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Confused about health coaching? We’ve got a health coaching definition to clarify your understanding and improve your company’s physical and financial well-being!

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If the phrase “Health Coach” only brings to mind your junior high gym instructor who also taught the “Health and Hygiene” course (you remember, the class that made all the kids giggle and squirm), it’s time to think again!

What does a Health Coach do?

A health coaching definition for today highlights society’s realization that we can all benefit from someone who’ll keep us motivated and hold us accountable in our efforts to live healthier lives.

And not just any “someone”‘—an approachable authority, highly-educated in the latest health, nutrition, and exercise research, expertly trained in strategies for cultivating optimal well-being, able to bring it all into a supportive, one-on-one relationship.

Pages From The “Health Coaching Playbook”

Health Coaches don’t carry around physical playbooks scribbled full of Xs, Os, and arrows. But just as athletic coaches have plans of action to help their teams reach goals, Health Coaches have strategies to help you and your company’s staff achieve healthier living.

If they were playbook pages, these strategies might be titled…

Planning for Particulars

Health Coaches are mentors. They build one-on-one relationships in order to make wellness plans and set health goals that will work for a specific person. When it comes to cultivating healthier living, Health Coaches know “one size fits all” won’t cut it. Instead, they emphasize bio-individuality, and tailor diet and exercise plans for each person’s biological makeup and unique needs.

Full-Person Focus

Shedding a certain number of pounds or spending a specific number of hours a day in the gym are only good goals if they’re parts of a wellness plan that benefit the whole you. And Health Coaches take this holistic view. They respect the way our work and home routines, our personal relationships, even our emotional and spiritual lives all combine to shape our overall health.

Major Motivation

Doctors want you to meet your good health goals, but don’t have time to cheer you on each step of the way. That’s one gap Health Coaches fill. They are supportive allies who help you map and track your progress, identify and access all potential resources and supports, and break down external and internal barriers standing between you and better health.

Step by Step

No athletic coach expects players to hit a homerun their first time at bat or score a touchdown the first time they run the football. Likewise, Health Coaches don’t expect you to achieve total health overnight. They know sustainable health comes bit by bit, through incremental but important changes. No “miracle fixes” here—Health Coaches are with you for the long, but rewarding, haul to wholeness!

Head in the Game

Health Coaches bring not only practical experience but also specialized education and proven psychological theory to their work. Credentialed through such professional organizations as the National Society of Health Coaches (NSHC) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Health Coaches use academically rigorous models of behavioral change (like TTM and health belief) that are empirically proven to bring real, lasting results.

Health Coaching With Wellworks For You

According to Forbes, 70% of U.S. employers offer general wellness programs to employees. That’s up from only 58% just eight years ago! And Health Coaches have a big part to play in these programs.

Wellworks For You offers cutting-edge health coaching, among many corporate wellness programs, that help you and your valuable staff live healthier, happier lives, on and off the job—and boost your bottom line by decreasing sick leave absenteeism, workers’ compensation costs and healthcare costs. Decreased expenses and increased wellness go hand-in-hand!

Why not speak with one of our expert health and wellness consultants today about how corporate health coaching can speed your staff to health victories that benefit them and your business? Call us toll-free at 1-800-425-4657 or contact us through our website today!

You’ve been doing it all wrong: Why running hasn’t worked for you, and a method to fix it!

Have you ever wondered how people actually enjoy running? Maybe you’ve scoffed at those who obsess over pounding the pavement, while secretly wondering if there might actually be something to it.  

Or maybe you’re one who has experienced too many failed attempts at running and has frustratingly decided you’re “not made for running.”

Maybe it’s time you try something new.

Maybe it’s time you learn how to start running for beginners. So many would-be runners try to start as if they’re already professionals. They think that the right shoes and enough gumption will accomplish their goal. But after 2 weeks of sore muscles, painful runs, and little results, most simply give up.  

But you can succeed.  With the explosion of running resources and programs, success has never been closer!  

One of the most used and celebrated running programs for beginners is the “Couch to 5K” program. Thousands of serious runners made their start with the couch to 5K methods that walk you through how to start running for beginners.

How to Start Running for Beginners: Methods Made Easy

The couch to 5K program has broken down running into manageable chunks that enable anyone to go from sitting on the couch to running a 5K. That’s 3.1 miles, non-stop.  Did you ever think that would be possible? It is.

Here’s why it works so well:

Starts Off Slow

When learning how to start running for beginners, you need to find a program that doesn’t have goals that are so difficult to attain that you give up after the first two weeks.  

The couch to 5K program starts off with a combination of walking and jogging. The distances are manageable and the increase is gradual. This allows your body the time to strengthen itself naturally. Your muscles, bones, and lung capacity are stretched just slightly with each session.  

Only 3 Times a Week

Adding another hour block of responsibility to your daily routine is sometimes simply not possible. The couch to 5K program doesn’t require that. It requires just 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Anyone can do that.  Coincidentally, this is the recommended time of exercise for someone wanting to maintain optimal health. In fact, the American Heart Association suggest just 75 minutes of running each week to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Provides Choices Within the Program

The couch to 5K method allows you to track your running by time or by distance, whichever is easier for you. There’s also an option that has broken the times down for treadmill running. There are numerous apps now available that have been designed specifically to fit the couch to 5K program, making it even more convenient to choose the plan that’s right for you.  

Only 9 Weeks Long

We’re not saying you have to give up a year of your life for this. It only takes 9 weeks to get yourself up to effortlessly running 3.1 miles within 30 minutes.  

Doesn’t that sound good? In a little over 2 months you could be the one telling your co-workers that you actually enjoy running!

Check out this site for more great tips on how to start running for beginners. And, as always, Wellworks For You offers the help you need--from nutritional tips to motivational quotes--anything to keep you moving and keep you well.

There’s something invigorating about the fall season—the foliage exhibits its colorful splendor, the air becomes crisp, and the anticipation of a new year begins. What better way to revive your wellness goals than by implementing fall fitness challenge ideas inline with the new season?

To help maintain the enthusiasm for wellness in the workplace, implement wellness challenges to motivate employees. Check out 10 wellness challenges surrounding the best in fall fitness fun.

10 Fun Fall Fitness Challenge Ideas Designed for the Workplace

Wellworks For You specializes in creating interactive wellness challenges for the workplace. The Healthy Habits Gamification Challenge, for example, is a highly-customizable wellness challenge type that can be points-based, team-oriented, or tailored to individuals, and includes options for several different themes.

In addition to the challenges managed by Wellworks throughout the year, create fun, internal challenges with your coworkers to get the most out of fall fitness in the workplace. Some examples include:

1. Run or Walk a Fall 5K
   Many 5K runs ramp up around the fall season. Consider implementing an incentive for employees who sign up and train for a 5K of their choice.
2. Pick Your Way to Health
   If picking a 5K is too ambitious, partner with a local u-pick fruit farm. Encourage teams to pick and package fruit during a certain time frame and donate the majority of their pickings to charity. ‍
3. Rake Up Fitness Points
   The fall foliage is beautiful yet bountiful, shedding onto the sidewalks and streets. Offer prizes to employees who rake and bag the most fall leaves. Again, this can be a great philanthropic opportunity for employees who are capable and offer to do yard work for those who are unable. ‍
4. (Pre) Walk Off the Holidays
   To help ease the effects of overindulging during the holidays, a walking program is the perfect preventative weight loss/weight maintenance fitness challenge.‍
5. Choose Your Own Adventure
   Create a weekly “fitness fishbowl” challenge. Have the office vote for their favorite type of exercise out of these five choices: running, ballet barre, yoga, walking, and strength training. Over the next month have each team pull a random fitness routine to complete; teams can alternate weekly.‍
6. Turn-up Tournament Time
   Whether it’s ping-pong, softball, badminton, or volleyball, creating a team tournament challenge is often a favorite selection among fun fitness challenge ideas.‍
7. Hunt for Treasure
   Who says treasure hunts are only for kids? For employers looking for weekly fitness challenge ideas to spur participation, hiding “treasures” that can only be tracked by a walking or running smartphone app is an ingenious way to encourage exercise.‍
8. Launch During Lunch
   Encourage employees to take advantage of lunchtime fitness. Have them log what exercise they completed during the lunch hour.‍
9. Pace for a Pedometer Race
   Nothing motivates coworkers like a little (or a lot) of friendly competition. Implement a fall pedometer challenge and watch walking become increasingly more popular around the office grounds. Encourage employees to either walk to rack up those steps, or, maybe even take up running!‍
10. Hike and Bike
    If you have a hiking or biking trail near work, use it for fall fitness challenge ideas. Set up the challenge to begin the morning before work, during lunch, or after work. You’ll get the added benefit of breathing in some fresh fall air.

Fitness Challenge Ideas All Year Round

If you’re looking for more fitness challenge ideas for groups or individuals, Wellworks For You has just what you’re looking for!

In addition to engaging, comprehensive wellness challenges designed for the workplace, we also offer a number of programs to encourage overall health and wellness for companies of all sizes.

To learn more about fall fitness challenge ideas and our Wellworks For You programs, book a demo today!

Learn about a simple, but effective way to get fit.

Have you been looking for a manageable but effective fitness challenge to help you get in shape? Starting a workout program can be tough to fit in around the craziness of daily life. It is easy to keep putting it off indefinitely--telling yourself that you will “start tomorrow” … but tomorrow never comes.

If this sounds familiar, then we have the 30 day fitness challenge you’ve been looking for. With this fitness challengeyou can start getting in shape today - no equipment or membership required. Start getting fit one step at a time!

The Pedometer 30 Day Fitness Challenge

The pedometer is the perfect fitness tool for those of us with busy lives. It provides a subtle, but effective, means of pursuing a healthier lifestyle.

The key to being healthy isn’t dramatic diets or extreme workouts. It is a comprehensive and integrated approach to wellness--and the pedometer encourages just that. People who use pedometers find themselves walking more each day and each week--rather than a sporadic trip to the gym here or there.

Here are the steps to create your own individualized 30 day fitness challenge:

Buy a Pedometer: Find and buy a pedometer to suit your needs. Pedometers can range from very simple to fairly sophisticated. You can choose from one that simply counts your steps or one that provides more information like: miles walked, calories burned, your heart rate, etc.

Do a Test Run: Before starting your challenge, wear the pedometer for a day (or a few to get a better average) to see how many steps you normally walk.

Set a Goal: The recommended number of steps per day for a healthy lifestyle is 10,000. The average American walks 3,000-4,000. If you are in this range, 10,000 may be a good goal to start with. If your count is a lot lower, you may want to start out with a goal a little lower. Or, maybe you already walk 10,000+ per day and want to set it even higher!

Whatever the goal is, make it reasonable, considering where you are at currently--you can always do another 30 day challenge and set a higher goal!

Calculate the Increase Per Week: Determine how much you will need to increase your steps each week to reach your end goal, and use that to create weekly goals. For example, if you currently walk 4,000 steps per day, then you need a total increase of 6,000 steps. That means you need to add 1,500 steps per week.

With this simple 30 day fitness challenge you will find yourself making small changes that will add up to make a big difference in how you feel each day. You will discover that taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking on the far side of the parking lot, and taking the long way to the bathroom can really add up. If you feel good at the end of this fitness challenge, set a new goal and keep going!

To learn more about pedometers and wellness programs, contact Wellworks For You today. Be sure to check out our Recipe eBook for nutrition tips to complement your new approach to fitness!