Wellness Wednesday: Wellness at Faith Technologies

Via Corporate Wellness Magazine, a profile of one company's wellness program designed to improve employees' health. Faith Technologies, an electrical contractor, designated some employees as "wellness chargers" to promote wellness programs in the different locations where the company has a presence.

Main points:

• Part of the wellness charger’s role "is to design a month-long program tailored to that location’s risks discovered by the health risk assessment (HRA)."

•  "Most employees at Faith Technologies first engage with the wellness program by taking an annual HRA...to see where each employee is terms of their health."
• "Completing the HRA is the first step to receiving a premium discount."

In addition to other points in the article, the wellness team wants to add programs for the employees. Dare to dream that Nordic walking could become another way employees improve their health because Nordic walking is an efficient way to achieve the goals of a wellness program. Take a look below:

Wellness goals/actions listed in the article	Nordic walking benefits from research
Move and be active	Motivated to regular activity and improved mood levels
Increase energy levels	Improved posture can increase feeling of energy levels
Eat healthy	Healthy diet plus exercise leads to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels
Reduce stress	Contributes to reducing workplace stress
Treat backaches	Some improvement for chronic back pain
Manage blood sugar levels	Used to treat metabolic conditions like Type 2 diabetes
Manage cholesterol and triglycerides	Lowered levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
Recovery and rehabilitation (examples of surgery for heart condition and hyperparathyroidism)	Used extensively for rehabilitation

Sunday Songs, Serenades, and Symphonies for Your Walking Pleasure
Some R&B for help you keep pace.

Wellness Wednesday: Not just for old folks

Nordic walking is very popular for older citizens because it's low impact. What about younger people? An interesting article that suggests Millennials approach exercise differently. How differently and where does Nordic walking fit in?  Here are some thoughts:

How Millennials want it	How Nordic walking fits
"Shorter, full-body workouts that are also fun."	Nordic walking is very efficient, involving the upper body as well as the lower body. Shorter workouts also implies higher and/or variable intensity. Variations of Nordic walking raise that intensity through intervals and overall more intense exercise. For example, Nordic running turns the run into a high intensity full body workout.
"A more holistic approach to health."	Nordic walking gets you outside into the fresh air, making it a more natural experience.
"Alternative workouts that are customizable, fun, and social."	Whether organized or spontaneous, Nordic walking is fun to do in groups.