How Workplace Wellness Changed My Life

Since beginning my professional career, my choices have been anything but healthy.  My diet often consisted of whichever drive-through was closest and my exercise plan was nonexistent.  Quickly, the scale climbed.  I have always been heavy – I graduated high school at 183 pounds, but I kept my “shape” in check as a varsity softball player. Fast forward eight years and I was 26 years old, 252 pounds, and approaching Type II Diabetes.  Something had to change—and luckily for me, I was surrounded by information.           

The Wellness program at work isn’t overly aggressive, but it maintains a considerable presence.  I've been places where you were either doing P90X and running marathons or you weren't welcome with the "fitness" clique--at my job, there are fitness buffs, but there are also wellness buffs. Somehow, the program is able to serve both groups.

The committee provides opportunities for employees to learn about everything from health, fitness, nutrition, and anything else wellness related.  Although the information is never “shoved down your throat,” the general atmosphere encourages healthy choices. HR staff provides periodic e-mail tips, the wellness committee invites speakers, and co-workers coordinate quick walks at lunch. When I realized it was time to do something, I definitely couldn’t claim that I didn’t know how to be healthier—I heard about it constantly. Wellness usually isn’t the focus of conversations at work, but it’s almost always present in the undertones.             

In addition to the general "wellness" environment, the program also rewards wellness monetarily.  Our health insurance premiums are tied to our wellness program participation and our wellness activities are rewarded with prizes ranging from iTunes and gift cards to consumer electronics.  I'm an accountant -- so if you tell me I can save money by making healthy choices, I'll probably start making healthy choices. Sure, we should all care enough about our health to do it without incentive--but we all need a little push sometimes.  The environment and the rewards were exactly what I needed to start focusing on my own wellness.            

Since deciding to start making healthy changes, I’ve lost 60 pounds, gained tremendous strength & confidence, and learned to better manage my own life.  This journey started as a “weight thing” (and maybe an insurance premium thing, too) but my success has changed how I approach almost everything I do.  Could I have done this without the wellness program at work?  Probably, but thanks to my employer’s focus on wellness, I’ll never have to find out!