Archive for March, 2011

Simple Moderate, Regular Physical Activity Found to Significantly Stem Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

One of the biggest misconceptions in our culture that promotes great extremes today is that one needs to continuously exercise vigorously just about every day to remain healthy. That is simply not the case. We at DailyEndorphin fully realize that the majority of us simply don’t have the time or energy to set aside for that kind of strenuous, extreme workout regimen and thus will never have “six-pack abs” nor look like one of those “ripped” models that we see on all of the fitness commercials these days.

However, we can still be healthy while maintaining a few extra pounds on our bodies, so why not choose a path to, and lifestyle of, moderation in terms of both our diet and physical activity routines? Why not just make the simple changes to our lifestyle, that, when done over long periods of time, will result in significant gains from a health, if not pure vanity, standpoint? The bottom line is, do it for the sake of your HEALTH, not your vanity, and reject the “all or nothing” extreme notions of our culture today. A 10 or 20 minute walk is far better than none at all. Having tastes of very small portions of decadent food once in a while, but sharing with someone else is better than devouring the whole thing yourself. Further, incremental gains will slowly change one’s mindset and bring concepts of healthy behaviors to the forefront of one’s consciousness, which will in turn help to cement new habits over the longer term. Baby steps, folks.

A couple of recent articles about the surge in Type 2 Diabetes in both young and adult highlight just how important it is for us all to get out and simply move our bodies regularly. The first article discussing importance of moderate physical activity appeared in the LA Times on 3/21. Here are a couple of key excerpts:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released figures in January showing that the number of American adults with prediabetes had jumped from 57 million in 2008 to 79 million in 2010. During the same period, the number with full-on diabetes grew from 23.6 million to 26 million, the vast majority of which are Type 2 cases.

The best remedy for prediabetes is not medication, says Dr. Andrew Drexler, director of the Gonda (Goldschmied) Diabetes Center at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine — it’s weight loss and exercise. Prediabetics, unlike diabetics, don’t have to focus so much on their intake of sugar, he adds: “Counting calories is more important than the composition of the diet.”

The other article that appeared recently in the Washington Post on 3/22. It discusses the surge in Type 2 diabetes cases in people younger than 20 years old, and some of the remedies to help stem the tide. Here are a couple of key excerpts:

Officials are concerned that the number of children already identified as having Type 2 diabetes is just the tip of the iceberg. In a national study of 2,000 eighth-grade students from communities at high risk for diabetes, more than half of the kids were overweight or obese. Only 1 percent had diabetes — but almost a third of them had pre-diabetes, according to Lori Laffel, chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and a principal investigator on the study.

Annie says she was “most definitely overweight” at the time of her diagnosis, and she has already made major lifestyle changes to control the disease. By exercising and cutting back on carbohydrates, she has lost 12 pounds so far. She has reduced her need for insulin from several injections a day to just one each night, and she’s hoping that soon she’ll be able to put the needle aside and just use an oral drug, metformin.

The good news is that with a combination of small incremental changes in one’s lifestyle over the long term, meaning both diet and consistent, small to moderate amounts of physical activity (or “exercise”), these trends can be reversed over time. Our programs at www.dailyendorphin.com are designed to help those who are looking to make those very changes, so why not get started today on an exercise challenge among your friends, family or colleagues?

Posted in Chronic illness, Exercise, Exercise tips, general health & wellness, Physical activity tips | No Comments »

Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) Seen as Unnecessary for Employee Wellness Plan Design

Monday, March 14th, 2011

According to a recent article in the Employee Benefit News, HRA’s are unnecessary for Corporate Wellness Plan design. Despite this assertion, health risk assessments are still widely used by most wellness program providers as the key to starting the process of health improvement at companies. However, according to the article, HRA’s are highly flawed in their approach due to sample bias, which skews the results, poor respondent memories in answering the survey questions, and a lack of trust by the respondent in what the employer will do with the information that is ultimately collected.

The article goes on to state that the chances are one’s employee population likely suffers through the same or similar ailments to the larger population as a whole, so why complicate matters with an HRA that many employees view with skeptical eye? The answer likely lies in the fact that making wellness more complicated usually equates to bigger, and usually unnecessary, fees for the wellness program provider, usually at the expense of the employer. The entire article is well worth reading, but in our view here’s the key excerpt:

Even if you admit to some bias in how people answer, proponents will still argue that HRAs provide the necessary, even crucial, data needed to design effective wellness programs. While valid for treating diseases, this model is not applicable to wellness. Here’s why: Regardless of your age, income, family size or even health status, the wellness prescription is always the same:

  1. Exercise daily for an hour.
  2. Eat well, mostly freshly harvested raw plants.
  3. Sleep more than seven hours a night.
  4. Avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as using tobacco, abusing alcohol or prescription or other drugs, and avoiding unsafe or polluted environments/situations.

Designing wellness programs simply does not require HRA data. If you work in wellness, have you ever noticed that the programs suggested happen to match those available from the vendor?

If you are the head of wellness for an employer, did the HRA data really provide you with new insights? Likely not. Probably, you knew what the program would look like before you started.

Armed with this information, why not skip the HRA together and just start a FUN, but meaningful, high impact, easy to administer, and AFFORDABLE, online exercise or wellness challenge with your employees at www.dailyendorphin.com for mere pennies on the dollar in comparison with an expensive, complicated, clinical, and highly unnecessary HRA?

Posted in Affordable group wellness, Corporate wellness, Employee wellness, Fitness Challenges, Health & Wellness programs, Health Risk Assessments, Wellness ROI | No Comments »

Companies Increasingly Finding that Healthy Employees Good for Business

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

According to a recent article in the Jacksonville Times-Union, companies such as CSX Corp are increasingly discovering that healthy employees, and by extension, robust employee wellness programs, are good for business, regardless of the bottom line impact on overall health insurance costs.

CSC Corp offers its employees full use of their state-of-the-art fitness centers (free at its headquarters and a minimal fee at field offices). They also offer a variety of health and nutrition education classes such as Weight Watchers and programs for expectant mothers, to portion control servings in the cafeteria and healthful vending machine options. It’s clear that this transportation company with a network that encompasses approximately 21,000 miles of track over 23 states thinks that healthy employees make for a healthy company.

“It’s a motto set by senior management,” said Ken Glover, director of health and wellness and ergonomics for CSX. “Our leaders recognize the importance of our employees and have made their health and wellness an integral part of our core values.”

According to the article:

It’s that belief system and corporate culture reinforced by senior management that has helped CSX reduce its overall employee health care costs, said Glover.

“We’ve definitely seen a favorable return on how effective our prevention efforts have worked,” Glover said.

“With the full support of senior management and their example, employees of all levels understand the importance of this effort,” he said.

Go read the entire article here.

For those companies looking for one simple, fun, cost effective way of getting started on your employee wellness program, why not try a DailyEndorphin online wellness challenge? It takes less 20 minutes to start a challenge among you and your colleagues and begin that first step towards establishing enduring healthy habits that will make your workplace a more productive one.

Find out more about our simple, yet fun and effective online wellness programs by contacting us today at support@dailyendorphin.com or try our free 30-person 4-week trial exercise challenge offer!

Posted in Affordable group wellness, Corporate wellness, Employee health, Employee loyalty & retention, Employee productivity, Employee wellness, Health & Wellness programs, Improved employee morale, Wellness ROI | No Comments »

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