News

By: Kae Tritle, RN; Well-Being Coordinator   January seems to be the month when we all take a collective sigh of relief and catch our breath.  All of the Christmas hustle and bustle has finished, and the spring events have yet to be planned.  Because January is the first month of the calendar year, it seems to be a month of beginnings.       But, there can’t be beginnings without endings. Over the past year, external events or experiences may have impacted or greatly changed our lives, disabling...

By: Kae Tritle, RN—Wellness Coordinator Here is an opportunity for becoming the YOU that you are meant to be!  Introducing Wondrhealth, a health-full eating/activity and behavioral skills program for improving well-being and weight. This all-digital health-fullness program is being offered to clergy, conference employees and their spouses who are currently participating in our health plan. With the Wondrhealth program, we’re giving you the opportunity to learn how to lose weight and improve ...

By Kae Tritle, RN Well-Being Coordinator   Life this fall seems to be back to normal—stores, churches, schools and businesses are open and operating as usual. We are attending sporting events, plays, concerts and other social events. We are gathering with our friends and family in each other’s homes and restaurants. Fewer people are sick with COVID-19. But life isn’t quite the same as it was before the pandemic. We are still being careful with whom we get close. There has been a dramatic shift ...

By Kae Tritle, RN Well-being Coordinator   Iowa fall weather is here: sunny days with lower humidity and crisp mornings that beckons us to be outside. One of my favorite activities in this weather is walking. It is inexpensive, requires minimal equipment, and can be done almost anywhere.    Benefits of walking include increased circulation, endurance, balance, and the maintenance of metabolism, muscle, and joint function. Research has also noted that physical activity done outside is good for ...

2022 Iowa Annual Conference Session Well-Being Activities  Contact: Kae Tritle, RN, Well-being Coordinator at bktritle@msn.com The Wellness Screening Event at the 2022 Iowa Annual Conference Session is open to conference employees, and all clergy and spouses. This includes all local pastors, part-time pastors, commissioned, probationary, extension and retired clergy, elders, deacons, and ministry candidates even if you aren’t on the conference insurance.   When: Saturday, June 4, 2022 from 6:00 ...

By Kae Tritle, RN Well-Being Coordinator   Spring is finally here, and the weather beckons us to be outside. One of the easiest and healthiest changes you can make is to increase your physical activity by taking regular walks. Some of us have gotten in the habit of wearing digital fitness devices, which keep count of all the steps we take during the day. I have found that when I’m confined to my office and computer, I only take 2,000-3,000 steps per day or less. But when I get outside for a ...

Kae Tritle, RN Well-Being Coordinator   We have come through the darkness of winter and the angst of the omicron surge. Many of us are ready for spring and the rebirth of Easter. But to get to Easter, we need to travel through Lent. Lent is usually a time of spiritual reflection, focusing on our relationship with God and walking with Jesus in preparation for Easter.     As we move through this season of Lent, I would like to remind you that we are wholistic beings, more than the sum of our ...

For Persons on the Conference Health Plan Thinking about improving your health and your body? Wondering about how you can do it?  Especially since what you have tried before hasn’t lasted?   Wonder no more—Try Wondrhealth. A program with a different approach—skills to help you change how and when you eat, looking at hunger patterns, stress eating, favorite foods first, how to manage buffet tables, and saboteurs. Helping you to explore reasons why you eat, how to fulfill  vital needs and care ...

By: Kae Tritle, RN Well-being Coordinator    It has been a long 18 months since the pandemic changed all of our lives. Now that life and society are beginning to recover, and we are still dealing with the consequences of those changes and the effects of the pandemic. As our schools and churches come back together, we are excited to connect with each other and to be in each other’s presence.  Part of our health-fullness is to be in relationship with each other and to interact with one another. ...

Announcing an opportunity to participate in WondrHealth (formally Natura)(y Slim), a health-full eating/activity and behavioral skills program for improving well-being and weight. This all-digital health-fullness program is being offered to our clergy and their spouses who are currently participating in our health plan.  With the Wondrhealth program, you have the opportunity to learn how to lose weight and improve your health while eating your favorite foods—at NO FINANCIAL COST. We are ...

Written by Kae Tritle, RN, Conference Wellness Coordinator As we move into a new conference year, I would like to high-light our Well-Being programs that are available to our clergy, spouses, and conference employees.  Virgin Pulse Activity Program  Virgin Pulse is available to conference employees, all clergy and their spouses. It is a web-based activity program that helps you earn rewards for enhancing your fitness and overall wellness through the digital tracking of physical activities, ...

Submitted by Kae Tritle, RN Well-Being Coordinator   Now that warmer weather has arrived, we all have the itch to get outside and become active. We want to shake off the winter blahs, enjoy the sunshine and get our bodies in shape. Most people believe that being in shape and fit is someone who is thin and athletic and can run for miles and miles. What fitness really means is your heart, lungs, and muscles have the ability to function effectively and efficiently. God designed our bodies to be ...

Submitted by: Kae Tritle, RN Wellness Coordinator   This has been a marathon year of coping with the effects of Covid-19. Unfortunately, we are not through. Like all marathons, the last third of the race feels the longest.  The same is true now for the pandemic.     While it seems that we have been in a holding pattern, waiting for life to resume, we have really been in a society-altering transition.  Life will not go back to what it was before Covid-19. Zoom gatherings are here to stay.  The ...

By Kae Tritle, RN Wellness Coordinator The page on the calendar may have flipped to a different year, but much of what we are coping with hasn’t changed.  Covid-19 is still here with all of the social, economic, health, and psychological impacts. We are still social distancing, working, schooling, and worshipping from home. We are still taking health precautions and waiting our turn for the vaccine. Many persons are still waiting for the economy to recover and to have consistent income. Life is...

Kae Tritle, RN—Wellness Coordinator   Life’s storms are still with us and all around us. We are still recovering from natural disasters: hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and the derecho. We are still coping with the implications of COVID-19—continued social distancing, use of technology for virtual school, work meetings, worship, and maintenance of family/friend contacts, health precautions, employment issues, and financial impacts. We are so weary of all of the changes, precautions, and how to do...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 26, 2020 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee has announced plans to host a series of educational webinars that will be made available at Facebook.com/UMCglobalaidsfund and archived on their website. The webinar series will be held during the following months: October 2020, November 2020, February 2021, April 2021 and June 2021. These webinars will serve to educate, support and advocate for those affected by HIV/AIDS. The webinars will...

By Kae Tritle, RN Well-being Coordinator   In the past few months and particularly this past week, we have been pounded by several storms; literally, emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually. Our lives and our emotions have been pummeled with several issues; mostly related to the impact of the COVID-19 virus including jobs, health, schools for our children, loss of in-person connections, loss of spiritual connections, financial effects, community diversity issues, and now the brunt...