When was the last time you got lost in a really good book? If it’s been longer than a year, it’s time to dust off your library card. Or pile a stack into your Amazon cart.

Aside from the joys of reading to learn something new, there are neurological and mental benefits of reading, too. Studies show stress reduction, mental stimulation, memory improvement, and improved focus are just a few of the immediate benefits. 

If you enjoy reading about health and wellness in particular, then you’ll love our list of books below to keep you on the path to happy and healthy. 

Whether you’re interested in physical, mental, or spiritual health, you’ll find a book below for you. 

Happy reading! 

With Halloween approaching (and the temptation of office treats), you may be wondering how you can protect your oral health from all the sugary goodness. 

Ironically enough, October shares calendar space with National Dental Hygiene Month, making now as good as ever to review the basics of oral health. 

It’s actually as simple as four easy steps. 

Excellent oral health means more than a pearly-white smile. It means regular dental check-ups and preventive care as well. It’ll also keep your dental hygienist smiling. 

So, are you doing the “Daily 4” as you should?

Fall is here, and so is flu season. 

And, we’re afraid it’s nothing to sniffle at.

After last year’s particularly rough flu season — around 80,000 Americans died due to the flu and its complications — public health officials are urging everyone to consider vaccinations. 

If hard numbers don’t motivate your employees to consider vaccination benefits, we hope these flu shot marketing materials may encourage them. 

Or, at the very least, get them thinking and talking about flu prevention, including thorough hand washing, covering a cough, and staying home when ill. 

This year, October 7-13 is Mental Illness Awareness Week, giving employers a perfect opportunity to share available resources. The theme this year is "Cure Stigma."

Each year, around 43.8 million Americans experience a mental health condition. Now,  more than ever, it’s critical to educate employees about resources to avoid burnout and mental breakdowns and reduce suicide risk. 

Plus, it’s a wise move for businesses to invest in mental health education. A World Health Organization (WHO) study estimated “depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy US $1 trillion each year in lost productivity.” 

Every October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to spread awareness about the disease that kills nearly 41,000 women each year. No matter your office budget, there are plenty of ways to raise breast cancer awareness in the workplace. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to engage the local community through educational events and fundraising challenges.

Ready to get started? Here’s 14 ideas to spread breast cancer awareness: 

You might not think much about your liver. It's not the most glamorous organ, but it's one of the hardest working. Your liver is responsible for many of your body’s metabolic functions and does the lion’s share of toxin removal to keep you healthy and strong. The liver also plays a role in blood health, acting as a “blood recycler” that breaks down old or damaged blood cells in the body, and regulates iron and plasma levels.

To put it bluntly, your liver is irreplaceable. Unlike the heart, if your liver becomes severely damaged, there are no medical procedures, short of a liver transplant, to replace it. But if you take care of your liver, your liver will take care of you. Here are five ways you can keep your liver healthy:

Your office space is the definition of close quarters. Everyone is in the same space, sharing equipment, and spending their entire workdays together. That means when one employee gets sick, it won’t be long until everyone else has caught the bug too. In a matter of days, you could have an office epidemic on your hands.

If you start to notice an outbreak of the flu – or any illness, for that matter – there are some things you can do to make sure you’re still able to do business efficiently out of your office.

All of us deal with some sort of stress on a regular basis. According to a 2017 survey by Gallup, 79% of Americans feel stressed sometimes or frequently throughout the day. Ignoring this stress can lead to a wide array of health issues – both mental and physical. It can also lead to burnout in the workplace.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to relieve stress. One method that has been gaining a lot of popularity throughout the past few years is meditation. In fact, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH), nearly 18 American million adults practice meditation. While meditation is an ancient practice, more and more people are beginning to utilize its relaxing powers to relieve stress and feel more productive.

Research has found many reasons why meditation is good for us, both mentally and physically. Here are nine science-backed reasons you should start meditating on a daily basis: 

Flu season is coming! Hopefully, this means that your company has an onsite flu clinic coming up. If you're having doubts about participating in this year’s flu clinic, we want to help you realize just how vital receiving your annual flu shot is. 

We know that the flu shot has gotten a bad rap in the past years. Common misconceptions have caused many Americans to shy away from getting vaccinated. Many also underestimate the health risks from the flu. Regardless of some of the things you’ve heard about the vaccine, it’s important to know that getting a flu shot is your #1 defense against the flu. 

So, if you have any doubts about participating in this year’s flu shot clinic, read this first: 

One of the most common excuses for skipping the gym is, “I don’t have the time.” We know how crazy busy most full-time employees are. And we’ll admit, finding time to exercise during the workday can be difficult! One of the ways we help our employees here at TotalWellness find more time for exercise is by offering free, on-site fitness classes.

Our Wellness Specialist, Crysta, started teaching fitness classes to her colleagues this July (2018), and we’ve seen some major positive impacts since then! We would like to share our experience – along with some tips – about our on-site fitness classes. We hope our interview with Crysta inspires some other employers to try out on-site fitness classes of their own!