Trending: Employers Focus on Overall Employee Well-Being

As you evaluate your worksite wellness program this year, or start to make plans to implement one in 2016, read the Workplace Wellness Trends survey prepared by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans. While traditional initiatives such as health risk assessments and wellness challenges continue to be popular, there is a growing trend to add newer, innovative benefits including mental health coverage, financial education, collaborative workspaces, free wearable tracking devices, standing/treadmill desks and encouraging vacation time use. Employers are looking beyond physical wellness and focusing on the overall well-being of their employees.

The survey found that the top traditional wellness initiatives include: 

• Flu shots (71 percent)
• Smoking-cessation (54 percent)
• Health risk assessments (51 percent)
• Health screenings (50 percent)
• Wellness/fitness challenges (42 percent)

The top non-traditional wellness initiatives include: 

• Vacation time/encouraging time off (66 percent)
• Mental health coverage (63 percent)
• Tuition reimbursement (63 percent)
• Community charity drives (57 percent)
• On-site events/celebrations (50 percent)

The survey notes that “organizations are offering wellness initiatives for different reasons—59 percent offer wellness primarily to invest in/increase worker health and engagement, while 41 percent primarily aim to control/reduce health-related costs.” The employers offering wellness programs are getting results. Ninety-three percent of companies that analyze their wellness ROI achieve a positive return on their investment. The survey reports that the average ROI per $1 spent is $3. The organizations that track more specific wellness efforts report improved engagement (54 percent), reduced absenteeism (45 percent), and a positive impact to their organization's bottom line (38 percent). 

If you are looking to implement a wellness program or need help enhancing an existing program, contact us. We take a comprehensive approach to wellness that is custom-tailored to your organization. We have worked with numerous companies to develop innovative programs that utilize cutting-edge wellness trends and research that positively impact the bottom line.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Healthful Eating Or Unhealthy Obsession?

It is hard to imagine nutritious eating ever being considered problematic. But when an interest becomes an obsession, the pressure to make healthful choices may prove dangerous to one’s well-being. Orthorexia nervosa, a term that literally means “fixation on righteous eating,” is a disorder characterized by extreme or excessive preoccupation with avoiding foods thought to be unhealthy.

Sufferers of orthorexia often display obsessive-compulsive behaviors regarding preferences about the foods they are eating and avoiding. As with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, this troublesome relationship with food can lead to anxiety, stress, severe malnutrition, and in rare cases even death. Although the American Psychiatric Association does not recognize orthorexia as a mental disorder, it is still used as a diagnosis by some physicians and registered dietitians who have documented harmful consequences of the illness.

One clue that ‘healthful’ eating habits may be an unhealthy obsession is if they interfere with the individual’s social life. A person with orthorexia spends a lot of time thinking about and planning their food; the lack of control associated with eating outside of the home causes anxiety and may be avoided altogether.

Bottom Line: In today’s society, dedication to fitness and healthy eating is celebrated, and following a healthy diet and eating mindfully does not indicate one has orthorexia. However, when eating habits take up a significant amount of time and attention or straying from a specific food regimen causes extreme guilt and self-loathing, orthorexia may be present. When healthful choices produce anxiety, stress and obsessive behaviors, a multidisciplinary treatment approach may be warranted.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Food Waste in America

In today’s society, many think of food as a disposable supply rather than a vital resource to live. Consequently, the largest source of waste in landfills is discarded food.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 35 million tons of food is thrown away each year. These food scraps rot in landfills and produce a dangerous amount of methane along with other potent greenhouse gases. By preventing overproduction and diverting unused produce, we can significantly cut the amount of food waste in our nation’s landfills.

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was passed in 1996, which protects businesses from liability and encourages donation of food and grocery products to non-profit organizations. By recovering foods that have not been sold and repurposing it, we can feed the 50 million Americans who do not have access to enough food.  Supermarkets, hospitals, colleges, stadiums and venues can donate safe and healthy food to a food bank or food rescue organization. In addition to helping those in need, organizations can often claim tax benefits or be reimbursed for their donations.

Eighty-five percent of what goes into landfills is compostable. Composting can turn food waste into a valuable soil supplement. In October 2014, Massachusetts implemented a statewide commercial food waste disposal ban. This ban requires businesses and institutions to ship remaining food waste to an anaerobic digestion facility. Anaerobic digestion deposits organic wastes into an enclosed chamber where microbes break down material, producing energy-creating biogas. Biogas can produce both electricity and heat simultaneously and can be converted to natural gas used to fuel vehicles.

Bottom Line:  We can all play a role in preventing food waste before it is created. The average American household throws away 15 to 25 percent of their groceries. To help reduce your carbon footprint, plan out what you will eat, make a shopping list and stick to it, use what you buy, and eat your older food first. Many communities now have composting collection sites where families can drop off their food waste from the past week. Using prevention and diversion strategies, such as composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, can make a huge difference for our country financially and environmentally.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Decrease Diabetes Risk: Skip Sweetened Beverages

There is a growing body of evidence linking increased risk of Type 2 diabetes with consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Previous evidence attributes insulin resistance to excess adiposity resulting from high sugar intake. A new review suggests, however, that high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages may boost diabetes risk even for individuals who are not overweight or obese.

Researchers combined data from seventeen observational studies to create a pool of 38,253 people. The researchers adjusted the data to factor out adiposity levels of the study subjects. After the adjustment was made, the results indicated that drinking one soda per day increased the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes by thirteen percent, drinking one artificially sweetened beverage per day increased risk by eight percent, and drinking one fruit juice per day increased risk of diagnosis by seven percent. These results show that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages increases diabetes risk regardless of weight status.

One can of Coke packs in thirty-nine grams of sugar. Consuming that much sugar at one time quickly spikes blood sugar, stimulating the pancreas to pump out insulin. Over time, insulin resistance can occur even in people at a normal weight.

Bottom Line: It is important to limit the amount of added sugars in our diet to help prevent chronic disease such as Type 2 diabetes. Try substituting a soda for a seltzer water with a squeeze of lime and some mint sprigs, or drink unsweetened, homemade ice tea.

Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Nature Walk Boosts Mood

Cases of anxiety disorders and depression are on the rise, which is not very surprising given stressors like bumper-to-bumper traffic and constantly ringing cell phones. So what can we do to improve our mental health? A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science looked at the impact of nature walks on rumination, which is a system of internal thought focused on distress. This constant brooding has been associated with increased risk of anxiety and depression.

The study enlisted thirty-eight adults with no previous history of mental illness. The participants were split into two groups; the first group was asked to walk through a grassy area on campus surrounded by trees and flowers while the second group walked down a busy and bustling highway. Before and after their walk, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to measure their tendency toward rumination. Additionally, all participants had brain MRI scans before and after the walk. The MRI scans were targeted at the subgenual prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that is most active during rumination.

Results of the questionnaire and MRI demonstrated that participants who went on the nature walk experienced a decrease in negative thinking; most importantly the subgenual prefrontal cortex in these individuals was less active.

Bottom Line: Taking a break from the busy city and stepping out into nature can improve mental well-being and promote positive thinking. Try starting your day with a twenty-minute walk outdoors or go for a hike on the weekend.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Taking Control of Personal Health Records Can Improve Health

In recent years, doctors and hospitals have been investing in creating and compiling electronic medical records. Given as much as $30 billion in incentives, the medical world has digitized millions of Americans’ medical records with the hope to improve individual care and to cut health care costs. In an ironic twist, it is often easier for government regulators, marketers and bill collectors to access health information than it is for the patients.    

Employers should encourage employees to take control of their health care records and become their own patient advocates and informed health care consumers. In owning one’s health data, a patient can use their health records to keep themselves healthy or control medical problems. It also makes it easy for patients to transfer records from one doctor or hospital to another, readily provide information when consulting specialists and seeking second opinions, or shop for less expensive care. Having access to personal medical records can reduce medical errors, simplify costly administrative paperwork and improve an individual’s well-being. Patients become a second set of eyes to spot errors, avoid repeat tests, detect fraud, offset malpractice lawsuits, and potentially reduce associated disability and health insurance costs.

Below are five tips for employees who want to gain access and take charge of their personal health records.

Demand data. Under federal law, copies of an individual’s medical information should be made readily available from any health care provider.

Organize data. There are many software programs and apps available to streamline medical information. An entire family can have each member’s information in one place to track medications, immunizations, vital signs, test results and appointments, as well as set fitness goals and track progress. Additionally, every diagnosis, doctor and hospital visit, lab test, X-ray, and prescription, can be accessible from many smartphones.

Share data. Electronic records make it easier to bring medical information to other doctors or caregivers without having to make an appointment. For families, records of medications, allergies, blood type and major health issues can easily be shared with schools and other family members.

Generate data. With wearable fitness devices, social wellness apps and employer-sponsored wellness initiatives, individuals can monitor health easily.

Protect data. Storing information on a personal computer or smartphone does make it vulnerable to loss, theft or hacking. It’s critical to protect personal health records with passwords and to ensure that any records sent or received are encrypted.

A number of our clients use the Wellness Workdays’ HIPAA-compliant portal as part of their wellness program. The portal collects and stores patient information on health and wellness and allows employees to access and track their data over time – from weight and BMI to blood pressure, cholesterol and exercise. The portal also houses each employee’s personal health assessment (PHA) and screening results, as well as their personal health record, making it easy for employees to download and print their information and bring it to medical appointments.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Will Exercise Lead to Weight Loss Without Proper Nutrition?

Without a doubt, exercise improves one’s overall health; however, when it comes to losing weight, recent research has shown that relying on exercise alone is not enough. Eating the right foods and consuming the right amount of calories, contribute more to weight control than exercise, according to the New York Times article “To lose weight, eating less is far more important than exercising more.”

As an example, if an overweight woman consumes 1,000 more calories per day than she is burning, the fact that she exercises for 30 minutes each day and burns 300 calories still leaves her with 700 extra calories per day – and 4,900 extra calories per week – which will lead to weight gain. Exercise consumes far fewer calories than many people think. Thirty minutes of jogging or swimming laps might burn 300 calories but many people, fat or fit, can’t maintain a strenuous 30-minute exercise regimen every day. They could, however, achieve a significant reduction in calories by eliminating two 16-ounce sodas each day.

While we firmly believe that exercise should remain a part of everyone’s day as it has been proven to lower blood pressure, reduce mental stress, and improve outcomes in musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, neurological diseases and depression, for weight control, a nutritional focus on one’s diet is what works best. Dieting is often viewed as a drastic and rigid change to daily food consumption and has a high risk of putting the pounds back on.  A more successful approach is gradual change to one’s daily diet, done in a more sustainable, nutritious way. The challenge is to make healthy, dietary changes versus simply adding more exercise once metabolism slows and the desire to eat more increases.

Wellness Workdays works with a number of employers to provide its Nutrition for a Lifetime program to employees. The program focuses on building a foundation of basic nutrition knowledge, developing healthy eating habits and making small changes that lead to sustainable weight loss. We have helped employees achieve weight loss and reductions in BMI while also reducing their health risks for medical conditions such as hypertension.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.