Healthy choices are being incorporated into meetings everywhere; high-quality meals are being made, exercise classes are being offered, and more and more self-care options are being provided.  My travels have included serving multiple meeting planning groups in the last few weeks and I love hearing all the creative ways they’re increasing the health of their meetings.  I also hear, though, how difficult it can be to make it all happen . . . what a perfect topic for the newsletter this week!  Regardless of whether you’re planning a board meeting for 10, or a huge conference that serves thousands, these simple ideas can support your efforts and help create ease for all.

Baby steps are perfect steps.  Attendees are used to certain experiences, structure, and even meals at their events. Changing everything in one fell swoop can disrupt their view of a positive experience and quite frankly causes a lot of overwhelm for a planner.  We want everyone to feel like they’re well cared for and heard.  Take small steps to create a shift in the experience.  Ideas could include upgrading one key food category in every meal, so attendees recognize tradition and enjoy a slight enhancement for the better of their health.  For breaks, provide a mix of traditional fare alongside healthier options. Move away from sugary treats and opt for more whole-food snacks.

Free upgrades are always a plus when there’s a budget to honor.  Not every shift you make to enhance the meeting needs to cost money.  Need some ideas to help your attendees feel relaxed, on task, and energized? Offer additional time at the end of sessions for attendees to breathe, process the information they learned, and connect with friends.  Encourage fresh-air breaks outside the conference area, offer designated walking periods for activity, and get attendees up and moving as often as possible. These all enhance the experience at no cost to you!

Know that you can’t please them all.  This is the tough one, as every planner I know tries their best to create an experience that attendees rave about.  Bottom line here is that you can only perform at your best.  Listen well to your client.  Communicate effectively with the event manager and chef to create an exceptional conference.  And then RELEASE what you cannot control.  Allow attendees to respond however they need to respond, take any feedback received and learn from it for the next event.  Many individuals struggle with change, maybe they’re arriving to your conference carrying a lot of hardship or are just having a tough day. We never know, but at the end of the day focus only on that which you can control and let the rest go.  This will allow you to serve at your very best and rest well when your head hits the pillow because you’ve given it everything you’ve got and done so to the best of your ability.

You have a beautiful gift to offer those who attend your meetings.  The gift of education, connection, inspiration and health.  Be the advocate, know that you can make a HUGE difference by shifting the experience one step at a time.  We’re here to be a valuable resource to you; let us know if we can assist with an idea-storming session, enhance the menu planning process or provide creative ways to address all those allergies and sensitivities on the list!  We’ve got you covered.

Over the years as I’ve worked with clients in designing their wellness programs, I’ve had the opportunity to address the key health challenges that so many organizations face when it comes to creating a culture of wellness in the workplace. People often don’t realize how much wellness affects the bottom line of an organization. But whether it’s rising insurance claims, productivity at work or absenteeism, wellness is no longer a topic that can be overlooked. Thankfully, many of the most successful global companies are addressing wellness and looking for solutions outside of traditional corporate wellness programs and speakers; they recognize the importance of equipping employees to take ownership of their careers, their lives, and their performance at work.

It’s encouraging to see that many organizations are recognizing the necessity of addressing wellness with their company. I’ve had the privilege of partnering with companies like Salesforce, United Airlines, and Marriott among many others who are creating a culture of health within their organizations and in turn, doing work with widespread impact.

If you’re feeling like it’s time for a wellness upgrade and you want to start creating a wellness program that really gets results, here are four principles to consider:

Assess:  You must know the challenges of your people to guide them to change.  The weight loss contests, walking and hydration challenges alone will not create a shift in mindset and behavior, which is necessary for improved outcomes.  Dive deep into your medical claim trends, host focus groups and listen to your team’s subjective feedback and assess what type of programming will best suite the needs of your team.

Attain:  If the team isn’t on board, your wellness goals will not be met.  Attain buy-in from the top down. The C-Suite team will not only need to buy in to the idea; they’ll need to walk the walk and make sure their managers do the same. Once managers are engaged, their teams will be too!  There’s no greater challenge for an organization than to have the CEO provide verbal permission to take part in wellness offerings only to have a direct manager make it clear there’s no time for it in the business day.  You’d be surprised how often this happens, and how easily it works against your goals of improved health and productivity.

Action:  Be strategic about your wellness programming.  Is it meeting the challenges and needs of your people?  Most employees are feeling fatigued, have brain fog, often deal with chronic pain in the body, they’re not sleeping well, and they may suffer from depression and anxiety.  While the typical programs geared towards weight loss, hydration, and movement might enhance someone’s health, they aren’t going to get to the root cause of the issue or create long-term behavior change.  Be strategic, address the key health issues of your team and provide consistent and frequent offerings throughout the year.

Accountability:  Track progress, participation and money!  Know where your money is going, track participation and benchmark your progress.  This will allow you to assess your efforts in a scheduled manner, make necessary updates when needed and achieve your organizational goals.  A return on your investment can take a minimum of 3-5 years to achieve.  Stay steady, address the root cause of the health challenges your team is facing, be sure you have buy-in across the board, and remain accountable.

Today I challenge you to consider how you’re defining wellness. It’s not simply about limiting your trips to the drive-thru or steering clear of the candy jar at the office. Wellness encompasses two main areas that I like to call Table Food and Life Food. Table food of course has to do with the foods we eat to nourish our body. Life Food has to do with the choices we make outside of food that fuel us. This includes relationships, finances, spirituality, movement, and much more. Both of these areas play a huge role in health. Are there areas that you may be neglecting that are impacting your overall health?

Learn More About Creating A Wellness Program That Works!

If one of your goals is to become a healthier organization, it’s very important that you create an environment that supports this outcome.  It’s impossible to create change without making a change. Health goals aren’t as achievable when the break room is filled with sugary treats. People will never get away from their desks if they don’t feel they have true permission to do so.  Water bottles will remain empty unless fill stations are easily accessible.

Creating a culture of health can start with small, practical changes that will help your team advocate for themselves and make choices that benefit their health. Read on below for 5 practical ways you can help create a healthier organization!

Here are 5 ways to make your workplace more conducive to health:

• Provide water fill stations in break areas and include fruit/herb-infused options.  Post signs reminding the team to get 80 oz of water a day, which equates to 10 ounces every hour in an 8-hour workday.  This is an easy way to increase health in the workplace since every process in the body depends on adequate hydration!

• Purge your break room pantry.  This may seem a daunting task, but you can take it one step at a time.  Upgrade the quality of your offerings by selecting pre-packaged goods with 5 or less ingredients.  Make sure that you can read, pronounce and understand every ingredient.  This will reduce fillers, preservatives and toxins and will foster healing and prevention from disease.  

• Advocate for movement.  This shift will take time, but ideally you want your team get up from their desks once every hour for 5 minutes of activity.  Share desk exercises, simple movements they can do in their cubicle and get the team on board to do some of this together!  This low-cost option can provide incredible benefit; send reminders, assign team leaders to take the charge, and start making it part of your corporate culture to do so.  

• Change up your meetings.  Simple changes can make a world of difference in focus, energy and productivity. Encourage walking meetings outdoors for fresh air, new perspective and movement.  Include high-top tables in your meeting space to encourage standing for some/all of the meeting.   Take movement breaks every hour; incorporate arm circles, squats, planks, wall push-ups and more.  This will clear the mind and increase energy for great productivity.  

• Be mindful of time.  Is your team in communication overload?  Create and communicate healthy boundaries around emails, requests and meetings; every communication should meet specific criteria and help achieve an end goal. Trim where needed so teams can be most productive during work hours and be present with family in the evenings. This increases fulfillment and happiness in the workplace. 

CLICK HERE To Learn More About Getting A Wellness Upgrade! 

Learn more about how Angela can help!

Here are five things to consider when selecting a sports bar or drink:

1. What purpose will the sports bar serve?
   • Are you eating for pre-workout energy? (in need of a small carbohydrate boost)
   • Are you providing the body replenishment post exercise? (need protein & carbs to replenish)
   • Are you consuming the sports bar as an afternoon snack? (need a pick-me-up)
   • Consider the needs of your individual body and the contents of the bar. While a small carbohydrate boost may serve you well pre-workout, you’ll want more protein accompanied by carbohydrate after you exercise.  And while sports bars might be a quick and easy snack for the long workday, you are probably overdoing it eating one of these bars at your desk.
2. What’s in the ingredient list?
   • Focus on whole food ingredients
   • If you can’t read it, pronounce it or understand it, it doesn’t belong in your body
   • Is it a short list, or long list? The longer the list, the easier it is to hide unwanted ingredients
   • Stick with a list that contains 5 or less ingredients
3. What is the protein source?
   • Select bars with whole food protein sources
     • Nuts and Seeds
     • Hemp Protein
     • Pea Protein
     • Brown Rice Protein
   • Avoid soy and whey protein
4. Identify the sugar sources
   • While it is important to check the amount of sugar you’re consuming per serving, it’s even more important to understand the quality of the sugar you’re about to eat.
   • Select bars that are naturally sweetened with ingredients like:
     • Nuts and Seeds
     • Fruit
     • Dates and Figs
     • Honey
     • Maple Syrup
   • Avoid ingredients like: sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and any artificial sweetener (aspartame, phenylalanine, sucralose)
5. Beware of the calorie count
   • Some sports bars are used as a meal replacement and can contain a high number of calories per serving. It isn’t necessary to consume this type of bar unless you need to replenish a higher number of calories due to longer exercise.
   • While I don’t encourage calorie counting on a daily basis it is important to periodically gauge your food intake and make sure your choices are serving you well.

There once was a time when sports bars did not exist and people relied on whole food options to fuel their bodies for exercise and health.  You can challenge yourself to do the same!  It’s also an incredibly important skill to teach your children to make healthy food choices at an early age, and many sports bars are even specifically targeted at children! Focus on plant-based foods that provide the body good sources of protein, carbohydrates and fat; you’ll provide the body the fuel it needs while giving it a dose of high phytonutrient-content food to boost the immune system, fight disease and support you in your healthy lifestyle.