A Resolution for Wellness

December 28, 2010

“When the body is weak, it takes over command. When strong, it obeys.” Jean Jacques-Rousseau

We are told of two certainties in life: death and taxes. I’m beginning to think it is the first over which we have greater control. We can not avoid our own demise, but we can certainly choose how to best spend the time before it arrives.

My resolution for 2011 is therefore beyond a new diet, exercise plan or even prosperity. This year I choose wellness and all that it encompasses. For me, wellness is about a healthy mind, healthy body and healthy spirit.

Healthy Mind
Reducing stress is a great way to calm the mind. Though you probably can’t get rid of all your stress, you can certainly choose whether and how to manage it. This is true both at home and in the workplace.

Maintaining a healthy mind means fighting back negative thoughts and choosing to see the proverbial glass as half-full. You can choose to see the good in others and provide genuine praise for what your co-workers are doing. Celebrate their achievements and promotions. You lose nothing by cheering on others, and do the same for yourself.

And if you stop viewing yourself as a victim you will no longer be one. Take responsibility for your situation and make changes to move on.

The easiest way to calm your mind and keep it healthy is to simply breathe deeply when you feel yourself getting upset. Drink a full glass of water. Take a quick walk around the office or the parking lot.

A healthy mind requires that we continually nourish it so it remains on our side. This nourishment is not expensive or time-consuming. It only takes discipline and focus.

Healthy Body
For most of us, a worthwhile goal for our physical health is losing a few pounds and working out regularly at the gym. I’ve always found that there is direct relationship between higher stress when I am eating poorly or not getting enough exercise, so for me a healthy mind and body are intricately connected.

But why not choose to lose these pounds by eating more of the right foods and eliminating more of the bad ones? And don’t suffer by starving yourself. Instead choose to eat right 80% of the time and then cut yourself some slack 20% of the time. You may not see results as quickly, but you’re more likely to stick with this approach by making it a lifestyle you can live with.

If you don’t enjoy working out, why not find a physical activity you really like and put more of yourself into it? You can keep your body limber and healthy many different ways, including by swimming, bicycle riding, kayaking, skiing, yoga, dancing, martial arts, or simply by taking brisk walks around the neighborhood. Again, the results may not show up as quickly, but you are more likely to make this a lifestyle change you can sustain.

Healthy Spirit
Though I am not a religious person, I believe there is more to this life than our own individual existence. This outer focus helps keep me humble, feel more connected to others, and enables me to appreciate the wonder in each moment.

Meditation has certainly been helpful in keeping me mindful and this is something I need to incorporate into my life again. With meditation I am able to still my mind and open myself to the spirit. For me, this results in greater awareness and inner peace.

I am certain other people are able to find similar benefits from prayer or attending religious ceremonies.

Like yoga, the benefits of meditation are in the practice so the more you look for some immediate reward from having done it, the more disappointed you may be. Again, try to focus on this as a lifestyle change that you can live with rather than a quick fix.

Wellness requires my constant focus and discipline so that it remains a way of life. It can’t be found simply in a new diet regimen or membership at my local health club. And if you are looking for a quick fix to your own wellness, you will be disappointed with this approach.

My resolution for 2011 is a wellness program in body, mind and spirit that can be sustained not only for the first few months of the new year, but for the rest of my life. I hope you too succeed in your own resolutions. Happy New Year!

Workplace Wellness Programs for Waistlines and Bottom Lines

June 25, 2010

With summer’s extended daylight and warmer weather, it’s time to spend more time outside, get consistent exercise, and focus on our physical health. Along with the beginning of the New Year, the start of summer typically marks a time when many of us decide to take charge of our health.

Obviously, our physical well-being should be monitored year round because this is the best way to maintain healthy weight and prevent illness. So why don’t we do it?

Many reasons exist for not getting to the gym regularly or walking rather than driving for an errand. Time is the most convenient and popular excuse. And many of us blame our jobs for taking away too much of this.

Should employers then be responsible for their employees’ overall health?

In the United States, almost 80% of illnesses are considered preventable and they represent 90% of all health care costs. People with more risk factors, including being overweight, smoking and having diabetes not only cost more to insure, they also pay more for health care than individuals with fewer risk factors.

Many organizations have chosen to implement workplace wellness programs to reduce injuries, health care costs and long-term disability. They also do so to encourage employees to take charge of their own health and well-being. These programs are a good return on investment, but can be difficult to measure.

Some research suggests that for every dollar spent on employee wellness, employers get an average of $3.48 back in reduced health care costs and $5.82 in lower absenteeism.

Employees who live more healthy lifestyles have:

  • reduced sick leave
  • improved work performance
  • decrease health insurance costs
  • increased productivity
  • reduced overall costs

Workplace wellness programs may include flexible work schedules, health club memberships, smoking cessation programs, diet and nutrition counseling, stress management techniques, bike or walk to work incentives, and many others.

My wife’s company currently participates in a program called Just Walk 10,000 Steps-a-Day that shows people how they can benefit from simply walking and encourages them to engage in this activity throughout each day. Participants wear a pedometer for two months in order to monitor their daily activity with the goal of 10,000 steps each day.

Workplace wellness program can:

Reduce absenteeism. Healthier employees spend fewer days away from work due to illness, which can save the organization thousands, even millions, of dollars on down time and temporary employment.

Control health care costs. Employers have a vested interest in health-related issues and reducing unnecessary medical costs that consume corporate profits and employee paychecks.

Improve presenteeism. Presenteeism is the phenomenon occurring when employees are at work but do not feel as productive as usual due to stress, depression, injury or illness.

Reduce injuries. Healthy employees with less risk factors are at a lower risk for injury than those unhealthy employees with more risk factors. Classes are a popular means of trying to prevent injury, including exercise classes, smoking cessation courses, back care programs and stress management lectures.

Improve employee morale and retention. Employee turnover is expensive and an employee wellness program is an added benefit to encourage employee retention. Company sponsored workplace wellness programs send a clear message to employees that management values their well-being.

Many companies, however, find it hard to justify their return on investment due to a lack of standardization among wellness program offerings or components.

The Alliance for Wellness ROI is an inter-company nonprofit cooperative formed to standardize the terminology and measurement of the return on investment of wellness programs. It recently created a Wellness ROI Modeler that calculates return on investment using comparative health care claims, wellness program participation, normalized claims data and wellness expenditures.

The Alliance hopes this modeler will become a useful tool for companies to prove that investment in a wellness program has a positive financial return and can help curb the rising costs of healthcare.

A healthy lifestyle can not and should not be the sole responsibility of employers, but encouraging employees to take charge of their health through workplace wellness programs can go a long way toward improving the health of individuals and the overall bottom line.

Mark Craemer           www.craemerconsulting.com