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Healthy Holiday Treats
Posted on: December 6, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7The holiday season means time spent with family and friends. A large portion of this time is usually centered around food. No one wants to give up their favorite holiday treats- and you shouldn't have to! It is easy to indulge without blowing your diet this season. Here are a few healthy recipes you can whip up for your next holiday party! Gingerbread People Cookies Per cookie: 99 calories, 2 g fat , 12 mg cholesterol, 88 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein 6 tablespoons bu ...
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Lead Hazards in Some Holiday Toys
Posted on: December 5, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7The holiday season is here, and that means many children will be given toys as gifts. While new toys are a holiday tradition, parents should be aware of potential lead hazards associated with toys, including toy jewelry. Review these important facts to keep your children safe this holiday season. Lead is invisible to the naked eye and has no smell. Children may be exposed to it from consumer products through normal handling of the product. They often place toys and other objects, as well as the ...
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December 2012 Health Care Reform
Posted on: December 4, 2012Categories: HR & ComplianceAt Clarke & Company Benefits we recognize the changes that are about come in 2014. We are working to keep on top of the changes and bringing you the most up-to-date topics on the Health Care Reform. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires certain plans to offer a comprehensive package of items and services that meets certain actuarial value requirements, known as an essential health benefits (EHB) package. This requirement applies to non-grandfathered plans in the individu ...
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Ten Healthy Tips for the Holidays
Posted on: December 3, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7The holidays are a time to celebrate, give thanks, and reflect. They are also a time to pay special attention to your health. Give the gift of health and safety to yourself and others by following these holiday tips: Wash hands often to keep yourself from spreading germs and getting sick. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds. Bundle up to stay dry and warm. Wear appropriate outdoor clothing: layers of light, warm clothing; mittens; hats; scarves; and ...
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Keeping Healthy While Traveling
Posted on: November 30, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7The holidays are upon us, and that usually means traveling in one form or another for most of us. Whether you’re traveling with children, pets, or just trying to stay healthy and sane en route from here to there, here’s some suggestions to keep your body and mind in tip-top shape. Start Now. Don’t wait until the day before your plane trip to start planning. Stay on top of your exercise regimes now, eat right now, and your body and mind will be in better shape to handle the transitions, ...
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Protect Yourself and Your Family From the Flu
Posted on: November 29, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7Flu season is upon us. Influenza is a serious contagious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Take the following actions to protect yourself and those you love: Make Sure You Get a Flu Vaccine A flu vaccine is the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine as soon as the current season's vaccines are available. Vaccinations of high risk persons (pregnant, older than 65, younger than ...
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The 20 Best Foods in Your Grocery Store
Posted on: November 29, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7Grocery stores are stocked with hundreds of thousands of options for us to choose from. This is a list of the 20 best foods you can buy in your local grocery store. These foods are proven to help fight fat, build muscle, and prevent disease. By adding just a few of these to your cart this week, you are taking a step toward a healthier lifestyle! Almonds: These nuts are a powerful source of monounsaturated fats. This type of fat can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood ...
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COBRA Notice Requirements Video
Posted on: November 29, 2012Categories: HR & ComplianceDue to the constant changes in health care reform and employee benefits, Clarke & Company Benefits will be providing our clients and the public with access to detailed video segments presented by experts on compliance related topics. We want you to feel confident that you are compliant and understand these changes. These videos will include topics such as W-2 Reporting Requirements, COBRA, Family Medical Leave Act, and many more. We will continue to highlight each video on our HR & ...
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Breathing Techniques To Help Reduce Stress
Posted on: November 28, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7For many of us, relaxation means zoning out in front of the TV at the end of a stressful day. But this does little to reduce the damaging effects of stress. To effectively combat stress, we need to activate the body's natural relaxation response. You can do several breathing practices such as deep breathing, meditation, rhythmic exercise, and yoga. Fitting these activities into your daily routine can greatly reduce stress and boost your energy and mood. The Stimulating Breath (otherwise known a ...
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Weight Loss Challenge 2013- Win An Amazon Kindle!
Posted on: November 28, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7Who can participate: Any one who is an employee of a Clarke & Company client with a BMI over 25. Click here to calculate your BMI! What: 2013 Weight Loss Challenge! 5 overall winners: 3 individuals who lose the highest percentage of body weight and 2 employees who lose the most pounds will each win an Amazon Kindle Fire! When: The 1st weigh-in is on January 14th, half-way point February 15th, and the final weigh-in March 22nd. Where: You will weigh-in with HR on January 14th. Why: ...
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The Social Benefits of Exercise
Posted on: November 26, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7Adults often benefit by taking a cue from children. Children are often combining social time with exercise. Joining a group exercise class or a neighborhood tennis, basketball or softball team allows adults to act like kids again, enhance their social life and improve their health through exercise. Beth Kallmyer, Director of Family and Information Services for the Alzheimer’s Association, told Agingcare.com about another way that social exercise benefits people: It helps with the aging proce ...
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Pregnant Women Need a Flu Shot!
Posted on: November 19, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7If you're pregnant, a flu shot is your best protection against serious illnesses caused by the flu. The flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant. Changes in the immune system, heart and lungs during pregnancy make pregnant women more prone to severe illness from flu, which can lead to hospitalization or even death. A pregnant woman with the flu also has a greater chance of serious problems for her unborn baby, including miscarriage or prete ...
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The Health Benefits of Pets
Posted on: November 16, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7We've known it for millennia: animals make us feel good. But they also do us good (when they aren't gnawing on our shoes, that is). Over the last 20 years, research on human-animal interactions has emerged, proving that people who have pets are happier and healthier. They visit the doctor less often, have more fun, and feel more secure than people who don’t have pets. Why? Despite how many gadgets we own, humans are animals—and the need to be around other animals is a fundamental part of ...
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Free Yourself from Smoking on November 15
Posted on: November 14, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7If you or someone you know is a smoker, the idea of quitting (or helping someone else to quit) has probably crossed your mind. Almost 70% of smokers want to stop smoking, and about 52% of them try to stop each year. The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, takes place every year on the third Thursday of November. It was established to encourage smokers to not smoke on that day and to make plans to quit smoking for good. Why not join others around the country and ...
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November is Epilepsy Awareness Month
Posted on: November 12, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Epilepsy affects about 2 million people in the United States and is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Delayed recognition of these seizures and inadequate treatment increases the risk for additional seizures, disability, decreased health-related quality of life and, in rare instances, death. Although epilepsy can occur at any age, the condition is more likely to begin among children less than 2 years of age and adults older than 65 y ...
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Yoga: Tap Into the Many Health Benefits
Posted on: November 9, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7Your kids are demanding the latest video game, your boss wants that report done yesterday, and your partner wants to know what's for dinner. Stress and anxiety are everywhere. If they're getting the best of you, you might want to make like a cobra or a mountain and try yoga. Yoga's series of postures — some with names from nature — and controlled breathing exercises are a popular means of stress management and relaxation. Today, yoga classes teaching the art of breathing, meditation and pos ...
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Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
Posted on: November 9, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7It's difficult not to gush about green tea. More than a decade's worth of research about green tea's health benefits -- particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease -- has been more than intriguing, as have limited studies about green tea's role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia. Green Tea's Powerful Antioxidants Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and con ...
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For Omega-3s, Fish Still Better Than Pills
Posted on: November 7, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids slightly reduces the risk for stroke, a large review of studies has found, but taking supplements of omega-3 fatty acids does not have the same effect. Researchers writing in the online journal BMJ reviewed data from 38 studies that included almost 800,000 subjects and 34,817 cerebrovascular incidents. The studies varied in size and methodology; some were based on self-reporting of diets, some on blood tests, some on supplements. The researchers reviewe ...
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November 2012 Health Care Reform
Posted on: November 7, 2012Categories: HR & ComplianceAdditional Medicare Tax The Affordable Care Act (ACA) increases the Medicare hospital insurance tax rate for high-income individuals beginning in 2013. The Additional Medicare Tax applies to individuals' wages, other compensation and self-employment income over certain thresholds. Employers are responsible for withholding the tax on wages and other compensation in certain circumstances. The Additional Medicare Tax goes into effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. The rate ...
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Eleventh Circuit Rules Wellness Program Complies with the ADA
Posted on: November 5, 2012Categories: LiveWell 24/7On Aug. 20, 2012, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an employer’s wellness program that required employees to complete a health risk assessment (HRA) and take a biometic screening, or pay a penalty, did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the court, the employer’s wellness program fell under the ADA’s safe harbor for bona fide benefit plans. Seff v. Broward County Florida (11th Cir. 2012). This Clarke & Company Benefits, LLC Legislative B ...
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