During National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, invest in your wellbeing by finding a way to be active each day. Physical activity improves sleep, energy and mood. Plus it controls weight and fights many chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. By making physical activity part of your daily routine — at least 30 minutes for adults and 60 minutes for children — you can put yourself on the path to better physical and mental health.
The benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life, from the Mayo Clinic.
The activities featured on this adult fitness test are provided as a way for you to get an estimate of your level of aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and your body composition. The results on each test provide you with a measure you can use to track your progress in each area as you become more physically active.
Source: President’s Challenge.
What do heavy gardening and yoga have in common? Both help strengthen your muscles (and are quite relaxing), according to the Centers for Disease Control.
May 27 is Don’t Fry Day: Protect your skin today and every day. Slip on a shirt; slop on sunscreen SPF 30+; slap on wide-brimmed hat; and wrap on sunglasses. Learn more about Don’t Fry Day.
Recognizing the symptoms of stroke is key to getting quick treatment. That’s why The National Stroke Association and others are devoting the month of May to increasing stroke symptom awareness.
Read the stroke signs and symptoms from the American Stroke Association.
These easy sandwich stackers feature layers of sliced avocado, sliced tomato, lettuce, sliced cucumbers, and Swiss cheese. ALT (Avocado, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwiches
Source: health.com
Quinoa is often turned into a creamy hot breakfast cereal in Bolivia, where much of the world’s quinoa is grown. This healthy breakfast quinoa recipe is a hot cereal that is infused with an aromatic chai-inspired blend of spices—cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Spiced Breakfast Quinoa
Source: eatingwell.com
May is the month to take big steps toward active living and embrace some serious team spirit. Time to team up for the 1.5 million “steps” Step-IT-Up! team challenge, May 2 to 29. Go to mybmcwellness.com starting May 2.
The third annual Step-IT-Up! Challenge is the final big push to bWell Olympics Gold. Sign up and you can earn 500 bWell points, gift cards and, of course, bragging rights.
The 2016 bWell Olympics end July 31, 2016. You must complete the online Well-Being Assessment and participate in a health screening to qualify for the Olympics and earn rewards. Once you qualify, you’ll receive a Fitbit to use to track your activity while completing challenges and earning Bronze, Silver or Gold medals.
Begin your Cinco de Mayo celebration early with an invigorating 5K Fun Run at daybreak. Gather your team and run or walk around the Houston campus on Thursday, May 5. Everyone is welcome – beginners and experienced athletes alike. Rack up those steps and take home a free Step-IT-Up! Challenge t-shirt.
The Fun Run starts at 6:30 a.m. from the CityWest Fitness Center, Garage 4. You can grab a post-run shower at the fitness center before heading back to work. (waiver required).
BMC has partnered with Healthcare Bluebook™ and Best Doctors® to help you shop smart for health care services and make informed decisions about your care.
These tools and resources are included with your BMC medical coverage. Healthcare Bluebook is not available to Kaiser medical plan participants.
Get the details here.
Anger is a completely normal, and usually healthy, human emotion. However, when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems: problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. You are invited to join Magellan’s live interactive webinar “Techniques for Managing Anger & Communicating with Influence,” on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Central time. Register Now.
Useful Links
Seven Quick Tips to control your anger from Psychology Today.
How do you handle anger-inducing situations? Take the anger test from Psychology Today.
Is anger hurting your health? Read the research from Berkeley Wellness.
If you participate in the BMC 401(k) Plan, you pay fees to cover investment management, administrative and operating expenses. Every 401(k) plan has an administrator to keep track of balances, contributions and withdrawals. And all mutual funds charge annual expenses to cover the fund’s operating costs.
Fidelity Investments, the BMC 401(k) Plan administrator, sent Plan participants an email in March announcing changes to the Plan, including the move to a more transparent approach to charging fees. Minimizing the fees and expenses you pay to the 401(k) Plan may help you increase your retirement nest egg—so be informed and review your options carefully.
Get Started
Read this overview from Fidelity to better understand 401(k) fees and expenses. The overview includes ways you can stay informed about fees, such as viewing your plan account statement any time by logging on to the Fidelity NetBenefits website.
See the detailed change notice from Fidelity.
Useful Links
Understanding 401(k) Fees and Expenses, a quick read from the American Institute of CPAs.
Maximize Your Retirement Savings – The Department of Labor offers tips on using the fee and investment information from your 401(k).
MyBMC Rewards provides a snapshot of your pay, retirement benefits, health and insurance benefits and corporate programs. Visit MyBMC Rewards to:
Go online anytime or call 877-262-4849. Representatives are available from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Eastern time.
From enrollment reminders to important 401(k) information and benefits updates, you can be the first to know when your attention or action is required.