A Nordic walking enthusiast

Notice mention of health. Using poles facilitates balance during exercise.

Let’s meet on July 30  to Nordic walk!

We can’t walk on water (unless you’re not telling me something), but we can walk by the water! Come out for some Nordic walking, a fun and effective way to exercise. It’s also a great social activity because you can walk with other people and enjoy their company.

Dress for the weather and sun and bring some water. I'll bring the Nordic walking poles so you can burn calories, tone muscle, and improve overall health.

This will be a free session. For more information about Nordic walking, check out the Nordic Walking Guy blog and the Facebook page.

Are you a beginner and never Nordic walked? Don't worry. I'll take time to teach the technique so you can get started.

Instructor: Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean at The University of Alabama and a certified Nordic walking instructor

When: Saturday, July 30, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

Location: Let's meet at The Park at Manderson Landing. Look for me by the picnic shelter. Map:

How are corporate wellness programs evolving?

What's the point of future corporate wellness? To manage an organization's healthcare costs. Is that all? It's called "a collaborative responsibility partnership between employer and employee in implementing a wellness approach and the reduction of medical costs" and is supposed to have a quantifiable impact on costs as well as a qualitative impact on organizational culture.

Points:

• Evolving from "traditional health benefit offering to a health exchange model or to the advances and learnings in personalized therapeutic medicine."
• Tailoring decisions and treatment to individuals. 
• Setting up health exchanges where employees are more involved in their health care choices.

This makes me think of a portfolio approach where individual programs are managed to make sure they support business objectives. The portfolio approach is supposed to help managers see the forest AND the trees. I used it in supply chain management, and it yields useful information. 

The portfolio approach provided insights into how money was being spent. For example, by assessing individual programs or solutions in terms of risk, quality, spending and other factors considered important, you can not only see where each one stands but also the overall status of groups and subgroups of programs. It's worth trying.