According to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, over 50 percent of corporate profits now go towards health care costs, versus only 7 percent three decades ago. Companies can no longer passively accept these rising health care costs, and many have reduced benefit levels as a way to deal with them. One way companies are coping with rising health care costs is by implementing an employee weightloss/wellness program.

The LoneStart Employee Wellness Initiative stands alone as a “first step, intervention program,” designed to motivate employees and program participants to take responsibility for their personal health and wellness.

It has been documented that the most successful work-site wellness programs are generally linked to core business objectives. Health promotion is a catalyst that brings people together and introduces issues that apply to all participants.

	For every dollar companies spend on wellness programs such as weight loss, nutrition and smoking cessation, they save up to $6 on employee health benefits. That’s a 600 percent return on their investment. National Business Group on Health and Research Triangle Institute (Published in: American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
	Cost /benefit evaluations show a greater return on investment (ROI) in preventing healthy people from slipping into poor health behaviors than by trying to make chronically sick people well (Hewitt Associates, 2003).
	Annual medical expenses for employees range from $114 for normal-weight individuals to $573 for overweight individuals to $620 for the obese.

In evaluating a workplace / wellness program, it is important to examine both health outcomes and process outcomes—not just economic benefits. Process outcomes include participation levels, employee awareness about the program and employee satisfaction. You will not recognize economic benefit unless both health and process outcomes are achieved. A post-asessment questionnaire is distributed to all participants at the conclusion of the LoneStart Wellness Initiative.

The LoneStart Employee Wellness Initiative is designed to affect attitude and behavior change regarding the two primary causes of overweight and obesity – poor dietary practices and physical inactivity.

This high-content, cost-effective, turnkey program is based on established principles of social psychology and social psychophysiology. It focuses on small step challenges to long-term success, and provides a strategy for real and lasting change based on individual choice and responsibility.

The LoneStart Employee Wellness Initiative utilizes a 63-day Team Esteem Incentive Challenge, where employees form three-person teams and compete for incentives specified by the sponsoring organization. Most employees appreciate the impact rising health care and health insurance costs have on their personal finances and will respond to the opportunity to challenge themselves to make better choices. Our objectives with the Team Esteem Incentive Challenge are to:

	Achieve maximum participation on the part of your employees
	Achieve a significant reduction in their aggregate BMI during the 63-day Challenge
	Foster team-building and communication.
	Create the foundation for a permanent, new culture of health and wellness within your organization.

About Team Esteem—and Why it Works

Here’s what we know about teams and teamwork:

	Shared purpose enhances motivation.
	Once it discovers its identity, a team will evolve to maximize its potential.
	Identity with a team improves and sustains a high level of performance.

Membership in a team gives the individual an identity beyond one’s self. Organizations as diverse as the United States Marine Corps, the Girl Scouts, Rotarians and even Hell’s Angels provide the opportunity to achieve beyond a single individual’s capability. It has been said that, "Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon goals."

We know that teams are successful when they are focused, have a short cycle time, and are supported by executives. By promoting Team Esteem with program participants, LoneStart maximizes participation in and commitment to the organization’s employee wellness initiative.