Amanda Smith: Hi, everyone. My name is Amanda Smith, and I'm your wellness coordinator for the 2023 Wellness Program Year at San Juan Regional Medical Center. Any questions you may have regarding your wellness program, steps to earn an incentive and what resources you have access to on your wellness portal can be directed to me.

Speaking of your wellness program, I would love to take this time to share about the upcoming wellness challenge, Abs for August. As you may have guessed by the name, the challenge is focused on building a strong core during the month of August. This challenge includes a workout calendar with various core exercises to complete each day of the month, but feel free to add your own core exercises throughout the program too. After you complete your exercises for the day, be sure to update your participation on the wellness portal. It is our hope that the exercises in this challenge stay a part of your health and fitness routine. As mentioned previously, the Abs for August Challenge begins August 1st and runs through August 31st.

The next step is getting signed up for the challenge. To sign up for the challenge, you must first log into your wellness account. For those who have not yet accessed their account information, it's included in your 2023 Wellness Program guide, including your username and temporary password. Once logged into the wellness portal, on the homepage under Wellbeing Desktop, there is a button labeled "Challenges." Click on this to open our challenge dashboard. Here you'll find the Abs for August Challenge. By clicking "Click for Details," you can read more information about the challenge, such as the requirement and incentive for completion. For this challenge, the goal is to complete 15 habits or days of the challenge to earn credit for step three of your wellness program. Those who complete the challenge will be entered into a raffle where 10 lucky participants will win a prize. Who doesn't love a raffle prize?

To sign up for the challenge, you'll click "Sign Up", and then click "Join." After clicking "Join", you'll have the option for how you would like to appear on the leaderboard. These options include, "To appear on the leaderboard," which means your name and participation ranking will be shown to other participants in the challenge. You may also opt to appear anonymously on the leaderboard. With this option, your name will not appear on the leaderboard, but your participation ranking will be visible to other participants. It will simply show as anonymous. Your last option is to not appear on the leaderboard, neither your name nor participation ranking will be shown. Once you select your preference, click "Proceed to Dashboard." You are also able to update your preference at any time should you choose to decide to appear or not appear on the leaderboard.

On the challenge dashboard, you'll have the leaderboard on the left side of the screen. Here, you'll see how you rank against other challengers. In the event of a tie, the leaderboard is organized alphabetically. And on the right side of the screen, you'll see a roadmap with the habits and your progress. Click on the icons along the road to view that day's workout plan and mark complete once finished. If you are unsure of any exercise listed, please refer to your challenge guide for explanations and pictures of each exercise. This challenge guide is also located on the Wellness Locker. Please note that only one habit can be completed each day.

Now, that we know when the challenge runs and how to participate, let's talk about the core and why a strong core is important. While our challenge is named Abs for August, the exercises within the program are designed to strengthen your core, not just your abdominal muscles. Your core is the central part of your body that move and stabilize the spine and pelvis, and is made up of multiple muscle groups such as your erector spinae. This muscle group runs up the back from your hips and are used to adjust your posture such as bending forward, backwards or standing straight up. You have your multifidus. These muscle groups run along the spine and it help keep your spine stable when you move. Then, you have your obliques. These muscles are located on your sides and allow you to twist and help bend sideways. Then, we have our rectus abdominis. This is the muscle most referred to when mentioning abs. This is the muscle group that forms the six pack at the front of your core. This muscle is responsible for bending forward and curling up and helps with breathing. Lastly, we have our transverse abdominis. This muscle group allows you to suck in your belly towards your spine, an exercise cue you may hear frequently if participating in an exercise class.

Because the core is made up of multiple muscle groups that are responsible for different movements the core does, means it is extremely important to incorporate exercises that work those different muscle groups. Having a strong core has many benefits, such as injury prevention. Strengthening your entire core allows the muscles to work as a unit, which allows your movement to be more efficient and controlled, leading to a decrease in injury. A strong core provides a system of support for the spine when performing everyday movements. When the core is weak, the body may rely more on passive structures such as ligaments, spinal bones or discs, which may cause pain. As mentioned previously, the core includes muscles that stabilize the spine. So consequently, the stronger your core, the better your balance and stability will be. Weak core muscles lead to poor posture. Strengthening the core helps to maintain the spine's natural curvature and pelvis' neutral alignment. Better posture also makes it easier for breathing during exertion because the lungs will have more room to expand. And lastly, improved lifting efficiency and athletic performance. By increasing your balance, stability, and posture and reducing your risk of injury, improves your body's efficiency when lifting and in athletic performance.

Now, that we have a better understanding of our core and why it is so important to be included regularly in our fitness routines, join us for Abs for August. The challenge begins August 1st and runs through August 31st, and you can sign up now. Thanks again for listening.