Anybody who has ever made an effort to be healthier knows that “health” is an elusive concept that isn’t easily achieved. Unhealthy habits and routines are hard to break.
Our consumer innovation team has been focused for the last two years on “making fun healthy.” The most successful “changes” are ones that fit naturally into a person’s life. They’re fun. They incorporate health into something people already enjoy doing. You can read more about our wellness philosophy here. Even in our own lives, we look for ways to take our normal “life-flow” and inject some health into it (like having walkstations on the floor, and having bikesharing to get from place to place downtown). I like to think about health-injected lifeflows as “micro-enablers” of good health.
But everyone’s lives have obstacles to health, too. For example, it tends to be both difficult and expensive to buy healthy food and prepare it. It is cheaper and easier to eat unhealthy food.
There are a lot of companies that have recognized the value of a healthier work force (Pitney Bowes is a great example), and are trying to make it easier for their employees to be healthy. Humana has an on-site health club that offers cheaper membership for people that go a lot (but not free – that’s another premise that’s worthy of a separate blog post). Our cafeteria always offers healthy choices, and sometimes they’re subsidized.
But in addition to enabling good health, lots of companies put up obstacles, too. I’m co-leading a “tweetchat” focused on workplace wellness, and it’s caused me to want to find a way to shine a light on the obstacles companies put up – and to tear them down.
A lot of corporate cultures frown on taking time out to do ANYTHING – even exercise, except maybe at lunch. A lot of corporate cultures emphasize clock-punching. Employees are expected to come in early, stay late and be on call at all times.
A lot of times the salad bar is one of the most expensive ways to eat in the cafeteria. That makes sense because fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive and perishable. But if you really want to encourage employees to eat better, you have to tip the scales financially in favor of veggies.
There are wellness programs, but they are almost always uninspired (payroll stuffers, anyone?) and difficult to find and use.
Wellness programs and incentives often aren’t connected to one another.
None of these problems are insurmountable. But they can aggregate into some pretty serious obstacles. I’m convinced that if companies got really serious about identifying and obliterating their micro-obstacles, they’d make giant strides in enabling – and even encouraging – a healthier and more engaged work force. The first step is identification. I’ve thought of a few things that I consider to be micro-obstacles to workplace wellness. What did I miss? What are the obstacles you’ve seen in your own work force? And what innovative things have you seen that overcome the obstacles? What would you like to see?
[Editor's note: The concept of "Micro-Obstacles" will be one of the topics on this month's CoHealth tweetchat on Wednesday, February 17th. CoHealth is a "workplace wellness cooperative" focused on health at work.]
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
In case it’s been awhile since you’ve taken a glance at the clock, Thanksgiving is close. We’re right around the corner from the holiday that brings more food to the tables, and more weight to our bellies, than just about any other. Recent studies have shown that 51 percent of annual weight gain for the average American comes between just before Thanksgiving and just after New Year’s. Surprising? Nah, not really…not at all.
That said, here’s one truth to cling to as tightly as Saran-Wrap over your pies: It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way. You don’t have to put on tons of unnecessary weight over the holiday season. You don’t have to stuff yourself like the turkey you slide into that oven. You can beat it, and it is easier than you think. Here are some pretty simple little ideas from Health.com to keep in your mind as visions of sugarplums dance in your heads this holiday season:
Downsize Your Sweets - “You just got a two-pound tin of toffee? Put some in the freezer, store four or five pieces for yourself in the cabinet, and give the rest of away.”
Use A Plate - “Don’t nibble while standing up at a party or decorating the tree. Sit down at a table with your plate so you can focus on your food and keep track of what you’re eating.”
Mind Your Bites - “Slow down and savor the food’s smell and texture. Many people find they don’t have to eat so much with this approach.”
Practice Partying - “A lot of people restrict what they eat before the holidays and then overeat when they hit the scrumptious buffet. Instead, eat mindfully for about a week before the holiday bash so you won’t feel deprived and go on a binge.”
Just keep those four simple ideas in your mind when you walk head first into a holiday party filled with bad sweaters and sugary fatty food and you can walk out unscathed. Another helpful tip that I have always lived by: Before you go to any party, of any kind, eat an apple and drink a full glass of cold water. Doing this helps keep your stomach tricked into thinking it needs nothing. That way you can get through the party without stuffing yourself like the turkey you just cooked.
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
As Operation Planet Savers (OPS) enters its third week of agent training, agents around the country have been completing missions, creating missions, and commenting on one another’s missions with a vengeance. However, two agents have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
These two agents have a combined total of 23 completed missions and have commented on 20 missions…amazing work in just 16 days! Congratulations, Agent Danger and Agent HayHay! Your hard work and dedication to OPS has earned you the title of “Agent of the Week.”
Those of you not in the know may be a little confused—and that’s ok! If you’d like some clarity—and some free fun for the whole family—visit www.humanagames.com/ops and sign yourself and your kids up for some secret agent training, compliments of Humana and Disney’s upcoming summer blockbuster, “G-Force.”
Now entering the third week of gameplay, OPS is a four-week-long game that challenges kids to complete unique physical and mental missions in order to become secret agents. Throughout the game, kids will have an opportunity to discover new ways to become active—physically and mentally—through one-of-a-kind physical missions and captivating mental missions.
Agent HayHay is week two’s Agent of the Week. This hardworking agent has completed a whopping 16 missions, and gave us feedback on 18 missions. Agent HayHay’s comment on the Trash mission demonstrated her newfound awareness and dedication to protecting her environment: “Me, Mom, Dad and my brother started around our house and down our street. I never knew people threw so much trash out of their cars. We ended up with one big garbage bag. What a way to treat the planet we live on. It’s awful.” Thank you, Agent HayHay, for cleaning up our planet, and we look forward to hearing your Radio Disney interview soon!
Agents like Danger and HayHay are playing OPS as you read this—are your kids playing? By registering for OPS, your kids have the chance to win prizes like iPod nanos, an interview with Radio Disney, and more! During the week of July 13, three registered agents (along with a parent/guardian) will be randomly selected to attend the “G-Force” movie premiere in Los Angeles, where they’ll walk the red carpet and be interviewed by Radio Disney.
So if the kids are getting restless and that family vacation in August seems like a long way away, give OPS a try. Registration is free, easy and online…what are you waiting for?!
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
It’s an exciting time to be a part of Humana’s Innovation Center these days. In case you haven’t been keeping up with all of the hustle and bustle, we’re on a mission to make the Summer 2009 a summer of activity for kids everywhere.
After getting 1,600 kids to walk around Planet Earth the equivalent of two times during the American Horsepower Challenge, the next step is to keep kids moving and engaged while school is out.
Operation Planet Savers is designed to do just that - with prizes, holograms, movie clips, and the opportunity to be named “Agent of the Week.” Read more about it here.
Today, I want to recognize last week’s Agent of the Week, CODENAMED: Agent Danger.
If you click on the YouTube video below, you’ll note that, in Agent Danger’s own words, an entire family is engaged in physical activity stemming from a reality based online game. From Agent Danger’s heroic completion of the Ground Attack Mission, which included running around the backyard for five minutes, to Agent Danger’s mom timing the mission with Agent Danger’s sister’s iPod, everyone seemed to pitch in to ensure that Agent Danger was able to successfully complete an incremental step toward the achievement of G-Force Agent status.
DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
Anybody who has ever made an effort to be healthier knows that “health” is an elusive concept that isn’t easily achieved. Unhealthy habits and routines are hard to break.
As Operation Planet Savers (OPS) enters its third week of agent training, agents around the country have been completing missions, creating missions, and commenting on one another’s missions with a vengeance. However, two agents have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. 
