Peek Inside a Proactive Organization's Journey Toward Wellness  

A fictional account, described by Brian Harrison, MD

Thursday, March 1, 2012

DAY 60

Dear Diary,
Eight weeks without a soda! Almost nine, in fact. And, it seems easier ever since I've started publishing my diary in this Weekly Employee Newsletter (Hello everybody! Tell all your friends that you got a hold of your CEO's private day planner!). Today I'm celebrating Month Two's progress with a little longer entry.

Many of you have told me your 2012 Wellness Resolutions have gone well, too. You can't imagine how much that motivates me. And I've surprised myself by "going public" with mine.

I launched the idea to our last Strategic Planning Committee of the Board late last year. Of course this was only personal at first. My dental hygienist had showed me the cola stains on the backs of my teeth using that cool oral camera they have. But those brown spots looked none too cool. And I had seen the Wellness Committee's "Sugar Stacks" break room display in October, where they had 10 sugar cubes in front of that can of soda. Have a look yourself; your jaw will drop: http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm

And, I had read about the increased risk of metabolic syndrome that comes from just a one-can-a-day soda habit. Tell me, do any of us WANT diabetes?

"Personal" quickly became "corporate" when I looked around that November committee meeting and saw eight sodas on the table. So I went public then and there with my upcoming 2012 New Year's Resolution. And, I've never had better buy-in to a strategic plan. On the spot, our CFO Bob told us he had a tobacco-free quit date of 01/01/12, and our HR VP Sara revealed her 6,000 step-per-day pledge. That's when this all began.

Since then, you've seen Sara's and Bob's ongoing reports in our Weekly Newsletter, too. All three of us share the heartwarming support you have given. As I wrote in February, it meant the world to me when Rick from maintenance emailed me the Can the Soda pledge from his department, that all six of them had gone soda-free for a month (a shout out to Beth, Steve, Otis, Tad, John, and Rick!). And, Bob now has four of you who have joined him as Quit Smoking Buddies on his list serve, plus twelve of you who are already Tobacco Free Heroes. Sara and her "ad hoc" committee from HR, the "High Steppers," together average over 1,000 miles a month! That's the distance from here to our warehouse in Houston, Texas! So, her 12 "committee members" have challenged the employees there to "take a hike" - from Texas to Wisconsin! She already sent them 12 pedometers.

I hope all of you have made use of the ABC Corp water bottle I sent you. I'm sporting mine to every meeting. And I want you to know I'll be making my "Abe Lincoln Rounds" again this month. If I pop into your department and find you using your water bottle, you'll get a five-spot from me, on the spot! Sara will do the same to randomly reward associates wearing pedometers.

So far, so good. I earnestly hope the same for each of you who work here at ABC with me, and your families, with whatever self-improvement plan you've made for 2012, public or private. We're in this together!

Sincerely yours in health,

CEO Sam 
 

How to Enjoy the New Year Without Worrying About Extra Pounds 

By Julia Salomón, MS, RD, CD, Corporate Dietitian and Nutrition Educator for Affinity Health System 

Food is personal. Food provides us with the nutrition and fuel our bodies need, but it does more than that. It symbolizes who we are; it represents our heritage, ethnicity and culture. It is a reflection of our current environment, our geography and history, and what we eat is influenced by the flavor of food and our taste for it. What and when we eat reflects our feelings and our social interactions. This coming year, take the time to establish a healthy relationship with food.

Be people-centric, not food-centric.
 Celebrations are all about being with friends and family, being with the people you like and love. The focus of parties and reunions is not about the food - it's about the people. So don't make a big deal out of the food.

Eat only foods you like a lot - not a lot of any food. 
If someone gives you something to taste, go ahead and taste it. Then stop and evaluate if this is something you really like and should continue to eat. If so, eat and savor every single bite of it with gusto. If you don't like it, don't eat it. If you are trying a new food, put a small portion of it on your plate, not a big portion. The same holds true with calorie dense foods; eat a small portion, enjoy it and be done.

Review before you eat.
 Just like you would peruse the menu at a restaurant before making your choice, take the time to look over the party table and make a mental note of what you really want to taste. Then consider what offerings can wait, and try them only if you are still hungry after you've sampled your first choices. That way you don't end up with a plate piled high as a mountain. Use this same strategy at restaurants, potluck dinners, etc.

Don't eat anything bigger than your face.
This might sound funny, but it is a reminder to keep portion control in mind. Start out with smaller plates; try eating smaller servings of the food. Do you really need two big heaping scoops of mashed potatoes or would one moderate scoop do?

Remember...15 minutes.
It takes roughly 15 minutes for your brain and stomach to connect and really register that you are full after you have started eating. A fast eater easily over-consumes food in that time. To stall the process, try putting your fork down or drinking water between each bite. Another strategy is to eat with chopsticks! All in all, slow eating will allow you to enjoy the food and not get too full.

Is it head hunger or stomach hunger?
We eat for many reasons. We eat because we need sustenance and feel hungry. However, we frequently eat for reasons not related to hunger at all. We eat because the food is in sight; we eat because others around us are eating; we continue to eat beyond fullness because the TV show (or movie) we are watching isn't over yet! Be aware of stomach hunger ("true hunger") and head hunger (mindless eating), and recognize the difference between feeling satisfied after a meal and feeling full. Follow this mantra: eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are satisfied.

Remember Bucky Badger
Although he does not play in the games, Bucky Badger, the University of Wisconsin mascot, doesn't just watch from the sidelines. At football games he does pushups to match the score after each touchdown, field goal or safety. Like Bucky, find ways to keep active even when purposeful activity is not obvious. For example, take the stairs at the mall and at work. Go for a walk after dinner and arrange to meet your friends for a stroll instead of coffee and a muffin.

For 2012, make wellness a priority in your life!