Dear Friends of the Coalition,

Healthcare is always a hot topic, but never hotter than during an election year.  We’re hearing debates about healthcare reform, which call for greater “price transparency” and “universal coverage.”  Hopefully, we’ll all study the issues and exercise our right to vote for the candidate that best represents our views.  In the meantime, take a look around you.  If you’re like two-thirds of employed Americans, healthcare reform already is occurring at your workplace in the form of wellness programs.

Because of skyrocketing healthcare expenses, employers have been searching for ways to manage costs and improve productivity.  Now they’re asking you to help carry the load.  Don’t be offended; it’s not all about the corporate bottom line.  Ultimately, it’s about helping you live healthier, happier lives.

This month, in “The Race for Workplace Wellness,” we help you navigate some of these new wellness programs so you and your family can benefit the most.  We explain how wellness programs work, as well as other things you can do to contribute to a “culture of wellness” within your own organization.

Here's what's in this issue:

• Corporate Wellness Programs 101 by Kay Jones Lewis 
• Healthy Communication at Work by Danielle Messick
• Healthy Eating in the Workplace by Ann Henderson
• Relief for Common Workplace Stressors by Becca Timerson
• How to Navigate Your Healthcare Plan by Danyelle Hegarty
• Healthy Home: Green Workspaces by Lance Phillips
• Kids Corner: Sports Physicals by Linda Roochvarg, MD
• Senior Corner: Care Options for Seniors by Stacy Carter
• Exercise Playlist: Curls, Dips, Crunches by Connie Norris, Lisa Bachman
• Culinary Corner: Healthy Brown Bag Lunches by Ann Henderson

Shape-up Shakedown:
In this month's Shape-up Shakedown, Summer Griffith introduces you to some new ways to add movement to your day at work. 

• In Change What You Do:  Moving Meetings, she gives you some tips on taking your brainstorming sessions outdoors.
• In Double Time:  Get up and Go—10,000 Steps a Day, Summer outlines ways you can walk more while you’re on the job.
• And in Challenge Your Body: Deskercize, she shows you how to get a full-body workout without leaving the office.
• Watch my video too for a demonstration of some simple exercises you can do at your desk to relieve stress.

Corporate wellness programs in great demand:
The Wellness Coalition America team is delighted by the positive response to our corporate wellness programs.  We are now serving more than 70 corporations throughout the Southeast and are receiving new requests for information each week from company managers who recognize the need within their own organizations.  We encourage you to review some of the ways we can help you customize a program for your specific needs.  For more information, please contact Shira Capellini at shira@wellnesscoalition.com.

Interactive tool:
Our Featured Tool this month shows how to calculate your “Target Heart Rate Range.”  Your target heart rate is a useful way of pacing yourself when you exercise, to make sure your level of activity is not too high or too low. You also can use your target heart rate to evaluate your initial fitness level and your progress over time.

Ask the Wellness Coach:
Do you have a question about ways you can MOVE, FUEL, RELAX, and MAINTAIN your body that you would like one of our WCA Wellness Coaches to answer?  Just submit your question through our online form, and if your question is selected, the answer will be posted on our website.  You may also benefit from reading the answers to other readers’ questions.

This is the 48th edition of our Wellness From Within eZine, but if this is your first time to receive it, welcome.  We hope you find this information useful.  We are committed to delivering relevant, easy-to-read articles on health, nutrition, lifestyle, and exercise that will help you achieve your personal best.  Please let us know how we can better serve you—we welcome your feedback!

With an abundance of gratitude,

Terrie Elizabeth Reeves
Founder and President