HVTC Wellness

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Over the years, biggest loser type competitions in the workplace have become increasingly popular. This is especially rampant during the holidays when people are immensely determined to fulfill their New Year’s resolutions.

If you are an employee thinking of joining a wellness challenge in your workplace, your short term goal would be to lose weight, while the long term goal would be to improve your overall health. However, in spite of its best intentions, these weight loss contests most likely don’t accomplish these important goals.

Once you’ve experienced participating challenges like this one, you will need to make a reflection of how it progressed and what you have to consider. Start with these questions:

• Were you and the other participants determined and unforced the whole time?
• Were there different types of employees who participated?
• How much did you participate?
• Did the participants become closer and was there less conflict of ideas at the end of the competition?

 

If you are the employer, on the other hand, and you are the one running the competition in the workplace to improve employee health, you might assume that those with smaller frames are healthier than those with larger frames.

But according to evidence-based research, anyone can be healthy regardless of how big or small they are. Additionally, intentional weight loss is frequently short-lived and can even lead to weight gain eventually. Finally, studies confirmed that weight loss contests typically focused on weight loss instead of health.

If you are planning to start a health and wellness drive through friendly competition, it is vital to first think about these before making a decision.

 

Will This Competition Foster Overall Health?

Rapid and intense dieting is not healthy at all. It is not an effective method and, not to mention the fact that it can increase one’s risk of developing physical and mental health conditions. Only healthy and positive behaviors contribute to permanent good health.

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Is It Rigid Or Flexible?

Achieving good health is a journey that is different from one individual to another. A specific method may work for a large-framed and active female but it may not work for a large-framed but slow-moving female. Create a drive or campaign that is not centered on only one set of individuals one that considers all types of employees.

 

Will The Competition Create A Positive Environment For Everyone?

If you are hell-bent on improving your company through employee engagement, it is crucial that your campaign is geared towards creating a friendly competitive environment where employees are happily fighting to win but at the same time working together to achieve the same goal of improving their health.

 

Ways To Integrate Health And Wellness Inclusively Among Employees

Consider these simple strategies to help you create a wellness challenge that is both workable and comprehensive.

• Offer Opportunities To Learn. Engage your employees in webinars or short courses that might help them learn more about health and wellness. Find speakers and coaches that align with your kind of business.

• Provide Appropriate Incentive. Providing incentives is a wise and generous move, but sometimes it can backfire if not done appropriately. If you want to give cash rewards or other incentives based on outcomes, you must remember to keep the playing field fair for everyone who would put in the effort to join the competition. It would be better to provide incentives based on outcomes versus engagement, with the goal to make the challenge inclusive.

• Seek Their Opinion. If you’re having trouble finalizing the competition or knowing what kind of challenge you want to start, why not ask the employees themselves? Form a health and wellness committee that is tasked to gather opinions and ideas. This allows for a more diverse competition that can improve participation.

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Conclusion

Keep in mind that health and wellness are not synonymous with weight loss. The focus must be placed on healthy behavioral patterns, commitment to a healthy lifestyle, and most of all, and inclusive environment. If you need help or if you do have fresh ideas, send us a comment or share your story here.

 

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Whether you’re a novice exerciser or a seasoned workout buff, it is almost always difficult to stick to one workout program. Just as the well-prepared plans are disrupted by life – family, work, illness, grief, bad moods – we don’t have control over everything, although we can sometimes increase the intensity of our exercises through more difficult challenges or obstacles.

If you’re one of the several people who have trouble following their workout schedules and programs, perhaps there is something you can do about it. Read on and find out the major reasons why you can’t stick to your workout program and how you can change it.

If someone or something interferes with your workout schedule, you complain bitterly until you’re able to find a way to sneak out for a quick fix on the treadmill. — Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.

Your Schedule Does Not Fit Your Way Of Life.

One of the standard guidelines in regular exercise is that we have to do exercise four to five times a week for an hour or so. The problem is that a lot of us don’t have the time or energy to exercise one hour daily. So we tend to skip our programs rather than try to do what we can with the time that’s left because we think that we can’t catch up anymore and it would be a waste of time.

Before you get used to this thought pattern, change it. Make a more doable workout that you are sure you can do. You don’t have to follow the complicated routines if they’re only adding to your daily stresses. Do simple exercises that are equally strenuous but don’t require too much thinking.

Pushups, crunches, weight lifts, and lunges are some simple routines that you can perform first slowly and with shorter frequencies and then progressed eventually. And you don’t have to force yourself to do an hour. Start with 30 minutes. You’ll see. You can do this!

All you have to do is spend at least 5 minutes looking at snapshots of nature and greenery to potentially see a change in your stress levels. — Michelle Kukla, PsyD

You Don’t Like Your Program.

It’s easy to hate some of the exercises that are part of your program, but part of the solution to this is not changing the routines but adjusting your attitude towards them. Most people exercise to lose weight, but they find it hard to stick to the boring methods that are incorporated into the program. If you start with modifying your personality and the way you think, you’ll understand why these exercises were meant for you.

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However, after stretching your patience and trying your best to like your program but to no avail, you can ask for a new set of workout program, one that you are probably involved in creating because you know which routines will bore you to death and which ones will lead you to better progress. After a few months and you feel like you’ve gotten used to it, you can do more enjoyable activities in the middle, like badminton, running, or dancing.

 

Your Body Is In Pain.

When you’re in pain, and you’re getting through your daily chores and activities, it will be even harder to add exercise to the mix. If you’re experiencing pain from a headache, lower back injury, or sore muscles, you may be hesitant and scared to move or push yourself to exercise.

It is common to experience some muscle soreness after working out. Such pain, however, can be a sign of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). — Pirkko Markula Ph.D.

However, you must know that moving despite some conditions can help alleviate the pain. If formal exercise routines are still difficult to do, you can try to be creative as long as you keep moving.

This is not to say, though, that you will continue with the whole week doing nothing with the pain. You have to see your doctor and see if he has a concrete diagnosis for your problem. Sometimes, he does, and sometimes he doesn’t, but it’s always safe to have him check you up.

If the doctor tells you that it’s nothing more than a strain from your program, then you don’t have anything to worry about. Go ahead and continue with your workout but just go around with it and find ways to improvise.

Conclusion

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The key to health and wellness is consistency and commitment. Always try to incorporate any type of activity into your daily life no matter what it involves. If you’ve been exercising for quite some time and you abruptly stop, you’ll lose what you’ve gained in no time.

Remember to choose a workout program that fits your way of life so you won’t think of quitting something as crucial as taking care of your family – because being healthy is your gift of a happy life.

 

 

 

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You might think it’s easy for home-based moms to squeeze in exercise in their everyday routines. Well, think again.

In the middle of organizing and cleaning up the mess in the house, raising children, playing wife to their spouse, and working to earn online, you’d be surprised to realize that their plans of finally getting some cardio or any kind of exercise can be thrown away just like that.

If you’re feeling down and discouraged in your role as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM,) you’re not alone. For many women, these feelings can develop into full-blown clinical depression, with recent studies finding that SAHMs are more likely to be depressed than are mothers who work outside the home. — SETH J. GILLIHAN, PHD

As a fitness coach and a mom myself, I’ve worked with a lot of busy moms who were frustrated about how hectic their schedules can be and how much they want to sweat it out to release the stress and everything else with it.

So here’s a list of some of the tips I gave them. I’m giving them out to you so you’ll find the time and the tactics to spend a few minutes of your day to exercise and be healthy and happy.

Exercise And Taking Care Of The Kids Go Together

This may be difficult to do initially, but practicing your kids to be active and healthy is an important part of their growing up, so you’re hitting two birds here. Don’t pressure them, though. Let them think of exercise as an active play that’s equally fun and exciting. For example, you can start with lifting weights.

If you’re holding a 5-lb dumbbell, let your kids roll their socks and then copy your moves – up and down and sideways. You can also go biking with them in the neighborhood. This can be a form of physical as well as a social enhancement for them. Additionally, if you want them to learn some chores, you can teach them how to water the plants or weed the garden with you.

Have a list of “feel-good songs” you can play when low on energy or feeling stressed. Rock it out for a couple of minutes when you need to. — Michelle Kukla, PsyD

Make Your Activities Count

If you have been trying to fit exercise into your schedule today but wasn’t able to, don’t worry. Perhaps you need to go to the grocery store to shop; you can walk to the store so you’ll burn calories. In the evening, when you’re cooking for the family, you can do some squats while you’re waiting for the pasta sauce to boil or do burpees while the stew is simmering.

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Find the time to squeeze some quality exercises while you still can. Or after dinner, after washing the dishes, do some light pushups before finally heading to the shower. There’s always an opportunity when the day hasn’t ended yet.

Hire A Personal Coach If You Can Afford One

This is a smart move, especially if you can afford it. Hire a personal coach who can teach you and formulate a legit and formal workout program that you can work with him twice or thrice a week. Your coach can adjust to your schedule, and you wouldn’t have to go to him and leave your chores at home.

The exercises are those that are customized to fit your needs, your available equipment, and your goals. If you think it’s too heavy on the budget, perhaps you can invite a friend to work out with you so you can share the trainer’s fee.

If you’ve always had greater fat deposition in your thighs and legs, your goal is to optimize your nutrition and physical activity to keep them as toned and fit as possible. — PAMELA PEEKE, MD, FACP, MPH

Let Your Family Support You

Don’t forget about your family who loves you and wants what’s best for you. Take advantage of their presence to enjoy the perks of being physically active. You can ask your husband to watch the kids twice a week so you can do some serious cardio session.

If you want to go with your friends for a yoga or dance session, try asking grandma to cover for you. I’m sure she would love watching over her grandkids. Feel the perks of having family around!

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Final Thoughts

These are only a few of the many strategies you can do to incorporate health into your life as a home-based mom. Don’t be hindered by your chores as a mother and wife. Be active, happy, and healthy so you can live a good life with your family.

 

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Today, exercise is not just a luxury but also a necessity – even at the workplace. Engaging employees in a health and wellness program can be a great business strategy to get ahead of the competition on different levels. As an employee, I can attest to the many benefits of a wellness program, some of which are the following:

• Job satisfaction
• Enhanced employee performance
• Reduced costs
• Healthy living

A highly thriving company starts with the health and wellness of the employees within the organization. It is their enthusiasm, motivation, energy, and vigor that determine its success or failure.

Managers work longer hours than most other occupations, with around 45% of all managers working at least 45 hours a week. The average manager starts each Monday morning with a to-do list containing around 200 items. — Carl Beuke Ph.D.

Corporate well-being has transformed over the years. Business executives and supervisors now believe that starting wellness programs in the workplace is no longer a perk but must be considered an important aspect of an employee’s daily work schedule. Here’s a list of evidence-based trends that companies are now implementing for their employees.

Wellness As A Holistic Approach

Businesses who are committed to improving and making a difference in their employees’ health and overall wellness will want to embrace a more thorough approach. They would not only center the program on physical activity for weight loss or maintenance but also ensure that all areas of health and wellness are incorporated. To achieve this utmost level of well-being, research reveals eight equally codependent aspects of wellness, which are:

• Physical
• Mental
• Emotional
• Social
• Environmental
• Occupational
• Purposeful
• Financial

Revolutionary companies move past the narrow method and address the complete needs of the employee through a holistic program. This is because intelligent leaders know that employees with a healthy body and mind will also mean better business outcomes for them.

Addressing Stress Through Workshops

Working in finance, insurance, technology, stock exchange, or other similar businesses can be pretty stressful with limited resources for wellness. Workplace stress is a very common occurrence in employees who are especially determined to yield the best results for their companies and for themselves.

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If they don’t achieve this, they become unhappy, depressed, and unengaged. When the leaders in business companies realized this, they realized the importance of investing a holistic wellness approach for their employees, which was actually one of the best decisions they’ve ever made for their business.

It’s well established that both acute (short-duration) and chronic stress impacts the body. This can be observed in the release of stress hormones, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, increased muscle tension, and perspiration, among other effects. — Traci Stein, PhD, MPH

Occupational stress has reportedly cost over $300 billion yearly in turnover, medical costs, reduced productivity, and absenteeism, among others. Similarly, when an employee is present but underperforms, it can cost companies twice as much. Stress sucks the life of energy out of us. Through stress and resilience workshops can help deal with these negativities effectively.

To beat occupational stress, try out BetterHelp. This website handles all your problems with mental health such as stress and more.

Wellness Customized For Each Employee

What’s good for one employee may not do well for another employee, as there is no one-size-fits-all method in wellness. When you visit a doctor and given a diagnosis, the doctor doesn’t just give you the same medications as his last patient even if you may have the same condition. Why? You have different medical histories.

Wellness varies from employee to employee and each company’s vision, goals and culture are different. The organization needs to establish what wellness means before formulating a customized program that can best support and improve its employees. You may want to hire a wellness coach for this task.

Enhancing Emotional Intelligence

Business leaders are rapidly acknowledging EI or EQ as an important element in the success of their company. EQ training involves helping employees recognize and handle their emotions as well as others’ emotions with the goal of self-awareness and awareness of others’ feelings. It will also help them become better leaders and decision-makers.

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Intense emotions can be distressing and may interfere with our ability to carry out day-to-day activities and the way we interact with others. Therefore, it is important to know how to manage intense emotions. — Monica Lake, PsyD

Though on the outset, you won’t see why this has something to do with corporate wellness, internally you will soon discover as a leader that improving your employee’s EQ encourages them to come to work prepared and ready to hit their goal every day.

In the end, the presence or lack of a health and wellness program in the workplace will, in a major way, determine the performance of the employees. Advanced companies understand that corporate health and wellness and productivity are intricately linked and should be incorporated in any kind of business.

 

 

 

A healthcare provider’s task is to provide quality assistance to their patients. Not only do they need to focus on their duties, but they must also understand the fundamental values that their job has. But how do we know if they are passionate about what they do? How will we know if they are giving the kind of treatment that all patients deserve? What’s the assurance that they can incorporate positive changes in their services? Will it improve their healthcare system? Well, knowing the importance of each of these questions will allow us to know better.

 

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Aspects

Listening to patients is the most important aspect of proving healthcare. In this society where a lot of things continually change in the medical field, patients tend to desire to understand more about it. They find it helpful when someone is willing to listen and provide them with answers. Insight therapy believes that by seeing them as a member of their healthcare, their experiences and insights will matter.  Thus, it will allow them to react positively.

Excellent communication is the key to better relations. Knowing what the patients are thinking, how they feel, what their expectations are, what causes their fears, and what ideas they have in mind can help assist them with their needs. The continuous two-way feedback benefits the patients because it allows health care providers to incorporate their practice while creating a bond at the same time.

By figuring out what the patient is going through instead of focusing on what the health care provider can do, the designed system can change its purpose. Since alternative therapy is becoming more common, it’s important not to disregard the patients’ desire to get involved in every procedure. Patients and providers can work together to achieve health care goals.

Changes

When there’s a possible complication as to whether or not the patients understand the healthcare providers, there’s a streamline that gets incorporated. The list of urgencies, testing, consultations, and therapy session are required to set out goals. However, creating alterations in providing services can make others unappreciative. Since there might be tons of requests for modification of well-intentioned practice, not every patient can easily adapt to it.

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The changes in motivational interviewing can be a good source of assistance too. Though it may not completely fix things in the beginning, some may recognize it as a factor that helps patients and healthcare providers. However, it is still important to remember that an argument for change in approach may lead to undesired miscommunication and misinterpretation. That’s why the process of altering assistance needs to be handed out to patients correctly.

Not everybody is going to accept change because some of them may not be ready. However, building the readiness for providing quality assistance for patients can help in achieving a positive agenda.

Improvement

When choosing things to do, there’s a need for measuring its use. Resistance to change can become a long-term opportunity in creating medical diversity. However, if the priorities tend to change, it can merely imply that the alterations are effective. The transition from ordinary patients’ assistance to quality care can drastically form a new set of standards that focus not only on patients but on healthcare providers as well.

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Asking patients, “what’s the matter?” is a common thing to do. But when the question gets changed to “what matters to you?” patients immediately respond differently. There will be a change in standardized assessment, strategy, and tools, the deliverance of diagnosis, and generated care plans.

Quality health care is essential because it’s what patients need. However, it doesn’t limit its scope there. The desire to getting an evaluated performance to quality assistance can help save the health system. It will allow them to create a more reliable and consistent healthcare service.

Many people who are dealing with mental health problems prefer working out than seeing a psychologist, and I’m pretty sure you know why. For one, a gym membership fee does not cost as much as a psychological consultation. Most gymgoers will leave you alone to handle your issues too, but that is the opposite of what mental health professionals are supposed to do. Furthermore, if you want to try to overcome your mental troubles without anyone seeing you, you can buy a piece of cardio exercise equipment and set it up at home.

Types Of Cardio Exercise Equipment

Here are the most popular fitness machines in the market:

Treadmills are excellent for providing a whole body cardio workout. It is also useful if you want to train for a road race by adjusting the incline levels to mimic that of the outdoors.

Elliptical machines are your better options if you want a piece of equipment with less impact on the joints. For this machine to work, you have to move eliptically while standing on the foot pedals correctly. As with any fitness machine, it is essential to exercise proper form.

Conversely, many people prefer to use stationary upright bikes because they add more selection in combination with the treadmill. Plus, you are sitting down, allowing yourself to be more passive. Its lower impact on the body may be a smart choice for individuals as well who undergo therapy for their knee injuries since this equipment is conditioning knee muscles without putting pressure on the joints.

It is recommended to spend 30 minutes on the stationary bike to meet the ideal cardio requirements daily. For each session, you have the option to adjust the tension settings. These are similar to the gears found in regular bikes and can be used to increase the intensity of your workout.

Checklist Before Buying Cardio Equipment

To be able to maintain the habit of exercising regularly, fitness machines can often be of help to you even at your living space. It is general knowledge that those who have their equipment at home have been able to stick to their routines better. Here are the things that you need to consider before buying cardio exercise equipment.

What Activities Do You Want To Do?

Before you go shopping, think of the exercises you want to do to succeed in your fitness goal. If you prefer walking, jogging and running, then a treadmill is the perfect one for you. If you prefer cross-country skiing, you may try elliptical trainers. If you prefer cycling and you want to be more comfortable when you are working out, go with a stationary bike.

How Much Space Do You Have?

Some cardio machines can be folded, which can save storage space. An excellent example of this is the mostly used treadmill. And even if the elliptical trainer requires a more substantial area, this machine gives you the advantage of upper and lower body workout, equating to an excellent overall exercise.

The least equipment that requires space is the stationary bike. It will be easy for you to read magazines and books, and even watch TV while you’re using it. If you prefer doing the same stuff as the ones I’ve just mentioned, then the stationary bike is the right equipment for you.

How Much Is Your Budget?

You need to determine what you can pay for. With this in mind, it is best not to go straight to the cheapest option since common issues like missing parts, assembling difficulty, and damage to brittle or plastic parts during shipping, among others, may occur.

On the other hand, going for the most expensive models may not be the best idea either because the most expensive ones are typically semi-commercial or commercial-use products, which will be far more than you need. Gyms will usually have these types since they are made for being used all day long by maybe 20+ people every single day. You don’t need to pay an extra $1000 or $2000 for slightly better features and specifications.

Your best bet will be a high-quality mid-range machine, no matter if it is a treadmill or an elliptical trainer or a bike. Fitness Rentals have carefully selected fully featured, high-quality mid-range devices at affordable rates.

Is There A Warranty Or Return Policy?

Whether you want to buy a piece of equipment online or offline, you should only do it when you know that the seller has a good return policy or at least a warranty to give to you. No matter how good the products of most brands are, there are times when a faulty one gets in the mix. If you happen to obtain the latter type, they should be willing to replace that for you or reimburse your money.

Final Thoughts

Any cardio exercise equipment does not usually come cheap, even if it’s for home use only. You need to invest in one that: 1) will not break after a month or two, and 2) allow you to improve your mood and well-being.

Good luck!

Exercise is so much a part of your daily routine that you become despondent when the gym is closed for holidays or bad weather. — Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.

We all know that there are specific individuals who love working out. These individuals find it amusing to go to the gym every day. We sometimes call them “gym rats” because of the kind of workouts they often do. Not to mention the type of diet they include in the process as well. Sometimes, we get to see them have a light jog and eat a power bar while resting. Yes, these people’s daily routine can be annoying for such reasons. However, their exercising habit may be on to something when it comes to mental health. That is the reason why a therapist, psychologist, physiologist, and other medical professionals are not bothered with them at all. They support these people’s habit wholeheartedly. But why do you think they do?

Everything We Need To Know About Exercise

We all know that exercise can significantly help out with weight problems. That is whether for gaining or shedding some pounds. It is also beneficial for strength and endurance enhancement. Physically, the benefits of exercise are pretty much obvious. The truth is, even a 30-minute of moderate physical activity per day can show significant overall improvement. It does not only keep the weight down but also sustains better heart development. With that particular help in the heart, it makes all the system in the body more useful.

With all the positive things we know that exercise can do physically, the psychological effect is as equally as compelling. That is because those people we see working out every day have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to those sedentary individuals. There is research that shows that if we frequently exercise for 30 minutes a day, we become less susceptible to mental health problems. That is because the physical activity releases endorphins to the brain. It creates a sense of well-being. It makes us feel highly energized inside and out. Along with exercise giving us pumped up endorphins, it also supports the increase of the brain’s alpha waves activity in an impressive way. Those are the kinds of brain chemicals that are useful in clearing out our mind from toxicities so it can focus.

Good body awareness is difficult to measure scientifically, but can teach us how to recognize a strenuous workout that, instead of leading to pain and injury, improves performance, muscle balance, and everyday functionality. — Pirkko Markula Ph.D.

The Roadblock Ahead

The whole idea of exercise is good, but not all people can hit it and love it in an instant. Some people look at the habit as a dull and unworthy thing to do every day. Well, we can’t blame those people. Perhaps they do not like the whole experience of getting too much sweaty. Maybe they are uncomfortable working and moving their bodies from one direction to another. They might not feel to agree with the whole “fun and exciting” moment of exercise and appreciate it the way we do. Perhaps they do not have time to do even a single set of crunches, and the list goes on. But that is the reason why they need to understand it further. People need to get their brain pumping through the help of focus building exercise.

Helpful Tips To Working Out

To be able to engage ourselves with exercise, we must first set aside at least 30-minutes of our time to process one particular activity. We can start a couple of jumping jacks, jogs in place, a few dancing steps, sit-ups, and so on. We can decide an activity that should keep our heart rates up as long as it is nothing too intimidating. After the 30-minute workout, we can rest and start writing about it.

If you have some privacy, consider pairing your feel-good song with a dance party, your best air guitar, or air drumming for increased physical movement which will allow for the release of the feel-good chemical dopamine. The movement combined with the music packs an extra punch. — Michelle Kukla, PsyD

Creating a cast journal is essential in keeping track of everything. It does not need to be written explicitly with concise details, though. It can just be anything we want to write, especially the feeling we have during our workout. No, it is not about how the body felt, but rather what is inside our minds. Say, are we enjoying the activity? Are we feeling less irritated? Are we making emotional progress? It could be anything that sets our mind to mental clarity.

After the first time exercise engagement and journal casting, the repetition should take place. We need to try and do it every day for one at least one week. From there, we continue the process of evaluating ourselves. But this time, in a more broad state. We can check how exercise affects our moods within the period and recognize how it possible hit success. If there is an emotional betterment after a few weeks, then it is more likely that we should work out on a more regular basis.