Posted March 13, 2014

Total Wellness rewards Temple employees' healthful milestones

Joseph V Labolito
senior HR benefits counselor credits her 35 pound weight loss to Total Wellness — Temple’s newly-revitalized health and fitness program.

Health and fitness goals are always popular New Year resolutions. However, many people find themselves struggling to maintain a consistent diet and workout regimen as the year progresses.

That is not the case for Temple employee Marian Anderson. Almost every morning the senior HR benefits counselor can be found weight training and working the elliptical machine, exercise bike and treadmill in the employee gym located in the Temple Administrative Services Building (TASB).

Over the past two years, Anderson has lost—and kept off—more than 35 pounds. She credits her fitness success to Total Wellness, Temple’s newly-revitalized wellness program. 

“Total Wellness is an amazing resource to keep Temple employees in shape,” Anderson said. “Through participating in the program, I’ve learned how to eat healthfully, exercise properly and feel better while earning rewards. My doctor said I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been.”

In 2013, the university partnered with Independence Blue Cross and launched a customized wellness program powered by WebMD. The program is available to employees enrolled in either of the university's health insurance plans and offers online resources and campus activities designed to help members of the Temple community manage and monitor their health proactively. Participants earn rewards by engaging in healthful activities and team challenges and reaching health-related milestones. Participants can earn up to $200 in Total Wellness rewards per year (July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014).

Employees can begin or update their Personal Health Profiles (PHP) and gain access to My Health Assistant, a personal online coaching tool that makes it easy to create and stick to a more healthful lifestyle. Participants can use the tool to set goals, select healthful activities and track progress. First-time users will need to register to gain access to the Blue Cross portal to complete their profiles.

The HR Wellness staff also hosts and coordinates a series of programs, training seminars, health screenings, fitness challenges and events throughout the year. Participating in challenges and screenings earn employees points toward their Total Wellness rewards.  

“The team challenges are a lot of fun,” Anderson said. “People really got into the Hit Your Stride walking challenge, with more 300 employees participating and 48,540 miles walked.”

The Ready, Set, Move challenge offers participants a chance to improve their fitness through friendly competition. Employees will be randomly grouped into teams to track and report the time they spend moving each day over eight weeks beginning April 1. 

In addition to the challenges, the university will continue offering free biometric screenings on site which test employees’ cholesterol and glucose levels, blood pressure, weight and body mass index. Onsite individual nutritional counseling, which includes six fee sessions per calendar year for eligible employees, also is available. 

To learn more about the Total Wellness program, visit the HR Wellness website.

 
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