One Company's Approach to Healthier Employee: the Wellness Challenge!

If you look around you, our world is increasing in size. Public restrooms are getting larger stalls, houses are built bigger, the plus size sections in the stores are bulging. Department stores are limiting their inventory of "small" sizes. One department store in my town has completely stopped stocking small clothing. No more small people can shop there. Why?? Why has obesity become such a huge issue? Or, how has it become such a huge issue? Many would give different answers to that. Some would say it's too much TV or that good food choices are too expensive in the supermarkets. Some might even argue that the gene pool is deteriorating.

Whatever the reason, obesity is becoming a way of life for many. For others, obesity is becoming a major money making market in today's economy. People are making huge profits by manufacturing wider seats, larger cars, seatbelt extenders, bigger commodes. Fast food restaurants offer "Biggie sizes" "Value sizes" and other such gimmicks for those who have extra room in their stomachs. Medical businesses are profiting by increasing health issues caused by overweight people.

I'm not here to place any blame. I'm here only to state facts. It is healthier to be a normal weight than it is to be overweight. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/consequences.htm

Neither is it my point to list a bunch of things that you should or shouldn't do. What I wish to discuss is a program recently implemented by the company I work for. This program is a voluntary "Wellness Challenge."

The program contains six daily challenges. One point is gained each day for each challenge successfully completed. Our goals are to:

1) Drink eight 8-oz glasses of water each day.

2) Eat two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day

3) Exercise for 30 minutes each day

4) Get in 10,000 steps each day (those who signed up for the program were given a free pedometer)

5) Get 7 hours of sleep each night

6) Maintain a healthy weight or lose 2% of your weight in a month. The weight of a person at the end of the month determines if they get a point for each day that month or not.