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Wellness In The Workplace
December 2008
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Heartfelt Holiday Thanks

We would like to thank all of our clients and the individual participants who made 2008 a successful year for LoneStart Wellness - and in the process, made it a successful year for themselves and their organizations. And for you newsletter recipients who aren't yet familiar with what the LoneStart Program offers, we'd like the chance to show you what we can do for you and your organization. We're committed to making 2009 the year to take individual and employee health and wellness from, "an awareness of a problem situation" to "an achievable, long term and sustainable solution."

Merry Christmas from LoneStart, and best wishes for a healthy, productive and happy New Year.

onboarding
Working Wellness into Your Onboarding Efforts

What used to be known as "new employee orientation" has assumed a new identity -- onboarding.

Simply put, employee onboarding is the follow-through after hiring that allows organizations to accelerate the time to performance of new employees by integrating them into their new environments more quickly and thoroughly. Yet, it's more than just 'orientation.' Generally, on-boarding is a two stage process that shifts the focus from the new employee's first few days, to the first few months and into the first year. The objective is to integrate new employees into the organization as soon as possible, making them feel part of the team and part of its success.

The onboarding goal is to increase employee engagement, raise retention rates and improve performance. And, believe it or not - this works hand-in-hand with what you want to achieve from a wellness program. Working wellness into your onboarding efforts brings the added benefits of creating shared long-term goals and shows new and existing employees you have a plan for (and care about) their health and wellness.

When a wellness program is a part of the onboarding process, (especially with a strategy like the LoneStart Wellness Team Esteem Challenge that integrates new employees into team-building dynamics), not only will new employees gain a sense of commitment to their organization, but they will more quickly become a productive part of the organization.

HR managers recognize that the first year is critical in retaining new hires, which means maintaining the initial energy and engagement created during the first few weeks or months. The camaraderie and support system developed through workplace wellness teams is an added benefit to a well-thought out, structured and positive wellness program.

Please CONTACT US if you would like additional information on how the LoneStart Wellness Team Esteem Challenge can be a part of your employee onboarding efforts, what the program brings to existing employees - and what it brings in the way of added and accrued benefits to your organization.
JLynch
A LoneStart Success Story

When we present LoneStart success stories in this newsletter, they're usually about what a company, hospital or organization has accomplished through the LoneStart Wellness Team Esteem Challenge program. This month we have a different perspective we want to share with you. It's a story about what one person has done on her own, and how she feels about what she's achieving.

Jonathan Winters once said, "I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it." Joyce Lynch, Member Services Coordinator with Bridges to Wellness has done the same thing. Bridges to Wellness, a rural health network in Siloam Springs, AR, is working with LoneStart Wellness in the planning and implementation of a community-wide wellness initiative. Lynch is actively involved in the process and decided that rather than wait for the initiative to begin, she would use the LoneStart Program materials and get a head start. In the last eight weeks she's lost 15 pounds, 2 BMI points, and 15 inches.

Lynch is typical of many LoneStart participants in that she says she has tried almost every diet around. "The problem has been they were diets, not lifestyle changes. Now, I'm making the changes that will get and keep me on track," says Lynch. "The program materials point out that 'you already have everything you need to be successful,' and it's true. Now I've decided to do this for my life. It's not that I have to be on a 'diet' for the rest of my life. I'll never diet again. The difference is that I have decided to be and stay healthy, and this means taking the personal responsibility to make healthy choices."

Lynch says she began to gain weight after her daughter was born - about 2 pounds a year. Now, 30 years later, she says she's about 60 pounds overweight (minus the recent 15 pound weight loss). "My goal is to be around for my daughter and granddaughter - and wear my red dress next Christmas."

On her own Lynch decided to keep a food log, which she says was a "real eye-opener. Mindless eating really adds up, so now I try to be conscious of each item I choose to eat. I am retraining my mind to leave food on my plate, and many times, just not putting it there in the first place. I am proving to myself I can do that and not feel deprived. This is my chance to get and stay healthy."

Lynch adds that the program has been easier than she thought it would be, and even though it meant finding a positive substitution for sweet tea (her favorite sugar source), she has exceeded her expectations of what she could accomplish on her own. She says she has found that deciding which calories to cut along with increased physical activity is making a difference, and that being a LoneStart participant isn't about deprivation but rather choices. She advises other participants to take advantage of the Team Esteem organizational support to help stay focused.

"This program is so simple," says Lynch. "If I were selling my employers on LoneStart, I would have to say it empowers individuals to do what they already know they should be doing. It takes some thought, some personal responsibility and even some advance planning, but it doesn't take time away from work or anything else I do in my life. Most importantly, it is worth every bit of effort I put into it."
heart and tape
Sharing the Health

The holidays are now in full swing and it won't be long until January 1, 2009, when we all make our annual resolution to lose weight, be more physically active and really pay attention to our health and wellness. To make the transition a little easier, every few days we've been posting "tips and hints" on our LoneStart Wellness and Well-Being blog. We'll keep adding new thoughts throughout the holiday season.

With parties, gifts of food, and holiday dinners, it's especially hard to maintain (let alone lose) weight and keep long-term health and wellness in mind this time of year. And, while we all recognize that the holidays are for enjoying good times with friends and loved ones, we know they can also be a stressful time - and many of us deal with stress by overeating.

We've prepared a downloadable and printable Helpful Hectic Holiday Hints pdf, and invite you to distribute it to employees, co-workers, clients and friends. Sometimes it's just small changes that can add up to a big difference. So, let's share the health and have a very happy Holiday Season.

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If your organization is ready to take responsibility for promoting healthy lifestyles and a healthy work environment, LoneStart is an effective, low-cost and easy-to-administer employee wellness program, which functions equally well as a stand-alone initiative or as a high-impact jump-start to existing or proposed employee wellness strategies.

Contact us today to find out how the LoneStart Wellness Initiative will change your workplace.

Please share Wellness in the Workplace with colleagues.

Please forward this newsletter to friends and associates who will benefit from a workplace wellness strategy such as the LoneStart Wellness Initiative.

A Challenge. An Opportunity. A Solution.
The LoneStart Wellness Initiative
phone: 512.894.3440