ECT.coop ? Wellness Week Promotes a Better You

If some NRECA staffers were away from their desks recently, it?s because they were taking breaks to learn about fitness, personal safety and other programs that could lead to lifestyle changes to improve overall health and productivity.

Staffers at NRECA headquarters participate in a fitness boot camp session during Wellness Week. (Photo By: Derrill Holly)

?Sign up for as many activities as you can,? said Peter Baxter, NRECA?s senior vice president for insurance and financial services, during a Wellness Week kick-off event May 14 at the organization?s Arlington, Va., headquarters. ?This is really all about you.?

See photos from NRECA?s Wellness Week

The five-day happening was previously called Health and Fitness Week. Baxter, who served as senior management?s champion for the 2012 program, worked with staff volunteers to broaden the scope of this year?s events to include savings and investing presentations.

We wanted to ?better capture all of the dimensions of both physical and financial well-being that we consider when we talk about whole-person wellness,? Baxter said.

Health screenings and separate wellness luncheons were also held for male and female employees, so staffers could discuss sensitive health issues candidly during sessions led by trained corporate wellness advisors.

Other activities included an early-morning introductory fitness boot camp and a lunchtime Zumba demonstration. A personal self-defense workshop was also a big draw.

The week?s events wrapped up May 18 with a personal investing luncheon, followed by an all-employee walk encouraging NRECA staffers to spend 30 minutes walking together.

?When it comes to wellness programs, it?s clear that one size or one type cannot fit all,? said LaToya Hill, an NRECA senior human resources benefits advisor, and head of the employee group?s wellness committee. ?So we talked to staff and tried to work in events and demonstrations they wanted.?

The Wellness Week activities helped NRECA meet goals designed to help control certain health benefit costs.

?There is a correlation between lifestyle and wellness and the onset of chronic and often debilitating conditions,? said Marty Ahrens, NRECA?s director of health management services.

NRECA and its member co-ops encourage employee participation in many such programs, Ahrens said. ?Those include health fairs, wellness surveys, workshops on fitness and nutrition and other programs offered throughout the year.?

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Tags: Local Initiatives

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