the secret wellness motivator:
friends & family
contentsHow Positive and Negative Support Impacts Our Wellness Goals ...........…….3
Health Starts at Home .....................................................................................................5
Getting Personal: Success on the Road to Change ...............................................6
Extending Corporate Wellness Beyond the Office .................................................7
Enable Broader Support to Foster Engagement and Results ..............................7
2 the secret wellness motivator: friends & family
1 Christakis, N., Fowler, J. The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years, New England Journal of Medicine, 2007.2 Darlow, S., Xu, X. The Influence of Close Others’ Exercise Habits and Perceived Social Support on Exercise, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2011.
the exercise habits of people you know have a positive influence on your own fitness routine.
how positive and negative support impacts our wellness goalsIf you’re like most people, you’ve tried several times to start a regular exercise program or make
significant changes in your diet. For various reasons, however, you’ve faltered after weeks or months,
and have been frustrated with your ability stay the course. If this sounds familiar, ask yourself: did you
have the support of a spouse, partner, other family member or friend on your wellness journey? If not, it
could help explain why it was difficult to sustain that initial enthusiasm to positively change your life.
There is both bad and good news when it comes to
achieving health and wellness goals. The bad news: it is
not easy for many people. The good news: there are ways
to increase the odds of success. A growing body of research
shows that people with a social support network, whether
family, friends or an organized group, tend to achieve better
health outcomes.
Family members, in particular, may be especially important
to sustaining health and lifestyle goals. At the same time,
definitions of what constitutes a modern family have been
changing in America, moving beyond traditional definitions
of people related by birth or by marriage who share the
same household. Today’s definition of family includes a
greater array of living arrangements, a broader group of
people and larger combinations of people as families.
We’ve all known since childhood the power of peer
influence. We do what our friends and family do. For
example, if your best friend always drags you to the pizza
joint when you dine out, you’re far more likely to indulge in
a cheese-laden, carbohydrate-heavy meal than the spinach
salad with low-calorie dressing that you originally had in
mind. Likewise, if your gym partner tends to lose interest
after 20 minutes on the treadmill, it can derail your efforts
to stick to your exercise goals, some research has found.
Consider this example: a recent study found that people
with an obese friend had a whopping 57% greater chance of
becoming obese themselves. When someone had
a close friend who became overweight, he or she had a
171% greater chance of following suit.1
This is the negative peer influence. Fortunately, there is a
bright side. Studies show that social support is a critical
component to staying motivated and engaged in your
health goals. A 2011 study published in Psychology of Sport
and Exercise found that the exercise habits of people you
know have a positive influence on your own fitness routine.2
WHY IT MATTERS Having a support system may be
the most important success factor there is.
friend became obese
greater chance of becoming
obese himself
57%
3
GOING ALONE VS. GOING TOGETHER
3 Wallace, JP., Raglin, JS., Jastremski, CA. Twelve Month Adherence of Adults Who Joined a Fitness Program with a Spouse vs Without a Spouse. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 1995.
how positive and negative support impacts our wellness goalsResearch found that married couples who joined
health clubs together but worked out separately had a
43% dropout rate during the course of a year. By contrast,
those who went to the gym together, regardless of whether
they followed a similar exercise routine while at the gym,
had a miniscule 6.3% dropout rate.3
Having that external support, especially when it comes
from family, can be a crucial factor in making–or breaking–
your healthy future, as well as influencing the habits of
future generations.
“Health and fitness and how we eat has become part
of our lives, because of our kids,” First Lady Michelle
Obama has been quoted as saying about her family’s
wellness efforts. “We are their primary role models.
And if [my girls] see me exercising and thinking about
what I’m eating, if they see their father, as busy as he
is, getting to the gym and playing sports, when they
grow up they’ll understand that this is a natural part
of being an adult.”
dropout rate during the course of a year
6.3%
GYM
dropout rate during the course of a year
43%
GYM GYM
4 the secret wellness motivator: friends & family
health starts at homeBack in the 1960s, the well-known phrase “You Are What You Eat” became
popular in the United States. Today, it should be modified to say “You Are What
You Eat at Home.” Many health experts agree that eating and wellness habits
begin when people are young—and these behaviors are heavily influenced in the
home. When poor diet and nutrition habits begin early, they can be difficult to
change and the impact can last for generations.
There’s perhaps no clearer evidence of this than the obesity epidemic in the
United States. The statistics have become all too familiar: More than one-third of
U.S. adults and about 17% of children ages 2 to 19 are obese, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The estimated annual medical
cost of obesity in the United States is $147 billion, according to the CDC.4
Jamie Oliver, the British chef and creator of
the television show “Food Revolution,” has
been a leading advocate for the value of
changing eating habits among children. While
a lot of his efforts have focused on improving
the nutritional value of meals served in school
cafeterias, Oliver points out that good—or
poor—nutrition for children begins at home.
The diminishment of cooking skills and the
abundant availability of processed foods helps
build poor health habits even before students
step into school. In the United Kingdom, Oliver
has developed a home cooking skills class
for high school students that teach children
the practical skills and fundamental food
knowledge that they may not get at home.
He also stresses the importance of parents
taking the time educate their children about
fruits and vegetables.
Beyond the benefits of increased diet and
nutrition, studies show that families who
more frequently gather to eat meals together
have stronger relationships with one another.
In addition, these children receive better
grades in school and become better adjusted
as teenagers.5
To be sure, not everyone can count on family
or close friends for support toward their health
goals. These people may have to find their
positive support network elsewhere.
4 Overweight and Obesity, Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Protection, 2014.5 Family Mealtimes – Making it a Priority. Rutgers University, 2009.
studies show that children whose families frequently eat meals together receive better grades in school and become better adjusted as teenagers.
5
getting personal: success on the road to change People naturally crave community and social interaction, and it makes
sense that this instinct would have an impact on health and wellness.
There’s no need to go it alone. With the addition of a network or
community comprised of others striving for the same or similar goals,
you’re setting yourself up for success.
But don’t take our word for it. Meet Marcie, the mother of two children
who decided to alter her eating habits.
PROFILE: No meat, no dairy, no problem.
SITUATION: Marcie made the decision to go vegan, but her family members resisted
the change.
FINDING SUPPORT: After Marcie made her decision to pursue a vegan diet, she soon
learned that she could not count on support from her family, as they were not thrilled
about joining her on this dietary journey. Fortunately, Marcie’s employer provides a
network for support that enables online interaction with others who are pursuing similar
wellness goals. She found groups or “challenges” created specifically for vegans and
learned tips and gained the motivation to stick to a strict diet regimen, even in difficult
circumstances. Marcie found a support network and interactive community that she can
access both online and from her smartphone. She credits this support network with being
able to more smoothly make the transition to veganism.
OUTCOME: To this day Marcie remains happily vegan, and continues to lean on her
network of support that she found through the online community. She now shares her
learnings with others.
+ =
vegan
how others are leveraging support to achieve their own success:
“Encouragement
from coaches and
friends helped me
achieve my goals.”
– Patches
“Loved what the
challenges do for
my family. Family
home-cooked meals
and game night :)”
– KimLaRue
“I did a 5k this year
with my girls and it
inspired them to do
another one. We had
never participated in
one before. Thanks for
inspiring our family!”
– Gramie5
“My husband started
running with me —
an awesome feat since
he hasn’t exercised
in years — he’s a great
buddy and keeps
me going.”
– TerriT
6 the secret wellness motivator: friends & family
extending corporate wellness beyond the officeIn recent years, an increasing number of employers have concentrated on
health and wellness programs, with a particular focus on how to better engage
workers to not only participate in these programs but to sustain their involvement.
Employers are concerned about workers who spend too many hours chained to
their desks and generally don’t take good care of themselves. Stress from long
work hours or factors outside the office heightens health risks and unhealthy
workers are less productive and engaged, leading to higher health care costs,
experts say.
Increasingly, employers are looking for what
components comprise a successful corporate
wellness program, such as:
A supportive community made up of
coworkers, friends and family who are
focused on aligned interests and goals,
driving motivation, encouragement and
information sharing
Creative and fun ways to engage
employees, such as custom-designed
personal or group challenges to spark
healthy competition and further motivate
users to attain goals
The promotion of accountability and
self-efficacy, leading to lasting behavior
changes and an increase in self-esteem
recognized by others in the community
Incentive programs that offer a blend of
tangible and non-tangible, financial and
non-financial benefits for goals reached
and challenges won
Traditionally, many employers have offered a
fixed set of wellness benefits for employees,
such as onsite exercise classes, discounted
gym memberships, and access to nutritional
information or classes intended to alter
poor habits, such as smoking cessation or
managing high-blood pressure. Often,
employees viewed these programs as
insufficiently tailored to meet their individual
needs or as more punitive in their intent.
Now, employers are finding programs that
enable employees to customize their own
health and wellness activities help lead to
empowerment and sustained engagement.
An important way of customizing wellness
programs and creating engagement is
extending the benefits beyond coworkers
and the workplace. Wellness does not end
at five o’clock. As mentioned above, support
systems are the most critical factor to
success and research supports the idea that
more flexible and individualized wellness
programs are more effective if their use is
extended to family and friends. A new study
from the Health Enhancement Research
Organization and Mercer found that
employers who offered corporate health
programs that included employees’ spouses
achieved twice the amount of employee
participation, compared to similar programs
that didn’t include spouses.6
6 Health Management Programs More Successful When Spouses Are Included. Health Enhancement Research Organization and Mercer, 2013.7 Numerof, R., Abrams, M. Healthcare at a Turning Point: A Roadmap for Change, 2012.
+
employee participation
rates
2Xemployee partner
enable broader support to foster engagement and results
Enabling a wider network
of support that includes
family and friends in
addition to coworkers
increases the likelihood
that employees will be
motivated to become
healthier individuals.
For employers, a high
cost to decreased
productivity and
absenteeism is associated
with unhealthy workers.
These costs are estimated
at roughly $13,000
per hourly employee
per year,7 data that
strengthens the case
for implementing
an effective corporate
wellness program.
The most successful
corporate wellness
programs offer the
ability to create an
effective support system
and facilitate positive
interaction among family,
friends and other
supporters focused on
similar goals. Driving
healthy lifestyle change
doesn’t have to be
boring–it can be fun,
interactive and can help
bring you even closer to
your friends and family.
7
hubbub is a technology-driven wellness solution that uses social circles, the love of the game, a turnkey incentive engine, and the quickest health quiz on the planet to inspire employees to get moving and live healthy.
for more information, go to hubbubhealth.com/employers
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