Employee Wellness Programs--Focus on Osceola School District 50 Days of Wellness

Employee wellness programs are an opportunity for businesses to offer nutrition and fitness education to a workforce in which many are increasingly stressed and unhealthy. In this blog post I am showcasing the Osceola County School District's "50 Days of Fitness" program, which kicks off February 12.

"50 Days of Fitness" is being organized by the School District and offered to their employees in Osceola and Seminole Counties. In addition to school employees it is a county-wide wellness initiative open to all residents of the counties. "50 Days of Fitness" is the brainchild of Pastor Todd Lamphere of the First Baptist Church of Altamonte. According to program manager Brielle Noguera, the program is designed to allow participants to “test drive” fitness providers in their local area, as well as create healthy lifestyle change. The program provides tools and classes designed to inform, educate, and motivate participants.

 Registration for the 50 day program costs $25 (employees of the school district will receive a $10 subsidy from the District for a net cost to participate of only $15.00).  Program features include:

• A T-shirt, Food and Fitness Journal and a Bragging Bracelet
• An access card to participating fitness centers (at no additional charge) for the 50 day program. Participating fitness centers are conveniently located to be accessible to all participants and include Celebration Health, Curves, Gold's Gym, Anytime Fitness, LA Fitness, YMCA, Platinum Gym, Tiger Martial Arts.
• Food for Life's renowned "Kickstart Your Health" nutrition and cooking classes at 5 locations each week over a 5 week period (priority for space in the classes is given to Osceola School District employees).

"50 Days Of Fitness" is designed to encourage, educate and teach disciplines that are needed to improve the whole person, while keeping in mind these four principles: 

• It's not about a diet, but a decision
• It's not about a plan, but a purpose
• It's not about outward beauty, but inward character
• It's not about vanity, but value

According to Candice Roberson, Employee Wellness Specialist for the District, this is the third year the Osceola School District has undertaken the initiative and she is hopeful that they will achieve a record number of participants this year from among the District's 6400 employees. The District is self  insured, with Cigna as their health service provider. Ms. Roberson reports that Cigna has been a great partner in working to help the District put together wellness programs to support greater health among the employees, thereby helping to keep insurance costs low. 

Each of the 50 schools in the Osceola District has a faculty member who carries the additional title of "Wellness Coordinator", charged with maintaining the District Wellness Policy and looking after student and staff wellness for the school. They are currently in the process of recruiting staff for the "50 Days of Fitness" program; Sign up and program kick off  will take place at a rally on February 12. The rally is open to members of the public as well, and will take place from 5-7 PM at Cornerstone Family Church, 2925 Canoe Creek Road in St. Cloud. A highlight of the rally will be the awarding of medallions to past participants who have achieved great results. They are being called "Wellness Champions"! 

I will be teaching the Food for Life Kickstart Your Health program as part of the "50 Days of Fitness". Food for Life's Kickstart your Health program is based on the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine's successful 21 day Vegan Kickstart Program. Depending on one's perspective, the Kickstart is about losing weight, maintaining a healthy weight or simply embracing an overall healthful diet. Much of the basis of Kickstart is about making a qualitative shift in the way we eat as opposed to a quantitative shift. For some people, it is the first time the idea of not restricting amounts of foods-- but rather choosing the right foods-- has been the guiding principle for losing weight and staying  healthy.

The revelation is bolstered with clinical benefits such as lower cholesterol, better diabetes control, and lower blood pressure as well as improvements in energy and mood. Food for Life: Kickstart Your Health will allow class attendees to discover the world of health through general topics ranging from digestion to blood pressure. Results are likely to be immediate and impressive!

On behalf of the Willow Star Haven Foundation, I am proud to be associated with this worthwhile effort and look forward to teaching the class and working with "50 Days" participants. Please call or e-mail if I can provide additional information.