October marks the beginning of the AEP season. Here at Senior Marketing Specialists, that also means it’s time to focus on health and wellness! Every year during AEP, we host a myriad of team-building and health-awareness activities to help with AEP-related stress in our office. This year we decided to extend this awareness to our agents! We know AEP is a hectic time, but we want to make sure you are staying physically and mentally on point to better take care of your business. Look for an Agent Care and Encouragement (ACE) post every Friday for motivation. If you are strong, your business will reflect it. Trust us.

Green Ain’t Easy, but Veggies are Worth it

This weeks topic focuses on everyone’s favorite food: Veggies! Alright, we know vegetables aren’t super exciting, but they are essential. This article, Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables, written by Joanne Slavin and Beate Lloyd, outlines the importance of including vegetables in your diet. Because of the academic nature of the article, it is a bit dense, but we encourage you to read the highlights below and refer to the article for additional information.

Highlights

Half your plate should consist of fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and veggies are recommended because of their concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
While a boiled potato is nutrient-dense, a fried potato adds an incredible amount of fat and sodium to your diet. (AKA: French fries are not a healthy starch.)
Analysis shows only 0-5% of individuals ingest a necessary amount of fiber, which is abundant in fruits and vegetables.
Recommended daily fiber: Approximately 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men ages 19-50. Approximately 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men 51 and older.
Humans should consume a variety of foods in moderation to obtain the required amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Consuming fruit and vegetable juices is not as beneficial as eating whole fruits and veggies.
Adding a fiber supplement to your drink is less effective than consuming fruits and vegetables.
Eat the entire fruit or vegetable, including peel and membrane, whenever possible (ie: Don’t skip your baked potato peel!)

How SMS Can Help

As much as we wish we could go grocery shopping for all our agents, we just can’t. But there are services we offer to help you focus on veggies and meal prep rather than worrying about your business. Here are some things SMS can do to help you skip the drive-thru and take a break:

Supplies: Let us order supplies for you! No need to worry about navigating carrier websites to stock up on apps. Simply gives us a call with which applications you need and how many you plan to write. Check out our Products page to see all the companies and product lines we offer!
Live Chat Support: Get the answers to all your AEP questions instantly with the Live Chat option on our Home Page. Simply click the chat head in the lower right-hand corner to begin instant messaging with one of our knowledgeable marketers! If we’re away, click the envelope in the same spot or make your way to our Contact Us page to send us a message.
Compliance Help: If you are the type that reads all of CMS’ 2017 Medicare Marketing Guidelines, you deserve a medal. If not, we’ve got your back! Give us a call or check out the 2017 SMS AEP Toolbox for compliance guidance this Annual Enrollment Period.