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Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) strives to provide a healthy work environment. Employees who feel valued, safe and healthy are likely to be more productive and committed to their work.
Healthy workplaces can reduce insurance costs and absenteeism, while increasing productivity, satisfaction and retention. Students who adopt a healthy regimen can look forward to achieving higher school grades and graduation rates.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. In the U.S., the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease, which can lead to heart attack. You can greatly reduce the risk for heart disease through lifestyle changes.
Your heart plays an important role in your body by pumping oxygen-rich blood to your brain and muscles. Some ways to reduce your risk of heart disease include controlling your blood pressure and blood sugar, eating healthy, and staying active.
Did you know the average adult requires a minimum of 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75-minutes of vigorous, aerobic activity per week for a healthy lifestyle? That’s anywhere from 10-20 minutes of physical activity every day.
Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities include brisk walking, water aerobics, dancing and gardening.
Vigorous-intensity activities will push your body a little further. They will require a higher amount of effort. You’ll probably get warm and begin to sweat. You won’t be able to talk much without getting out of breath.
Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities include, hiking, running, cycling, swimming, jumping rope and heavy yardwork. Aerobic exercise is known to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, improve muscles, reduce stress, and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good cholesterol). Find your target heart rate and monitor your heart during workouts to see if you reach your desired target.
If you are trying to improve your fitness, you may find it harder to reach your target heart rate. Therefore, increase your speed, intensity, or repetition when weightlifting.
Research from Johns Hopkins shows the importance of physical activity and the role on longevity. Increasing exercise post-heart attack can increase your life span by 40 percent compared to someone who continues to stay inactive.
If you are an employee at M-DCPS and have any questions and would like to work on your goals, you can reach out to an Onsite Health Coach directly via email at MDCPSOnsiteHealthCoaches@Cigna.com or visit the employee wellness program site: wellway.dadeschools.net.
Onsite health coaches offer one-on-one sessions to target chronic conditions, healthy eating, physical activity, smoking cessation, and many more.
M-DCPS also is committed to providing a healthy environment for students and staff within the school environment, recognizing that individuals must be physically, mentally, and socially healthy in order to promote wellness and academic performance. Through our physical education departments, M-DCPS strives to provide a positive experience in a variety of lifetime fitness activities and leisure recreational activities, focusing on the establishment of a lifestyle that includes proven concepts of wellness and fitness. We present activities that result in improved muscular coordination, flexibility, strength and endurance. We challenge all students to grow in character, self-reliance and self-discipline.
We help students to improve their self-image and to reach a higher level of health, vitality, and wellness.
Finally, M-DCPS also promotes a healthy lifestyle by encouraging participation among students and employees in the annual Superintendent’s 5K race. This year’s competition takes place on Saturday, Mar. 2. Anyone interested in signing up for the race should visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Miami/Super5KRaceForEducation.
M-DCPS is your best choice for a healthy lifestyle because we want our students and employees to live their best lives.
Jacie Robles, RDN, LD and Jacqueline Lopez, MPH, RD, LDN, are Bilingual RD Health Coaches, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
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