With a variety of holidays this month, it’s a hectic season so a good health & wellness focus is stress reduction. One important way to do that is to stick to good eating, sleeping and fitness regimes. For help, see our Workplace Wellness Blog posts:
- Eating: 10 tips for healthy holiday dining
- Sleeping: If you’re going to spend 24 years sleeping, make sure you do it right
- Fitness: Can’t get to the gym? Try these ideas for exercising at home
December is also National Handwashing Awareness Month. Keeping hands clean is one of the easiest and best things we can do to keep from getting sick and avoid spreading germs to others. The CDC says “Handwashing is like a “do-it-yourself” vaccine — it involves five simple and effective steps (Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse, Dry) you can take to reduce the spread of diarrheal and respiratory illness so you can stay healthy.” Promotional tools include fact sheets, posters, video, social media messages.
Flu season is approaching: Are you ready? December 4-10 is National Influenza Vaccine Week. Encourage your employees to get their flu shots! The CDC has many resources you can use to get the word out. We also have many resources at
Other health observances for the month of December, as suggested by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
AIDS Awareness: December 1 is World AIDS Day and the CDC offers a toolkit of resources — but we’d suggest that the World AIDS Day could be a springboard to a month-long focus. According to the World Health Organization, HIV/AIDS continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 34 million lives so far. Prevention and testing are still critical, as is a focus on educating younger generations who may be less knowledgeable about risks. Get more tools, facts and resources from the CDC’s HIV/AIDS resource center.
Disability Awareness: December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities . The theme for 2015 is: Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want
Family Matters: Safe Toys: December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month. With holiday gift giving a huge focus this month, an important health and wellness message for families should be the importance of safe toys and gifts. Here are some tips and resources to help: