This week, I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Indiana Health & Wellness Summit held in downtown Indianapolis. It was an interesting gathering of corporate benefits folks, brokers, vendors and experts. As I sat through the two day event, a common thread rang loudly through the halls:
Want to be the best you can be? Then take care of yourself.
For the corporate leaders gathered at this conference, the message was:
Do all you can to help your employees take care of themselves.
The theme for the summit was “Eat Healthy. Move More. Live Well.” The sessions supported this message very clearly:
- Mistakes Companies Make That Affect Their Employees’ Lives
- Oral Health & Wellness
- Best Practices for Best Wellness Results
- Health Care at Your Workplace
- Legal Issues for Employer Clinics
- Wealth and Wellness
The Keynotes were compelling. Peter “Pete the Planner” Dunn discussed the key roadblocks facing your employees wellness relative to retirement:
- Poor Housing Decisions
- Unreasonable Healthcare Strategy
- Cost of Children’s Education
- Financial Support of Adult Children
Zonya Foco talked about “ditching the diet mentality” and making small adjustments in habits to impact weight and overall health. In the spirit of bringing change into my own life, I bought Zonya’s cookbook, Lickety-Split Meals and prepared her Chicken Marsala to smiles of approval from my two eldest children. Thanks Zonya!
From my perspective, the Summit was successful in bringing health and wellness professionals together, sharing best practices and demonstrating the importance of the employer’s role in positively impacting employee health and wellness. Strong cases were made linking employee wellness to productivity as well as reinforcing the power of improving health proactively to impact healthcare costs. We all recognize these facts. The challenge is affecting change.
The Summit was geared toward employers but the underlying message was clear: as individuals, we need to continue to evolve and educate ourselves on how best to improve ourselves and make better choices. Our employers are looking for ways to help, as is our government – but these entities can never do enough. The bottom line is that our effectiveness as human beings is tied so very closely to our health and our health is so often a reflection of our choices. Educate yourself. Adjust your habits. Make healthier choices…today!
