Febuary 1, is Wear Red Day!

The American Heart Association is asking all of us to wear red this Friday, February 1st, to raise awareness that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. Grab one of your girlfriends, employees and/or co workers and go shopping for something red! Pull out some crimson from your closet and get this life-saving message across! WEAR RED -- remind women we care about their health and their bodies! Go to http://www.americanheart.org and take a risk health asssessment quiz. Too few people realize that heart disease is the number one killer of women--and men. The good news is that heart disease can often be prevented and managed. Spreading the "Go Red for Women" message to Love Your Heart raises awareness of heart disease and empowers women to reduce their risk. Visithttp://goredforwomen.org to learn more.

It helps to get creative with wellness challenges even on a budget!

A wellness team can create challenges that are effective even if you're on a budget. For example, have employees track 1 point for every minute they exercise per day. Define exercise as a specific, designated amount of time relegated to movement. It could be walking, housework, gardening, or actual exercising! Have employees collect their points and turn them in at the end of each week. Provide a handout for points and journal. Remember to remind them that the "Honor Code" is in effect! At the end of each week take the top two, three or four individuals with the highest number of points and they receive a prize! Use your budget money on prizes. Welcoa www.welcoa.org, America's premier wellness association has lots of free information. Wellness does not have to be expensive and it will save your company money over time!

Define Your Team Goals

One of the best ways to stay focused with a wellness program is to have your team define their goals. The team should identify what health goals they want to accomplish and how that plan will be carried out. The team should set short term and long term goals. For example, a short term goal could be:

• encouraging employees to go to the doctor

A long term goal could be:

• reducing the number of employees with uncontrolled high blood pressure

Since one out of three older Americans have high blood pressure it is an ideal goal to address. Ideas for goal setting can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/ If your team is interested in lowering blood pressure, reliable information can be found at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/

Make Teams a Part of Your Wellness Program

Asking your employees to part of a results-oriented wellness program is a critical part of the work site wellness process. Creating a formally appointed wellness team with strong leadership and definite roles and responsibilities will also help with success. Creating a formal agenda will again help drive the program. Having the team figure out a mission, simple platform, and motivating opportunities to compete will drive the program.
A simple platform for offering incentives or rewards to participating employees
An example of a really organized wellness program is Waukesha County in Southeast Wisconsin. They are preparing for their seventh year of wellness. Their effective, organized collaborative community partnerships, have made Waukesha County Nationally recognized. Their team of supporters from many areas in the community have focused on achieving positive, measurable outcomes in improving health through systemic change http://www.wctc.edu/waukesha/vision.htm. Check it out. Simple, organized and effective.

Host a Chair Massage Day

There is no doubt that one of the biggest and most appreciated events for employees is free chair massage day! Massage is a great way for people to relieve stress and recharge for the work day. This kind of stress reduction can go a long way toward increasing productivity and employee morale. Corporate chair massage has quickly become one of the most popular and requested benefits in the workplace today. The physical demands of long hours at the computer and the high stress of the new marketplace have made all forms of work stress reduction increasingly necessary. A good chair massage reduces fatigue and tension. It is a no brainer way to make your employees feel appreciated.

Use the National Health Observer Calendar to Benefit Your Wellness Program

Health observances are days, weeks, or months devoted to promoting particular health concerns. The National Health Information Center http://www.healthfinder.gov/library/nho/nhoyear.asp?year=2008 lists all national health observances, along with the sponsoring organizations and information about supporting materials that are available online. Use this effective tool at special times of the year to sponsor health promotion events, stimulate awareness of health risks, or focus on disease prevention in your company. For example, next month is Go Red for Women month! The goal is to have women make health a priority and raise awareness about women's No. 1 killer, heart disease. More information is available at http://www.americanheart.org/ By using the National Health Observance Calendar, employees can take advantage of the latest health promotion or disease prevention information available about the topic of a health observance to improve their own health or the health of family members.

Promote a Healthy Diet at Your Workplace

Promote a healthy diet at work. Excess weight and physical inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the United States, second only to deaths related to smoking http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r991026.htm. Employees who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease, and joint pain. Excess weight can also cause interrupted breathing during sleep (sleep apnea) and wearing away of the joints (osteoarthritis). Six out of ten Americans admit to eating more than they should http://pewresearch.org/pubs/309/eating-more-enjoying-less. It’s no
secret, that knowing what to choose to eat is getting more and more
difficult and employees know their eating habits
are getting worse. How does your company cafeteria stack up? Start with an inventory of foods that contain high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or more than 10 added grams of sugar per serving. Consider removing them from the menu! It may sound drastic but it's a healthy way to start 2008.

Incentives Will Increase Employee Participation

A recent Workplace Mangement Survey On incentives conducted by Workplace Program Management and Wellness Junction reported "Almost 70 percent of wellness managers now encourage employee participation in wellness programs through incentives or rewards, up from 54.7 percent of managers who used incentives in 2003."http://www.healthresourcesonline.com/edu/wib.htm Incentives can help increase participation for any kind of challenge you have. Refer to this list for just a few ideas:

▪ T-shirts
▪ Pedometers
▪ Water bottles
▪ Gift certificates
▪ Cook books
▪ Exercise bands
▪ Magnets
▪ Frisbees
▪ Personal certificates
▪ Pins
▪ Stickers

For those of you with a tight budget, many local businesses have proven to be willing
to donate some incentives. Contact restaurants and other businesses in the area to
see if they would be willing to provide either merchandise or even gift
certificates. Incentives will add participation. It's a no brainer!

Health Coaches Can Help Your Walking Program

If you have decided to start a walking program, you might want to engage the support of a fitness or health coach. A certified coach can answer questions, allow individuals to identify current or potential barriers, devise a solution, and help employees implement a personal walking plan. In addition they may help individuals to modify unhealthy behaviors and set realistic goals about weight loss! In a recent Research and Marketing report http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=302705 the health coach was identified as a key player on the team of professionals encouraging employees to take charge of their health. Think about a health coach for your company walking program. It is worth the investment!

Start a Breakfast Challege!

The perfect way to start your wellness program is with a breakfast challenge. Create a handout for employees to record how many times they ate breakfast for one month. Employees that reach 80% or more are eligible to receive a give away such as hat, mug, or T-shirt with Employee Breakfast Champion Printed on it!

Suggest Menu ideas such as:

Whole Grain toast with peanut butter and raisins
Whole Grain bran muffins (low calorie)
Oatmeal with brown sugar and bananas
Healthy Cold Cereal with 10 grams or less of sugar per serving.
Whole Grain Toast, turkey sausage, and low fat cheese slice with tomatoes
1/4 avocado with cottage cheese
Boiled, scrambled or easy side up egg with whole grain toast
Yogurt Smoothie with OJ, yogurt and fresh fruit

Breakfast challenges can be a great hit with employees!Check out this web site for lots of great recipe ideas: http://health.discovery.com/national-body-challenge/recipes/?category=Heart-Healthy&when=Breakfast

Eating Breakfast; The Best Way to Start Your Day of Wellness!

Eating a good breakfast ever day has been proven to help maintain or even help people lose weight. According to Harvard Men's Health Watch http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_031605.htm people who take the time to eat breakfast are leaner than people who skip it.
Missing breakfast increased risk of obesity fourfold, one study showed.
A menu that skips breakfast and makes up for it at lunch with fast food or high calorie items lacks the fiber that can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, intestinal polyps and colon cancer.

Guidelines to remember:
Pick cereal containing with at least 6 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, and add nonfat milk, berries and bananas to top it off.

Stick to toasted whole-grains like rye and pumpernickel bread topped with trans-fat-free, cholesterol-lowering spreads. Eggs don't need to be banned from the breakfast table, but are better reserved for the occasional brunch.

Try a little experimentation—a whole grain cereal one day, pumpernickel toast with peanut butter the next, yogurt with bananas and low fat granola the next.

Learning to eat a healthy breakfast has been proven to make a healthier start to your day!

Wellness is Much More Than the Absence of Sickness

Wellness for an employee means much more than the absence of sickness. Wellness is a way of living that emphasizes preventative health. Preventative health means eating healthy foods, making exercise an enjoyable part of life, controlling weight and making self care decision that will actively improve the quality life. By investing in wellness for your employees, you are reducing their risk for chronic disease and eliminating unnecessary trips to the doctor. The University of California At Berkeley Wellness letter has extensive research on the benefits of helping employees live a healthy and active life.//http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/fw/fwIntro.html

How Wellness Programs Keep Workers on the Job

Dr. David Hunnicutt, CEO of WellCOA, the leading national non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting healthier life styles for all Americans, especially through health promotion initiatives at the worksite explains to Small Biz correspondent Joshua Kendall how wellness programs keep workers on the job -- and medical premiums down.

For small-business owners seeking to control soaring health-care costs, employees who neglect their health can be time bombs waiting to explode. Why? Managed-care companies set premiums based on an entire group's claims history. If just one of your workers has a serious health problem, the company can wind up with higher rates for years. That's why a growing number of companies are setting up employee wellness programs. Such programs generally consist of providing your staff with free annual health-screenings to check for warning signs like high-cholesterol and high-blood pressure-conditions which can portend serious problems down the road. Many business-owners also give employees incentives to reach specific health-related goals. A wellness program doesn't have to be expensive. There are local wellness companies that will administer the screenings for as little as $20-$40 per worker. Dr. David Hunnicutt is President of the Wellness Councils of America, a non-profit organization based in Omaha, Neb. that helps small businesses, large companies, and government organizations set up and administer wellness programs. Hunnicutt spoke with Small Biz correspondent Joshua Kendall about how entrepreneurs can use wellness at their companies. "Wellness really means making the whole company healthier so the business can move forward." Here are some edited excerpts from the conversation he had with Small Biz Magazine:
Q: What do wellness programs cover, and how can they help small-business owners?A: They typically address issues like obesity and cardiovascular disease, as well as mental-health issues like stress and parenting skills. Ergonomics may sometimes also be covered. Besides helping reduce medical and disability costs, wellness can reduce absenteeism and increase presenteeism -- that is, making sure that employees are ready to work when they are at their desks.
Q: How do you set up a wellness program?
A: It's fairly easy. First, you need to find what your employees need. You might administer health screenings to determine if there are any common health problems in the company. Or simply ask employees what they would like to see -- say, exercise programs or stress management. With that information, you can devise a plan and set aside a budget. Choose some interventions to get workers motivated -- say, an annual fun-run for employees, or lunches that educate employees about a critical health-care topic, such as lower-back pain. Whatever you do, you need to create a supportive environment by setting up corporate policies that promote wellness. You might, for example, provide a formal orientation for all new employees on your wellness program and reinforce wellness through a newsletter or an annual wellness banquet. Finally, companies should continue to evaluate how well the overall program is working.
Q: What are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make?A: One big mistake is to skip the information gathering-phase. Although about 90% of companies have at least one wellness activity -- say, a smoke-out -- only about one-third actually collect hard data. If you don't know what your employees are concerned about, you can't design an effective program. Other common misconceptions are that wellness is none of my business, or that employees won't participate.
Q: What services can Wellness Companies provide for small companies?
A: For small companies, we typically help small employers design a bench marked program that is right for their company. This is called "wellness planning." And we'll steer you to providers who can actually implement the specific activities of your program.
Wellness can be accessed at any Level. That is the message

Wellness Programs Viewed as Investment Rather Than Expense

The Principal Financial Group, a leading global financial company reported statistics regarding wellness programs from 2007. http://www.principal.com/about/news/2008/lhswellness010808.htm
According to the Principal Financial Well-Being Index a surprising number of companies do not yet have access to wellness at their workplace. In addition, the survey shows the majority of American workers with access to wellness programs are using them and report them to be helpful for overall health and a chance to live a longer life. Motivation, education, and management support are the keys to help employees learn about wellness. Help your company adopt patterns of thought and behavior that will gradually lead them to a healthier lifestyle. Start a wellness program at your company today.

More Reason's for a Walking Program

Walking is a great way to help your employees manage their weight. Studies show that fitness is a strong indicator of longevity. Studies also show that walking 10,000 steps per day helps people to achieve and keep healthy weight levels.

• Goals for your employees to work towards:
  
  Plan to walk at least four days a week (even if it is for ten minutes)
  Try to work up to 30 consecutive minutes and more if possible
  As you become more fit, increase the intensity of the walk
  Measure your progress, record your distance and time
  
  

A Walking Program is Good for your Company

As a registered dietitian, I live by the theory that the greatest portion of illness is preventable through changes in personal nutrition and lifestyle choices. This theory happened to be published in a widely discussed New England Journal of Medicine article from 1993 written by The Health Project consortium, a New York City-based organization with members from private and public sectors. According to its essay, preventable illness makes up approximately 70 percent of the burden of illness and associated costs.a. In that light, if most disease results from environmental risks factors, employers who encourage activity such as walking may be able to change the entire culture and health of the American workplace! The American College of Sports Medicinea and thea recommend some type of moderate level aerobic activity such as walking for at least 30 minutes or for three 10 minute bouts, at least three to five days per week. Research has shown that moderate walking can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 40%!This is so much for so little! Create a walking program at your company today. Show this and links to a senior executive today. They are the people responsible for setting priorities and allocating resources for your programs!

Come Walk With US!

Come walk with us! -- You don't have to compete, there's no wrong way to do it and no maximum time you have to achieve.

That is the way to go about starting a walking program at your company. Walking programs at work involve encouragement and incentive to get each other moving. A recent article in WebMD http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/walking-for-wellness explains the benefits of walking.

Create a little challenge by asking employees to set their own personal goal and try to meet it. A goal could be "plan on walking ten minutes more than the day before, or just ten minutes to start!"

By creating a small goal, employees are more likely to stick with it and achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Walking is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. It's one of your body's most natural forms of exercise. It's safe, simple, doesn't require practice, and the health benefits are many!

Welcome to 2008 365 Days of Wellness!

Wellness Corporate Solutions invites you to start off 2008 by visiting this blog every day and getting ideas and inspiration to adopt a healthier lifestyle for yourself and your employees. Make 2008 the year to join the growing number of companies that are providing wellness programs. The good news: A recent study sponsored by the CDC found that from 2001 to 2005, the prevalence of regular physical activity increased 8.6% among women overall (from 43.0% to 46.7%) and 3.5% among men (from 48.0% to 49.7%). Could we link this increase to the number of companies that are implementing worksite wellness programs and allocating time for employees to participate? I would certainly bet on it!