hired for. I was told to fill out the orientation paperwork and to take the remainder of the week off… My job would be waiting when I returned. I think that is a great testament to our organization and how they support their employees.

In Afghanistan, I led a Civil Affairs Team Alpha (CAT-A). We conducted many missions and coordinated the building of wells, schools, and medical facilities to assist the local populace. We also provided food and clothing when we could. In November of 2007, I was mobilized to Fort Dix, NJ for a one-year tour that turned into nearly five years. I was sent there to train soldiers going overseas to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.”

Lisa Sexton, Human Capital Management Talent Acquisition Consultant

Lisa joined the Air Force in 1993 and was honorably discharged in April of 2001 as a Staff Sergeant.

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“I was an Air Force brat – my father is a graduate of West Point and is a retired Air Force Major, and my sister is also retired from the Air Force. When I joined in 1993 at 21-years-old, my career field was Hospital Administration. I was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fort Walton Beach, FL for five years where I worked in a hospital and then attended Airmen Leadership School and graduated top of my class and was awarded the John Levitow Award (highest honor).

I have been trained in Medical Readiness (able to work in a battle field hospital and provide first aide to injured soldiers), chemical warfare, etc.  It wasn’t all work and no play, though! I played volleyball for the base team and traveled all over the country to play against other bases.

Then I was stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM where I worked at the Medical Clinic for the remainder of my Air Force career where I coordinated Life Flights to move our injured soldiers to different Major Hospitals across the Country and World.

I absolutely loved my time in the Air Force and I believe it helped shape who I am today.  I have made forever friendships and connections!”

Please share your own stories in the comments below.