We in the Northwest don’t take the sun for granted – simply because we get so little of it, especially during the dark winter months. While this spring has been less than tropical, make sure to take advantage of that sunshine whenever possible!

Getting daily sun exposure is essential for good health, and here are a few reasons why:

Our bodies produce vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. A staggering number of Americans have a deficiency of vitamin D, and this vitamin is very important in maintaining healthy bones, muscle integrity, warding off many kinds of internal cancers and Type 1 Diabetes.

Sunlight is a natural antidepressant and positively affects mood. This is why many people experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and suffer depression during winter months.

Exposure to sunlight can help you sleep better, because it stimulates the pineal gland, which produces melatonin and plays a role in proper sleep (which is also very important for optimum health).

So next time you see Mr. Sun pop his head from behind the clouds, make sure to run outside and say hi for a few minutes! It’ll do wonders for more than just your tan!

By purchasing organic varieties of fruits and vegetables, you can reduce your exposure to pesticides by 90 percent! In addition to the health benefits of organic food, if just 1% of our nation’s farmlands eliminated the use of synthetic chemicals, it would remove 26,000,000 pounds of pesticides per year from the food we eat and from our environment.

When you buy organic, you encourage this kind of farming!

On a food-related note, in the month of May we will focus on Nutrition and Healthy Cooking as part of our Year of Wellness. A potluck and healthy recipe contest are in the works! Stay tuned…

Last Saturday we had our annual staff retreat. Besides getting to know each other outside of work, our retreat provides time to focus on the year’s theme. This year we are focusing on wellness, and as a part of being well, we learned about reducing stress.

We all deal with stress in our lives to some degree. Some people get stressed more easily than others, and while there are various kinds and intensity of stress that afflict us, we all need to cope with stress in healthy, helpful ways.
One way to deal with stress is to delve into hobbies. A hobby is great because it is removed from normal daily routine that is primarily for recreation. Hobbies don’t have deadlines or restrictions or expectations to live up to, except for the ones that YOU put on them. Hobbies are entirely under your control, which for many people is a great relief and freedom.

Immersing yourself in a hobby, even if only for an hour, can be a great stress reducer. Focusing on an activity that brings personal pleasure can block out all those daily agitations. Even when dealing with a lot of stress at the moment, setting aside time for a personal hobby can help you rebalance yourself and mentally or emotionally prepare you for facing the day afresh.

The folks around Statements have lots of different hobbies:
In her free time Kristen paints, and she also plays soccer and bike rides because she likes “being active. It helps me relieve stress, and it helps me build mental and physical acuity!”

Paul does a wide variety of crafty things, the latest of which involves applying stenciled designs on fabric. He also likes “to spend a couple of hours walking though the local wooded parks on the weekends.”

Kyle does weightlifting, “because it makes me feel better mentally and physically. It improves my sense of well-being.”

Annette is self-described as “in the infancy stage of my crafting.” She has a craft room at home which she plans to reorganize for that purpose. She also enjoys watching home decorating shows and sci-fi with her husband Keith.

Tiffany has been taking yoga classes, “Yoga helps me reduce stress – since it’s early in the morning before work, it’s a great way to start the day.”

Lots of people gravitate toward hobbies that are physically active, or creative, but a hobby can be anything that brings you personal fulfillment!

Other great hobbies to try are gardening, knitting, reading, playing or listening to music, hiking, doing jigsaw puzzles, flying kites, fishing, playing with pets, and the list goes on and on! All in an effort to stay physically, mentally and creatively content!

As we all know, 2008′ is the “Year of Wellness ” here at Statements. Coinciding with this, a Ju-Jitsu class was started last fall, and is held in the warehouse on Sunday mornings from 9-11 AM. Ju-Jitsu, literally translated as “Art of Softness” is a traditional Japanese martial art consisting primarily of grappling. The instructor of this class, Ivan Campbell, lived in Japan for 7 years training in traditional and modern styles of Ju-Jitsu. The class consists of 15 minutes of stretching, 45 minutes of traditional forms, which are basic self defense skills focusing on strikes, blocks, and counter attacks. This is followed by 20 minutes of exercises, including tumbling and cardio. The class ends with 30 minutes of sparring.