Wellness Wednesday

Just for taking part, you will be in on drawings for nifty prizes. Additional drawings will be held for those who meet or exceed their maintenance goal. In past years, 89% of those who took part were able to maintain their weight—so we hope to see that trend continue. Please join us for the fun!

Sign-up takes less than a minute and the opportunity is free. https://forms.gle/vnr4YZnqtKwHF1Lf9 

Ready for casual Wednesdays again? Join us for Holiday Hustle and Fitness February!

LPS Wellness and TeamMates are back again, offering opportunities to support TeamMates while getting to dress in jeans or "fitness fabulous" during two specific event offerings.

Donate to a great cause, get a special donor button to wear and permission to wear your jeans or school-fabulous fitness clothes. Also, great news! TeamMates is making it easy and you may now donate $20 now to cover both Holiday Hustle and Fitness February, or donate $10 to cover Holiday Hustle. The button will note if it covers just the holidays or if it covers you for both events.

Want to win a free Holiday Hustle button? Nominate a new TeamMates mentor by contacting Emily Haack at ehaack@lps.org and she can get you the nomination mini form. (Self-nominations gladly accepted!)

Here’s to comfy dressing in your near future. Use this link to donate:  https://forms.gle/JEv9wPiu86f3BZyC7

• Holiday Hustle Wednesdays: Nov. 17-Jan. 5
• Fitness February Wednesdays: Each Wednesday in February

EHA Wellness Thankful Thoughts

Fitting with the holiday season, EHA Wellness is offering a wellness challenge called "Thankful Thoughts." If you enroll to take part by Nov. 30, you will be eligible to receive the incentive, which are sticky notes. The challenge begins Dec. 1. Track 20 days of activities to qualify for gift card prize drawings. Go to www.ehawellness.org and enroll on your personal page. There is a lookup function on the page if you do not know your personal code. For other questions, contact me or our friends at EHA Wellness directly at contact@ehawellness.org.

The WW reset: Making it personal

Were you part of Weight Watchers at some point in your life? You likely memorized that plan/point values and have kept pieces of that plan that worked for you in your weight management toolbox. Its approach may have gone through many updates since your involvement.

If you are looking to prioritize your health and weight, WW (formerly Weight Watchers) has reformulated their approach once again to include focus on factors previously not central to their plan, including stress and sleep.

Those taking part answer some questions specific to their personal eating style and activity levels, setting in place a plan that now focuses on poultry and plant protein and fiber, with an attempt to encourage participants to decrease added sugars and red meats in their food choices daily.

For example, depending on your survey answers, it may make some foods “free” that are your favorites that previously would have cost you points. It also may give you added points if you are more active, record more water, fruits and/or vegetable consumption. It also encourages you to set lifestyle goals beyond the scale focus, such as ideas for stress management. 

To help you be real about this program, as a registered dietitian and health professional, I’ve listed some pros and cons to consider when determining if this program is currently for you.

Pros:

• If you feel like you need a reset and a tracking method and are ready, they have the tools and make it easy.
• Its repackaging lets it be less about the scale and more about healthy lifestyles if you choose. Materials are robust and well-developed to support other aspects of wellness. 
• A bar scan reader helps make tracking/deciding on packaged foods easily. The app is easy to utilize.
• If you go through your points early in the day, there are still other foods you can eat that are “zero” points and flex points to spread across the week.
• It does a good job of helping you get back on track if you hit a rough patch or stop tracking.
• You are not required to purchase their food products or attend meetings to take part in this online version.
• Sometimes investing a few dollars a month helps you prioritize your efforts and the cost is less with the LPS discounted rate. Discounts are available for those who choose to take part in live meetings or events.
• If you like privacy, online may be a great option, as you aren’t trying to please or impress others.
• If you like shared community, you may join with other LPS friends or enjoy the online community aspects.
• You are able to eat regular foods and eat anywhere/with others.
• You can stop or start the program at any time.

Cons:

• Those with diabetes, history of disordered eating or other major health issues should follow the guidance of their personal health care team and follow the meal plan guidance of their registered dietitian. Period. Though they now address diabetes, it would be critical for your RD to ensure the plans align. WW is not for children.
• If you mainly eat red meats and/or depend on sugar sweetened beverages, this might be too much of a departure for you to feel successful in the food aspect of this program. Your points will likely be gone by breakfast.
• If you really like your previous version of Weight Watchers and now have to adjust, it might take some time.
• The program is only as impactful as you make it, by engaging consistently and tracking choices, which may be challenging long-term. This is about you. If you tend to “fib” about points or activities, it might not be a great fit.
• The weight loss-weight gain-body shaming cycle of “dieting” can be harmful. Is this all about the scale? Think carefully about your motivations and self-acceptance before taking part in this or any other diet or lifestyle modifications.
• With their expanse of resources, it might be a bit overwhelming. Be kind to yourself and try not to take on too many aspects of wellness at once or your journey may feel unsuccessful and/or quickly end. 

Bonus to joining before Dec. 31: WW is offering a free “Friends and Family Kit,” including approximately $100 in value that includes $50 of coupons. To see the kit and learn more, log onto www.ehawellness.org and go to your personal page, clicking on the WW icon toward the bottom of the page. If you have not visited your EHA Wellness personal page for some time, you may need to refresh and/or reset your password, as EHA Wellness has updated its website.

If you wish to take part and have questions, contact EHA Wellness directly at contact@ehawellness.org or me at mwelch@lps.org.