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Pre-disease conditions can be managed before they develop into costly chronic diseases. Most employees with elevated cholesterol, elevated blood pressure or those that are overweight don’t normally incur costs to the health plan. But left untreated, these pre-disease risks can turn into high cost diseases. Because people are working longer today, the workforce and the employers are impacted by chronic diseases.

Statistics on adult Americans from the National Institute of Health are staggering:

Have you been prescribed medications? Are you taking these medications as prescribed?

What is your understanding of their purpose, the best way to take them, and how to manage their impact on your daily routine?

Some of these answers are easy, such as how to keep medications where you will see them. Some of the answers are more difficult, such as how to stay on a regular routine when you have overtime on the job, are traveling, or what to do when you cannot afford the prescription. Lack of this information can make it challenging to stay on the best medication schedule, which can result in an unnecessary decrease in your level of wellness.

Be proactive and take charge of this aspect of your health by seeking answers. Ask your medical provider and pharmacist about the medication when it is prescribed. Read the medication inserts. 

As we begin the New Year, feeling sluggish and guilty from the holidays, the tendency is to make resolutions for losing weight and getting into shape. Poor weather conditions throughout the country has made it even more challenging, as the inclination is to stay inside, cuddle up on the couch and just watch movies and snack. Now these best intentions are once again sabotaged.

The secret for success is to make resolutions (set goals) that are achievable. In our practice, our wellness coaches have a mantra, and that is “baby steps”. Sometimes it is one small goal at a time, and then when achieved, set another goal. Goals for change have to be realistic and attainable. People have to feel their successes. They need to feel good about themselves.

Possible achievable goals can be:

Lose weight-Lose 5% of current body fat instead of shooting for 15 or 20 pounds. Sometimes this can be accomplished by merely cutting out sugary sodas or energy drinks.

In a recent conversation with a Client, he expressed an interesting thought, which shows the impact of Wellness Coaching and the Coach/Participant relationship. He had his regularly scheduled monthly coaching session in several days and he was about to reschedule the appointment. Apparently, he had several assignments to complete prior to the Coaching session. He had not completed one of his assignments and he didn’t want to let his Coach down.

Keep in mind; this is a very motivated individual that is very “invested” in his Corporate Wellness Program. He has a very strong relationship with his Wellness Coach. They are constantly evaluating his goals and looking for new and innovative changes to his current nutrition and exercise regimes.

We know changing lifestyle behaviors is easier said than done. Our first tendency, especially with family members, is to come down on them (berate) to do things such as quit smoking, lose weight, or simply just get up off that couch and move around. Eventually, they just tune us out, or continue unhealthy behaviors just for spite.

The challenge for wellness coaches is to motivate our clients to make changes. We are trained on motivational interviewing techniques. We assist our clients in identifying areas of possible change and then their willingness to change. We work with our clients to set realistic achievable goals. We are in contact with them on a regular basis to provide support, suggestions, empathetic listening, and work through barriers to changing.

I can’t stress enough the impact of employers integrating Wellness Coaching into their Corporate Wellness Initiatives. Just doing a Biometric Screening or taking a Health Risk Assessment alone, without coaching intervention, gives participants information with a lack of knowledge as to long term health impact or support in making appropriate lifestyle changes.

It is important that changes are sustainable. Many individuals struggle with maintaining that instantaneous weight loss or the exercise program. With frequent sessions with the Wellness Coach, goals can be set, barriers to change can be addressed, and participants can get that accountability and support necessary to sustain changes.

“Good coaches look at people who are struggling and see the possibility and opportunity for
healthy change, even transformation. With a good coach, the journey of change is engaging, even fun, more like an adventure than hard work,” according to Margaret Moore, M.A., founder of WellCoaches Corporation.

I recently came across a study done by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan that breaks down the health care spending by disease. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability and death in this country.  Unfortunately, most individuals with chronic diseases have co-morbidities (more than one chronic disease).  This only serves to drive up the per person cost for health care. As we know, ultimately, the burden is placed not only on the Medicare/Medicaid system, but on private employers that offer health insurance benefits.

There are health risks that are controllable.  We make the choice to smoke. Overweight/obesity can be modified.  We can lower the risk of disease by making healthier food choices.

Employers are becoming aware that healthier employees will lower their healthcare costs. One of the proactive ways that employers can create their own culture of wellness is to make healthy foods available at the worksite. This can include vending machines, breakfast and lunch meetings, and the employee cafeteria or lounge.

According to the CDC:

• In 1995, an estimated $9.3 billion in lost productivity associated with morbidity from coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes was attributed to diet.
• In 1999-2000, 65% of adults reported being overweight or obese. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to suffer from many chronic illnesses and conditions.

To eat healthier at work, employers should try to select healthier choices for the following:

Fast food is easy: no meal preparation, no clean-up. Plus, there are usually multiple places to stop between work and home, making it really convenient.

When you compare people who eat a lot of fast food with people who don’t, there are several
differences between the two groups. Fast food eaters consume more dietary and saturated fat. They also have more body fat, and they eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown this to be true for children, African American and Caucasian adolescent girls, college and middle aged adults according to Steven G. Aldana, PhD.

Fast food consumption is contributing to chronic diseases such as obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. Most fast foods contain red and processed meats, butter, white flour, high fat dairy products and most importantly, they are fried in trans fats.

Studies have shown a direct link between consumption of trans fats and chronic diseases. Healthy oils such as olive, soybean and peanut actually improve blood cholesterol. Trans fats are thought to be 10 times worse than saturated fats, increasing the risk for heart disease.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a biometric screening for one of my clients. In addition to the venipuncture draw, the participants had their height and weight measured, as well as a blood pressure check. Quite of few had elevated blood pressures. Many of the comments we heard were:

“These numbers are my norm-it always runs like this so for me it is OK”

“I know it is on the high side but I don’t want to take blood pressure medication”

Or even scarier “my doctor knows about this and he is watching it”

I am concerned that people have a misconception that high blood pressure is OK. Because they are not experiencing any symptoms, then it is acceptable to go through life with high blood pressure. High blood pressure can be a “silent killer”. Untreated high blood pressure can put you at risk for heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure or aneurysms.

Eating healthy takes time and creativity, not lots of money. In many cases, it is more economical to eat healthy then to consume fast foods. While the fast food restaurants seduce diners with their convenience and “dollar menus”, it is important to look at the “big picture”. Consumption of unnecessary fats and sugars can be more costly down the road with an increase in medical costs. Excessive intake of fast foods can also contribute to high cholesterol and diabetes.

“Another factor overlooked is the high coast of eating out, both nutritionally and financially. A hefty 37% of the average American food budget goes toward eating out, and in many cities that figure creeps considerably higher. Cook at home, boil some water, and save money, according to Mary Elizabeth Williams, staff writer for Salon.

What should your plate look like if you are eating a healthy well balanced meal? Look no further. New U.S. Dietary Guidelines has replaced the old food pyramid with a simple to use, colorful, four-part plate icon.
 

The new icon, called "My Plate," is split into four sections -- red for fruits, green for vegetables, orange for grains, and purple for protein -- with a separate blue section for dairy on the side.

Many people say they don’t have time to exercise. But we overlook one of the most convenient, basic forms of exercising-walking. Walking is available to everyone and doesn’t require any financial outlay for expensive gear or instructors. Walking is good for individuals at all levels and can be started as low impact and increased to a high calorie burning “power walk”. Walking can also be done in short time frames, such as ten minute intervals-three or more times per day. Walking can also be done outdoors as well as indoors during bad weather.

Coupled with a decrease in calorie intake, walking can assist in weight loss. “The key to weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. Because 3,500 calories equals about one pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose one pound of fatty tissue. So if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you’d lose about one pound a week (500 calories x 7 days=3,500 calories)”.

Wish I had penny for each time I heard a client say, “I don’t take my medication because it costs too much or it’s too inconvenient or I don’t like the side effects or I just simply forgot to take it”. I’d have enough money to pay for all of their medications!

These are just a few reasons why people do not follow their prescription regimes. Failure to adhere to medication instructions, either willful or inadvertent, has been termed “noncompliance” with medication regimens. According to the National Institute of Health, 55 percent of the elderly do not follow the medication regimens prescribed by their physicians.

The results of medication noncompliance are serious and costly. Noncompliance can result in the increased use of medical resources such as nursing homes, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, physician visits, and unnecessary treatments. Noncompliance with medication regimens can cause serious medical events and conditions such as stroke and cardiac arrest when related to cardiac medications.