Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Wellness Wins Program....And Marathon Training Schedules

Well, this morning was the end of the Wellness Wins Program at my work.  What is Wellness Wins you ask...It is a 16 week program that my work has done for 2 years in a row.  There is criteria you have to follow and testing you have to do, but if you complete everything like you should, you can win up to $200.  Every employee can get $200....Isn't that freakin awesome!!!!:)
I participated in it last year and got the full $200.  This year I was super excited to sign up!
It started in January and ran through today.  Before starting, you have to attend a screening day, where they take your height and weight, you Body Fat %, your BMI, your blood pressure reading, and you have to get a cholesterol and gluose blood draw.
The purpose over the next 16 weeks is to either maintain your weight or your stats, if you are where you want/need to be, or lose weight if you are overweight or your stats are not where they should be.  To do this, some of the things that everyone has to do is.  There is a point system of each criteria.  Each point value equals a dollar amount (example 20 points equals $20)  The total amount of points you can get is 200 points, or $200.
THE CRITERIA:
BMI/Body Fat- 20 Points
Your BMI must fall in the range of 18.5-24.9 or in the normal recommended body fat range for his/her age and gender or an employee must lose an average of one pound per week for the duration of the challenge.
Blood Pressure- 15 Points
An employee must have a blood pressure reading with systolic pressure 120 or less and diastolic pressure 80 or less or the employee must reduce his/her blood pressure by 10% during the challenge.
Fitness Exercise Program- 15 Points
An employee must participate in a regular physicial activity, a minimum of three days per week, for at least 30 minutes per day.  This must be loged on the offical challenge log.  This can include walking, cycling, joggin, tennis, basketball, weights, yoga or an exercise class.
Total Cholestoerol- 15 Points
An employee must have a fasting total cholesterol level less than 200mg or an employee must have a total/HDL ratio of 3.5:1 or below.
Blood Glucose Level- 15 Points
An employee must have a fasting glucose level between 70-99mg.
Wellness Activites- 10 Points
An employee must participate in or attend at least four health-related events or preventive screenings during the challenge period.  Proof must be provided.
Tobacco Free- 5 Points
Must be tobacco free during the program.
Current on Mandatory Health Screenings- 5 Points
Must be current on all mandatory hospital health screening tests.

So, needless to say, the past 16 weeks I have been following the program.  Today when I went in to turn in my things, and see how I had done, here is the outcome for me:
Weight: I lost 1lb
BMI Week 1: 23.8
BMI Week 16: 23.3
Body Fat% Week 1: 25.2%
Body Fat% Week 16: 23.5%  (HUGELY PROUD OF)
Blood Pressure Week 1: 112/72
Blood Pressure Week 16: 112/78

Plus I did at least 3 days of workouts throughout the course of the challenge, and I completed my 4 Wellness Wins Activities....1. Half Marathon 2. 5 Mile St. Patty's Day Run 3. Attended a Health Fair at work 4. Had my wellness exam completed.

So.....this means on my next pay check...CHHH-AAA-CHHH-III-NNN-GGG!  $200
It is a really neat program that they do, and I have heard of people losing alot of weight during the program.  I hope it is something they do again next year!!

So, one to my thoughts on marathon training schedules...I will begin my marathon training mid-June.  I am still trying to decide which is the best program to go with.  I would like to do an 18 week program with 3 days of running in it.  Also, I need to figure out how to do the different runs...tempo,speed, track etc.
If anyone can give me any suggestions on programs to follow that have worked for them, along with helping me understand the different runs etc, that would be great!

This weekend I am running my first race since my half...Make Tracks for the Zoo 5K  Wish me luck!!!

4 comments:

Holly - Run Like the Wind (or Shuffle Like an Old Lady) said...

Congrats!!! What an awesome program!! And good luck at your race. Is it in the Zoo? We ran a 5k at the zoo last weekend and it was super fun!

Pining for Pinterest said...

That is so cool that they pay you for that!! Way to go on the pound and body fat :) Have a great day and thinking of ways to spend your money!!!

Allie said...

What an awesome program, congrats on your winnings, you worked for that. :)

Susan said...

Holy cow! I want to do that program! Good luck on the 5K!