Come to Garden Spot High School on Thursday, May 23rd to enjoy a multicultural meal and activities! There are many opportunities to taste test, hear inspirational stories, and participate in many fun games!

As an added bonus, the night will conclude with an exciting giveaway. One person will win a free four-day stay in Cozumel, Mexico (airfare not included) courtesy of allegro Cozumel.

A few March updates for you. I’ve compiled all of your great nutrition suggestions and posted them on the February 2016 Nutrition Ideas Page.

Also, you have the opportunity to take some free BODYFLOW classes with our own high school teacher – Josh Houpt

adifansnet via Compfigh

BODYFLOW™ is the Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates workout that builds flexibility and strength and leaves you feeling centered and calm. Controlled breathing, concentration and a carefully structured series of stretches, moves and poses to music create a holistic workout that brings the body into a state of harmony and balance. – from GoodLifeFitness.com

Classes will start on March 16 in the high school complex.  Bring your co-workers and start the work day off on a positive note!!

• When: March 16, 23 & 30  at 5:45 – 6:30/6:40am
• Where: The Garden Spot High School old gym

Click here to print out a flyer to remind you – Body Flow March 2016.

Keep up all the great work!

— Julie Groft

Image from Farrukh via Compfight

For the month of March, I would like you to focus on your strength training. Find a new online app for your smart phone, or a website, that deals with lifting weights or building strength. Use the new app for the month of March and see if you can reach beyond your limits. The app can use only body weight, exercise bands or actual kettle bells or weights.

At the end of the month – send me the app and your critique of it via email at julie_groft@elanco.org – I will generate a list and send it out – so everyone can lift their limits and learn many ways to do it.

Please take a moment to view the entire March 2016 Newsletter

Welcome back!

Please take a moment to read the January Wellness Newsletter for the January Wellness Challenge.

Also, below  you will be able to read some of the wonderful ways our staff brightened those around them in December.

• I have done a few things so far this month to help spread the holiday cheer and the gift of giving to light up the life of a child. At my church I took a salvation box and filled it with gifts for an unfortunate child somewhere across the world. My son and I had fun buying the gifts and boxing up the gifts to send off across the world. I also donated money to a 1Life launch to help with charities in our local community. I participate in a monthly meal swap with Megan. Since Megan just had her baby I made her 5 meals so she could still get 5 meals from the meal swap, the swap is at my house tomorrow night I plan to deliver her meals this coming week.
• I have a niece who started a weight loss program and part of this particular program they make “all day sippers” to help curb the appetite and stay hydrated. They have them pictured in quart sized mason jars so I pulled one from my basement and bought the special lid and straw for it. I liked it so much that I made a wide mouthed jar version with a handle to make it more portable. I gave them to her yesterday as an encouragement to keep on pursuing her goals and she was thrilled to get them! It was a little thing on my part that will give her a daily reminder that I care.
• How did I share the gift of ‘light’? I did a lot of ‘little’ things making food donations to local food banks, donating to Toys for Tots, but the two that I found most rewarding were taking ‘time’ to spend with my sister and daughter—having a girls day together to enjoy each other’s company. Gave us a chance to put the worries of what goes on during every day aside and just have fun! Amazing!!! The other one was with my husband—he is in the floral business so this is a VERY busy time of year and he gets caught up in work and I get caught up in taking care of getting ready for Christmas. What made it special was just taking a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee or go for a walk and enjoy the decorations. To me, giving the gift of light is something that comes from the heart!
• This month I spoke words of encouragement to a co-worker who had to make a difficult decision and sent out several notes of encouragement and appreciation to various people, in addition to delivering a few small plates of cookies.
• This is how I let my light shine this month….I got this email from one of my students’ moms:
  Hello Mrs Williams I have a question one day u tell me something about u know someone have the oil heat cheap or can help with that,  our oil is almost done and need to find half of the money for my rent to much,  anyway my husband is injured he have a pinched disc or something like that in his back,  and he are now 3 week’s out of his work with out pay,  I apply for liheap but nothing yet,  I’m sorry but idk we’re to ask for help or we’re to go. Welfare said that we made to much and don’t qualified for nothing.  But they don’t see what they take out every week.  Anyway if u have any information that can help appreciate your help.
  I was able to hook the family up with some local services to get oil in their tank. Her response is below:thank you so much i alredy call, she take my information. May God bless you with all blessing of heaven, i really appriciatte it.
• I had made it my mission to use each day in December to thank someone for the hard work they do around here that usually goes unacknowledged. Well, that lasted about a week until I was out sick. However, the few people I was able to email or do something for were appreciative. And surprised, I think!
• This season, like many other people, my son and I baked TONS of cookies. We took a whole Saturday and baked as many cookies as we could. We packaged them up and delivered them to neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. My son loved knowing that he had a part in it and was so proud to deliver them to people!
• This December I put effort into being a light for my grandmother. My grandfather passed away at Christmastime two years ago. Needless to say, December is a hard month for her. I spent more quality time with her this month, shared my life with her, and listened to her tell about hers. We had dinner together throughout the month in order to create this quality time.
• For my December wellness I purchased Christmas decorations for my students to decorate the classroom with. But as they came up with the some of the best ideas I promised them I would keep the Christmas Lights up all year and the snowflakes all winter – and even keep my door decorated until after we got back from break. They were super excited to share their artistic talents and I was very excited to see them.
• For my December wellness, I selected one person and gave them a cartoon a day to lift their spirits and make them laugh. I also fell to peer pressure and returned to doing a staff cartoon once a week.
• For the month of December my “sisters” (a family that has taken me in since college) and I took out our one sister out for Christmas eve dinner and a day in Pittsburgh doing Christmas things.. She is a single mom of two kinds under 5 and one is autistic, so we had our mom watch them and we took he out on us, since she doesn’t get much time without them.
• For my L- I encouraged my students to be the “light” for each other. I made a Grinch bulletin board for my students to add hearts to him. Each time they did a random act of kindness, they got to write it on a heart and put it on the Grinch. It was great to see the students helping each other!

Have a great week back and an awesome second half of the school year.