The power of senior-level support in helping employees make healthy decisions and  some good old fashioned competitive spirit were recently on display in the first ever “Beat the Chief” challenge, sponsored by Virgin HealthMiles.  During the two-week challenge, Virgin HealthMiles CEO Chris Boyce and Tom Linebarger, CEO of one of the company’s leading clients, Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins, put it all on the line to see which executive could burn the most calories.  At stake was a $1,000 donation to the charity of the winner’s choice.

The competition was fierce, with both Boyce and Linebarger tracking their daily calorie burn and progress using Polar™ heart rate monitors and the HealthMiles program’s tools. The two also engaged in some friendly, motivational “trash talk” on the challenge’s website throughout the event.  In the end, Boyce was crowned this year’s champ, with an impressive 58,951 calories burned. Boyce said he’ll donate his $1,000 winner’s prize to Virgin Unite.  And in the spirit of the competition, Boyce said he’ll also donate $1,000 to Tom Linebarger’s charity of choice, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.

“Chris’ activity level was impressive and he outperformed me,” said Linebarger. “I received a lot of encouragement and support from Cummins employees from all over. The notes of encouragement, the healthy lunches and delivering exercise equipment to my office all helped keep me motivated. At Cummins we offer many health resources to our employees and their families. I hope this competition helps emphasize the importance of making a steady effort to stay healthy for the long term.”

“Tom is one of the most active and fit CEOs I know, which is reflected in the emphasis Cummins places on creating a healthy workforce,” said Boyce. “Tom’s outstanding daily performance in the challenge inspired me to kick up my activity level a few notches to keep pace with him. And knowing our employees were working hard to best our progress was also incredibly motivational. Challenges like ‘Beat the Chief’ provide important motivation for Virgin HealthMiles members to stay physically active.  I’m honored to have won this year’s competition, and am pleased to donate the prize to Virgin Unite and Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.”

Employees Literally ‘Sweat it Out’ to Best CEOs’ Performance
Employees from both Virgin HealthMiles and Cummins (U.S. and U.K) also took part in the competition to see whether they could burn more calories and beat their respective CEOs’ performance. The top contenders from the companies were: Karl S. (32,950 total calories, Cummins U.S.), Johannes S. (29,535 total calories, Cummins U.K), and Dustin A. (17,617 total calories, Virgin HealthMiles).  In recognition of their top place finishes, each of these individuals will receive $1,000 from their companies to donate to a charity of their choice.

Learn more about the Beat the Chief challenge at www.beatthechief.com.

CEOs Place C-Level Emphasis on Healthy Lifestyles, Battle to Burn Most Calories During
2-week Challenge

Leading by example is one of the most effective ways senior leaders can show their workforce that they’re committed to helping them lead healthy lifestyles. To demonstrate this, Virgin HealthMiles kicked off the “Beat the Chief” challenge yesterday with one of our leading clients, Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins.

The “Beat the Chief” Challenge pits Virgin HealthMiles CEO, Chris Boyce, against Cummins’ CEO, Tom Linebarger. The rules are simple: the executive who burns the most calories during a two-week period wins.  The Challenge runs from January 23 through February 5.  Boyce and Linebarger are using the HealthMiles program’s tools to track their daily calorie burn and progress throughout the challenge.  At the end of the two-week period, the CEO who burned the fewest calories will make a $1,000 donation to a charity of the winning CEO’s choice.

“Our business is about making peoples’ lives better by unleashing the Power of Cummins, and there is no better way to make lives better than through improved health,” said Linebarger. “So I want to model a lifestyle that is committed to good health and help showcase the many resources that we offer to our employees and their families to help them stay healthy – in this case, the Virgin HealthMiles program.”

Virgin HealthMiles CEO Boyce couldn’t agree more. “I believe it’s critical for senior leaders to embody the behaviors they want their employees to emulate – especially good health.  Virgin HealthMiles has proven challenges like ‘Beat the Chief’ provide motivation for employees to increase their daily physical activity, the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, and stay engaged on their path to good health.  I’m looking forward to some friendly competition with Tom in this important challenge…and I’m looking forward to winning!”

And it’s not just Boyce and Linebarger who will go head to head in the “Beat the Chief” challenge.  Employees from both Virgin HealthMiles and Cummins (U.S. and U.K) have the chance to join in on the challenge and see whether they can burn more calories and beat their respective CEOs. The employee from each company who burns the most calories by the end of the challenge will also receive a $1,000 donation to their charity of choice.

Currently, Boyce in the lead. But it’s anybody’s game.  Results will be updated daily at www.beatthechief.com, and the winning CEO and the companies’ top contenders in the “Beat the Chief” challenge will be announced on February 13, 2012.

Learn more about the challenge at www.beatthechief.com and follow #beatthechiefs on Twitter throughout the challenge.

By now, most of us have asked ourselves this question: can I fit 30 minutes of physical activity into my day? For many, the answer remains no. We might have those 30 minutes to spare, but we choose to do something else with them.

A physician in Toronto turns this question on its head: can you limit your sitting and sleeping to just 23 and ½ hours a day? It’s a provocative question posed by Dr. Mike Evans in a video which presents fact after fact about why physical activity is the single best thing you can do for your health. He and his creative team pack this nine-minute piece with statistics, studies, facts and figures to (literally) illustrate the impact that physical activity has on our health.

It’s worth the nine minutes, but if you’d rather use them to exercise, here are the highlights:

Patients who got the prescriptive “dose” of physical activity (150 minutes or more per week) saw:
- 50% reduction in progression to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
- 58% reduction in progression to diabetes
- 47% reduction in pain & disability from knee arthritis
- 48% reduction in anxiety
- 30% reduction of depression, 47% reduction with an increased “dose”
- 23% lower risk of death

Other notable facts:
- In a study of obese, inactive patients vs. obese, active patients, physical activity ameliorated many of the negative health consequences of obesity
- In a longitudinal study of 50,000 men and women, low fitness was the strongest predictor of death
- The biggest impact of physical activity on health is realized in patients who go from no activity to some activity

Here at Virgin HealthMiles, we’re really good at getting those sedentary employees, the ones who aren’t getting enough activity, up and moving.  Our programs are proven to get and keep employees engaged in physical activity by using a combination of financial incentives, social interaction (both on- and off-line), game mechanics, and easy-to-use technology.

And the results show this approach works.  In a recent 18-month longitudinal study of 11,000 HealthMiles members, 50% of participants who were inactive at the start of the program shifted their behavior to achieve and maintain physical activity levels exceeding CDC-recommended guidelines.  What’s more, a study of more than 100,000 HealthMiles members showed that HealthMiles members are 2.5 times more active than the average U.S. adult.

Learn more from our own Jennifer Turgiss about why a physical activity program is the best thing you can offer your employees to help them prevent chronic disease.

Company Builds Upon Existing Social Functionality, Releases First-of-its-Kind Social Platform That Gets Employees to ‘Spread the Health’ Across Organization’s Various Health and Wellness Programs

New Functionality Helps Employers Keep it Simple with Single Program Appealing to All Fitness Levels

Poor health spreads like wildfire. And it not only impacts the lives of employees, it impacts business profitability. Virgin HealthMiles, a pioneer in leveraging individuals’ social connections to create and sustain a workplace culture of health, thinks it’s time to turn the tides and start spreading some good health. Today, the company announced its Fall ’11 product release, designed to help employers drive greater impact of their employee health and wellness programs through higher employee engagement and better incentives management.

As part of its Fall ’11 release, Virgin HealthMiles builds upon its industry leading capabilities and introduces Connections – a breakthrough solution that provides employers with one social platform for all their health and wellness programs.  With Connections, employers leverage peer-to-peer motivation and support to drive engagement and better health across their multitude of wellness offerings. Connections offers employers a secure forum where their employees can ‘spread the health’ – a way for them to build support networks and recognize each other’s accomplishments as they strive for healthier lifestyles.

The company also introduced new activity tracking capabilities that engage even more of an employer’s workforce, helping organizations keep things simple with one easy program that fits all fitness levels.  Virgin HealthMiles also introduced enhanced Integrated Incentives,  which helps organizations more easily integrate third-party programs and data, and simplify promotion and management of multiple programs and incentives.

“At Virgin HealthMiles, getting healthy has always been social.  With Fall ‘11, we’re building upon our proven ability to engage employees in sustained, healthy behaviors and we’re helping employers for the first time create a social community that will encompass all the health promotion programs they have in place,” said Tom Abshire, senior vice president of marketing and member engagement for Virgin HealthMiles. “Fall ’11 not only helps employers drive greater awareness and participation in their health and wellness programs, it helps them create a cohesive, reinforcing employee experience across various programs and drives greater impact from all their offerings.”

Key Benefits of the Fall ’11 Release: Social Connections, Improved Activity Tracking, Easier Third-Party Program and Data Integration

• Spread the Health with Connections:  It’s a private, members-only social health community where employees build support networks; post updates to share goals and accomplishments; and create groups around common interests and healthy activities.  Connections will generate a healthy buzz around the office. Plus, employers can use Connections to add social networking to and drive higher awareness and participation in all of their health and wellness programs. For example, employers can use Connections to create a support group for employees participating in their smoking cessation program, or to let their health coaches provide one-to-many coaching outside of the classroom or coaching call, and more.

• More ways to track activity means more employees participate:  Simple walking programs may fit the needs of some employees, but what about those who are highly active?  Fall ’11 helps employers keep it simple with one program that meets the needs of all fitness levels.  With the new Fall ’11 features, employees earn “Active Minutes” – a way for them to get credit for more vigorous workouts.  Whether employees prefer to walk for 30 minutes per day, run for 15 or do something else, with “Active Minutes” they can all use the same, simple tools and earn rewards for the activities they like to do.

• A Better Way to Promote Your Programs and Easier, Less Costly Data Integration:  Building upon Virgin HealthMiles’ market-leading Integrated Incentives solution, it’s now even easier for employers to integrate data from third-party partners, add or replace programs based on changing business needs, and increase employee awareness of all their available programs and incentives opportunities.

Connections, new activity tracking, and enhanced Integrated Incentives are now available to current and prospective HealthMiles clients.  For more information, visit: http://us.virginhealthmiles.com/resources/Pages/Fall11_WhatsNew.aspx.

With so many folks getting back into daily routines this week now that kids are back to school and summer vacations are wrapping up, we thought today would be a perfect time to share some photos and stories from HealthMiles members. Check out how they’re fitting activity into their busy lives – both during and outside their workdays, and with family, friends, and co-workers.

Amy B. took the last challenge in stride. “How many steps to the pier on Fernandino Beach at Amelia Island, FL?  Well, it’s about 1.4 miles so that’s a LOT of steps!  On the first day of the challenge, I logged over 7,000 steps in an early morning beach walk with my family. When we made it to the pier, we took the attached photo so I could send to Virgin HealthMiles.  Then we started the return walk back!  Being on the beach definitely made a difference in how many steps I took each day – who wouldn’t want to be out there walking and picking up shells instead of inside an office all day!”

Adrian K. along with Alex M., Mike M., Jon T. and Jon N. try and get their steps in whenever they can. “A group of us walk at lunch. Jon invites everyone in the group, about 15 people, every day. Most don’t join us, but this group of diehards walk when it’s raining, when it’s 110 degrees and when we have to miss eating lunch to do it.”

Terry P. brought his pedometer along for a hike on a trail in Alaska’s Denali National Park this July. “My 3 sons are also in the picture, the whitecap mountain in the left background is Mt. McKinley. The steps were not only more numerous than normal that day they were also much more strenuous than normal!”

Janet V. and Alma S. used their lunch break to get in some steps and inspiration. “Yesterday Alma and I decided to walk to the canal in downtown Indianapolis from our office building instead of staying in for lunch or driving to a restaurant. We saw beautiful fountains, ducks, people in paddle boats, joggers, walkers, tourists and picnickers. We also passed many of Indy’s sites like the Eiteljorg Museum and the USS Indianapolis Memorial. This was a great way to spend an hour and we got about 5,300 steps in the process! Thanks for helping us find the motivation with the regular challenges. We have now moved on to challenging each other.”

Tammy M. took her pedometer when she and her family took a trip to help clean up in Joplin, MO after the tornado in May. “I was able to get lots of steps in because we were not allowed to take our vehicles into the damaged areas where we were working to reduce congestion.”

Need a little more inspiration?  Check out some more member stories and stay tuned for more to come.

For many people, September means back to school, back to work after summer vacations, and back into the groove of daily routines. Making regular physical activity part of those routines is not only important for good health, but also for improved productivity and energy levels. Here are a few tips you can share with your workforce that will help them get back into the swing of things and fit activity into their busy lives.

• Set a goal of how much time you have for exercise. Don’t say you’ll workout for 90 minutes if you know that’s not reasonable. But you CAN find some time each day if you plan for it – break it up into a few 10-minute segments each day if needed. It all counts.

• Put it on the calendar. Staying active is important for your body and your mind, so make sure you give it priority and schedule it in like everything else.

• Pick an activity. Any activity. Walk, run, bike, dance, golf, swim…just pick something you enjoy. You can always change things up, but picking something you like helps keep you motivated and having a plan helps you stay focused.

• Stick with it. Set up a routine and stay with it for a month, then re-evaluate in October. Don’t give yourself an easy out.  See what 30 days of an exercise routine can do for you.

Need more ideas on how to get active? Check out some tips from HealthMiles members and see how they step it up.

Last week, Jennifer Turgiss, Vice President, Health Management at Virgin HealthMiles, hosted the fourth and final webinar in our 4-part Hot Days, Cool Info Summer Webinar Series — Why Physical Activity is the Heart of Disease Prevention. During the webinar, Jennifer discussed:

• the link between physical inactivity and the rise in chronic conditions like heart disease

• how much physical activity is enough to gain health benefits while reducing the risk of today’s most prevalent and costly chronic diseases

• the prevalence and cost of physical inactivity, plus reasons employers should focus on prevention; and

• how a population-based approach to health drives more significant workforce health improvements and greater impact for your business.

Missed this webinar or any of the others in our Hot Days, Cool Info Summer Webinar Series?  Check out a short overview of each one below and download the complete recordings. If we didn’t get to your questions during any of the webinars, post a comment and we’ll answer them here on The Uprising.

August 4th
How to Finance Your Employee Health and Wellness Program
Presented by: Tom Abshire, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Member Engagement
Discover the funding options available, including those that are budget neutral and help employers manage the costs associated with wellness plan redesigns.
Download the recording.

August 11th
Maximizing Your Employee Health Incentive Strategy
Presented by: Ed Dougherty, Vice President, Client and Member Services
Discover effective incentive practices and how to maximize results through Integrated Incentives.
Download the recording.

August 18th
Engagement Tips to Improve Program Participation
Presented by: Ed Dougherty, Vice President, Client and Member Services
Learn successful strategies for impacting participation, including financial incentives, social networking, challenges, goal setting and more.
Download the recording.

August 25th
Why Physical Activity is the Heart of Disease Prevention
Presented by: Jennifer Turgiss, Vice President, Health Management
Join us to see the latest evidence of physical activity’s impact on health and the resulting individual and company cost savings.
Download the recording.

Power of Challenges and Social Communities Motivate Employees to Walk More than Seven Billion Steps in Three Weeks; Teams from MWV and Fyda Freightliner Take Top Spots in Activity Challenge

This June, over 40,000 U.S. employees demonstrated the power of challenges and social connections in creating healthier, more active workplaces.  As part of the third annual National Employee Wellness Month Challenge, teams from more than 90 U.S. companies logged more than seven billion steps – the equivalent of summiting Mount Everest 674,607 times – in their quest to top the 2011 challenge leaderboards. In the end, Virginia-based global packaging leader MWV finished first in the “Health Stars” division, averaging nearly 225,000 steps per participant throughout the challenge. And for the third consecutive year, Ohio and Pennsylvania-based Freightliner dealership, Fyda Freightliner, rose to the top, averaging nearly 292,000 daily steps in the “Wellness Warriors” division.  In recognition of these first place finishes, MWV and Fyda Freightliner will each receive a $1,000 donation from Virgin HealthMiles to the charity of their choice.  

National Employee Wellness Month was created by Virgin HealthMiles with support from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. The initiative helps business leaders learn how companies have developed successful strategies around prevention and good health.  It showcases how supportive social communities, such as the workplace, can help to improve employee health and productivity and lower healthcare costs, and how leveraging an individual’s social connections helps create and sustain a workplace culture of health.

“Fewer than 20 percent of today’s jobs involve moderate physical activity.  As we’ve become more sedentary, there’s been a huge spike in costly chronic conditions which drive the majority of healthcare costs impacting businesses and their employees today,” said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin HealthMiles.  “Theses 40,000 employees literally ‘stepped it up’ in celebration of this year’s National Employee Wellness Month. They proved that some healthy competition and supportive social connections are a powerful combination in creating a healthier, more active workforce. Congratulations to the MWV and Fyda Freightliner teams on their first place finishes in this year’s challenge.”

All together, the more than 40,000 participants took over seven billion steps and walked the equivalent of approximately four million miles during the three-week challenge.  On average, participants took approximately 8,400 steps per day – an amount that reinforces the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for daily physical activity. 

About the Winners
MWV finished first in the Health Stars division thanks to its team averaging more than 10,500 steps, or approximately 5.25 miles per participant per day throughout the three-week competition. 

“We’re excited about our challenge win and we’re proud to support National Employee Wellness Month’s goal of promoting prevention and good health,” said Jodi Fuller, director of global benefits at MWV.  “We’ve seen firsthand the value of social connections in driving healthy behaviors across our workforce.  It’s truly inspiring to see our employees motivate each other to stay active since a healthier workforce not only lowers healthcare costs, but keeps people well and productive on the job.” 

Three-time champion, Fyda Freightliner stepped their way to the top of the Wellness Warriors division by averaging more than 13,000 steps, or approximately 6.5 miles per participant per day.

“We’re thrilled to be at the top of the National Employee Wellness Month Challenge leaderboard for the third year running,” said Patty DePaola, controller of Fyda Freightliner.  “Taking a preventive approach to healthcare by staying active is an ingrained part of our corporate culture.  Our continued success in this year’s challenge represents Fyda Freightliner’s ongoing commitment to becoming a healthier workforce.”

To see the top ten teams in each division of the 2011 National Employee Wellness Month Challenge, visit: http://www.nationalemployeewellnessmonth.com/the-challenge/.

With summer in full swing, it’s a great time for your employees to get outside, get active, and enjoy the sunshine.  And there are many ways to show your employees that staying active and healthy is good for them, and important to your organization: encourage lunchtime walking groups, support a company softball league, post information about events like walks and bike rides for charity.

It’s important for employees to stay active while inside the office, too. Research shows that in addition to getting enough physical activity each week (150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week is recommended for good health), we should also break up the hours we spend sitting down to prevent sedentary lifestyles.

So what does that mean for you and your employees? You can help them get up and out of those chairs frequently during the day (without interfering with their productivity) by posting these simple tips:

• The In-Person IM.  IM is easy, fast and productive. But every once in a while, send that message in person by walking over to your co-worker’s desk.

• The Power Hour.  Every hour, stand up, stretch your legs, and go grab a glass of water.

• Wrap It.  Try your favorite lunchtime sandwich or salad as a wrap, and eat it while enjoying a walk with co-workers.

• Say it Standing Up.  On the phone?  On your feet!

• Walk & Talk. When you can, walk during your meetings instead of sitting around the conference table.

While these tips are applicable to many workplace environments, they may not be for some. Replace those that may not be practical for your company with some of your own and try to get senior management on board, too. Employees often take cues from company leadership.

Tell us how your employees stay productive while staying on their feet, and we’ll share it here on The Uprising.

In celebration of June’s National Employee Wellness Month, we’ve been sharing some of the stories we’ve received from individuals about how their employer’s workplace wellness initiatives have helped them improve their health. Here’s a story from Jon H., a HealthMiles member since earlier this year.

Jon uses the Virgin HealthMiles program to help keep up his activity levels so he can better manage his MS.

“I started working for my current company at the beginning of February 2011. I’ve had MS for over 7 years but only started having trouble with it the past few. It primarily effects my gait through the symptoms of fatigue and spasticity. Together, they severely limit my walking distance when I regularly used to run at least 2 ½ miles on hills. I also used to be a touring drummer and am now completely impaired from that pursuit.

I have to park pretty far from my office, and hobble as I may, have pushed through to reach my truck/office even when it seemed like my destination was an impossibility. Now almost a month later, my strength has increased as has my endurance, and I’ve found myself keeping pace with those who are not in a hurry. I definitely have my bad days, but that’s the way it goes with this condition. Being able to track my activity with Virgin HealthMiles will make sure my steps stay above a certain level, as sitting increases my stiffness and spasticity.

That’s the long and the short of it. I’ve always been an active person/musician, and now I have assistance in making them my way of life again.”