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.
The beauty of these challenges is that they are not telling a person what not to do. Instead, they are positive challenges that really do challenge – it is hard to always eat the right amount of veggies and fruits every day. Not easy to get in 30 minutes of exercise each day. A lot of people combine the 10,000 steps with the exercise. Out of 1,800 employees, 1,100 of us have signed up for this challenge. You could say we are pumped up and ready to go. Wherever you go, you can overhear conversations that include phrases like, “how many steps do you have so far?” “you know, with all that water I’m drinking now, I’m making a lot more trips to the bathroom – get in more steps, though?” and “What’s your favorite way to get your 30 minutes in?
The motivation for taking this wellness challenge? Well, for those that work at my company, there are actual, real prizes – monetary and/or substantial. The prizes are awarded to every individual who meets certain goals. I’ve figured it out – in order to get the quarterly prize of $125, I should average 4.5 points each day. The year end prize of $200 or a flat screen TV is gained by averaging 4.5 points each day along with the bonus challenges of checking your blood pressure on a quarterly basis, having an annual physical, and being in the “million steps club,” that is, getting in 1,000,000 steps in a year. Not too bad, I’d say!
You may not have an employer willing to pay out bonuses to you for completing so many wellness challenges, but I personally challenge you to motivate yourself and just see what might happen. Within our company, there have already been reports of people being able to wean themselves off of medications since this program started less than two months ago! Go, and be challenged!
