Living On WELL Street

Towers Watson is a leading global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. Their 2011/2012 Staying@Work Survey Report explains the workplace wellness efforts of 248 U.S. companies. Companies surveyed have a minimum of 1,000 employees and represent public, private, government and nonprofit sectors. 

The survey provides valuable insight into the best health and productivity practices of leading U.S. employers. The three pillars of a successful worksite wellness initiative are identified as: 1) rewards, 2) leadership and 3) communication. The report compared high-effectiveness (HE) and low-effectiveness (LE) employers and showed:

• A differential in annual health care costs of more than $1,000 per employee
• A benefits savings for high-effectiveness companies of more than 30%
• HE companies include employee health and productivity in the organization’s goals/values
• HE companies’ leaders are role models for healthy lifestyles
• HE companies focus on mental as well as physical health
  • Offer easy access to preventive care
  • Identify and target health risks in individuals and populations
  • educate employees on the importance of saving for medical and retirement needs
• HE companies have comprehensive strategies for identifying and addressing all types of absences
• HE companies build strong partnerships with vendors
• HE companies provide a supportive environment, incentives for participation, transparency and they promote the use of high-quality, cost-effective care
• HE companies excel in communication and seek employee feedback

Other noteworthy findings include:

• Overtime costs as a percentage of payroll increased by nearly 70% from ’09 to ‘11
• 51% said efforts to reduce employee stress caused by inadequate staffing have had little or no positive impact
• 80% said that employees should be held accountable for maintaining and improving workforce health and productivity
• 80% plan to offer financial rewards for participation in health management programs in 2012
• 38% expect to have financial penalties in place in 2012 for employees who choose not to participate in health management programs and activities
• 16% are planning on achievement-based rewards/penalties - this represents an increasing trend
• Participation in Health Risk Assessments without a financial incentive was 19% - participation increased to 46% with a financial incentive
• Participation in biometric screenings without a financial incentive was 25% - participation increased to 45% with a financial incentive
• Participation in disease management programs for chronic conditions without a financial incentive was 14% - participation increased to only 16% with a financial incentive
• Only 26% of managers and/or senior leaders serve as role models for healthy lifestyles, and less than 20% regularly participate in employee health communication or share their personal health stories

Fifty degrees and sunshine provided the motivation for me to sit down yesterday in a local park and collect my thoughts. Basking in the unusually warm January sun, I closed my eyes and let my other senses be entertained by the urban activity going on around me. An unleashed dog, sniffing around my feet challenged my resolve to keep my eyes shut, but I persisted, confident that only a small and friendly dog would be roaming unfettered. 

I enjoyed a few minutes of uninterrupted quiet before a woman’s voice filled the silence. She was loud, articulate and expressive. She asked questions and then answered them, and she augmented her oratory with occasional singing. I withstood the temptation to open my eyes once again. Instead, I tried to visualize her appearance. My effort was interrupted by a harsh voice of an elderly man. He was annoyed by the woman’s speech and demanded that she “Shut Up!” The attention only made the woman more determined to share her message. 

Eventually the man tired of complaining and threatening and all that remained was the woman’s dialogue with herself. As I sat and listened to her conversation, sometimes light and other times impassioned, I considered the conversations that I have with myself on a rather regular basis. I am assuming that engaging in conversation with the voices in my head is a commonly shared experience - the difference between us and the woman in the park is that we don’t usually verbalize it. We hear voices that encourage or discourage, or that approve or disapprove and we quietly react to those voices consciously or subconsciously all day long. 

The voices that we hear, the self-talk that is our conscious, affects our wellbeing. Is your conversation with yourself positive? Does it generally provide encouragement and support? Or, does it more often judge and criticize? Taking the time to stop and listen to your own inner conversation can be helpful in realizing how it affects you. It can also be an opportunity for creating self-talk that is more positive. Start by considering all that you have to be grateful for. Appreciate the present moment and the opportunity that it provides for you to do good and realize your potential. Do this every day and your inner-conversation will be positively affected. And, next time you sit down on a park bench next to a person who wants to share their self-talk with the whole world, you will have a new appreciation for how much you have in common!

Live WELL!

M. J.

Gallup recently published it’s Top 10 U.S. Wellbeing Discoveries in 2011. They include the following:

1. Lengthy unemployment lowers wellbeing - "Americans who have been out of work for 11 weeks or more are significantly less likely to be thriving and more likely to experiences worry, stress, sadness, and anger.”
2. Slight decrease in the obesity rate
3. More young adults had health insurance - a result of the new healthcare law that allows parents’ health insurance to cover adult children until age 26
4. Colorado still the most fit state - 20.1% obesity rate (34.3% in West Virginia)
5. Fewer Americans can afford the food they need
6. Fewer Americans get health insurance from their employer - shrinking to 44.5%
7. “Suffering” in the U.S. held steady at 4% - based on how people rate their lives
8. More than 1 in 6 American workers care for an elderly or disabled family member, relative or friend.
   
9. Unhealthy workers are very costly to business - they "miss an estimated 450 million additional days of work annually compared with those who are healthy. This results in a cost of more than $153 billion in lost productivity per year.”
10. A bad job is more harmful to wellbeing than being unemployed - employees who are emotionally disconnected from their work rate their lives worse than those who are unemployed.

Participants can earn 3 points each day that they purposefully spend a minimum of 15 minutes in an activity that provides the potential for laughter. Points, either “0” or “3”, should be recorded each day. At the end of the Challenge, award incentives for points earned or hold a drawing for prizes at different achievement levels.

Measure Success

Reprinted from Real Age

The National Weight Control Registry tracked 4,000 weight loss participants over 5 1/2 years. On average, the participants maintained a weight loss of 66 pounds.  Four key behaviors explain the success achieved: 

1. Eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet

2. Eating breakfast almost every day

3. Frequent self-monitoring of weight

4. Participation in a high level of physical activity - 60 to 90 minutes per day at a moderate-intensity

89% of participants used both diet and exercise to maintain their weight. Only 10% used diet alone, and 1% used exercise alone. Walking was the most common form of exercise and no one particular diet was most popular. They reported that they ate out at fast-food establishments about once per week and ate four or five times per day. And, 95% of people reported that the quality of their life improved after weight loss.

The research prescribes a simple, disciplined approach for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Weigh in before enjoying a healthy breakfast; eat smart throughout the day; and make physical activity a priority. The benefits will make every day better and will last a “longer” lifetime.

Live WELL in 2012!

M. J. 

If improving the quality and length of your life is of interest to you, WELL Street has the perfect New Year’s resolution.  The "WELL Street Challenge” invites you to complete 30 “miles" of aerobic activity each month, an average of one mile per day.  Everyone who completes a minimum of 30 miles, in a given month, qualifies for a $20 gift card drawing.  

The WELL Street Challenge costs nothing.  Its purpose is to motivate people to get active and improve the quality of their lives.  To participate, we need to know your birthdate, height, weight and waist size. This information will be used to determine people's BMI (body mass index), and measure the collective or aggregate improvement of all participants.  No personal information will ever be shared.  At the end of each month, simply email your “numbers” - weight, waist size and aerobic miles achieved to info@wellstreetusa.com.  The drawing will be held on the 3rd the following month. Numbers must be submitted by Noon, Central Time, on the 3rd, to be included in the drawing.  The drawing winner and the aggregate data will be shared by the next day.

One aerobic mile can be earned for engaging in any of the activities listed below for the specified number of minutes.  The pace is subjective.  One person’s “easy” pace might be another person’s “vigorous” pace.  That’s okay.  It’s all about what’s right for you.  The honor system rules.  If you cheat, you cheat yourself out of the benefits that the Challenge offers.  You are encouraged to achieve as many miles as you wish, however, to encourage a regular exercise routine, a maximum of 3 miles per day should be counted toward the 30-mile monthly goal.

Activity Easy Moderate Vigorous

Cycling: Bicycle or Stationary 20 16       12

Elliptical Machine 18 15 12

Exercise: Continuous  30 20 15

Hiking, Cross Country 25 20 15

Jump Roping 12 10  8

Rowing, Canoeing or Kayaking 25 20 15

Running or Jogging 12 10  8

Skating: Inline, Ice or Roller 25 20 15

Skiing: Cross Country 20 15 10

Skiing: Down Hill or Water 25 20 15

Stair or Bench Stepping 18 15 12

Swimming 24 18 12

Walking 25 20 15

Weight Training 40 30 20

Forming a WELL Street Challenge Team can be a great way for family members, friends and co-workers to get in shape together.  It provides support and encouragement for people trying to live a healthier lifestyle.  Form a team and consider offering your own incentive for team members who reach the 30-mile goal.

Make 2012 a year of self-improvement!  Join the WELL Street Challenge and reap the benefits of being happier, healthier and more energetic.  Send us an email to get started. Include your birthdate, height, weight and waist size (measured directly above the belly button).  When we receive your email, you will receive an Individual Scorecard to record your daily progress, as well as a Group Scoreboard if you choose to form a team at home or work.

Live WELL in 2012!

M. J.

Working moms are healthier, happier, study finds

Dec 12, 2011 | 1:00 PM ET | by MyHealthNewsDaily.com, staff

“Mothers who have jobs are healthier than those who are not employed, at least when their children are very young, a new study finds.  Working mothers in the study were less depressed and reported better overall health than moms who stayed at home with their young children, though this benefit of working did not extend into children's school years.”

Comment:  I don’t know that this comes as a surprise to anyone, least of all to moms who experience emotional and social isolation when they are home for long hours without adult interaction.

Fewer Americans get health insurance through job

December 12, 2011.  By Emily Berry

Employer-sponsored coverage is growing more expensive and covering less.

“Findings by the Commonwealth Fund and polling by Gallup show that fewer workers are getting health insurance, and those who have it are paying more for less.  Polling released in November by Gallup showed the smallest percentage of American adults covered by employer-sponsored health insurance since the polling organization began tracking health insurance in 2008. As of the third quarter of 2011, 44.5% of adults were covered at work. That's down from 50% at the end of 2008.”

Comment:  That’s more than a 10% decline in 3 years. Employer-provided health insurance is going the way of employer pension programs.

U.S. Health Habits Continue Sharp Winter Decline

December 8, 2011.  By Elizabeth Mendes

Americans' exercise and eating habits worse last month than in same month last year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “As is typical during the winter season, Americans report exercising less. The percentage of adults who reported exercising frequently -- for at least 30 minutes three or more days per week -- fell to 49.8% in November, from 52.2% in October and from the year's high of 54.5% in July. Fewer Americans exercised frequently last month than did in November of last year (50.5%).”

Comment:  If only a pill could provide all the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. A liquid soft gel that made you look better, feel better, live longer and helped you save money would be devoured by the masses. Individual lives and society would be transformed. The reality is that it’s not available in pill form. You have to put in the physical effort for 30 minutes on most days. Who has time for that?

Live WELL!

M. J.