With The Super Bowl right around the corner, we’re taking a moment to look at 3 lessons those giants of the gridiron can teach us about a winning wellness program.
1. Preparation
Gameday is only one day on the job. It’s where the rubber meets the road, and in order for the day to be a success, teams need to put in the hard work and preparation the other 6 days of the week.
Wellness programs require the same dedication. Simply picking random initiatives and letting them happen will get you low participation and, therefore, low results. Instead spend the needed time to build the right program. Then, prepare a strategy that will get your population engaged and winning at wellness.
2. Perseverance
Wellness initiatives can look great on paper, but obstacles often arise once they are in play. For example, when our beloved Packers, started the season with a disappointing 4-6 record, they needed to adapt.
They made some key personal and play adjustments and rallied with an 8 game winning streak, all the way to the NFC Championship game. (Go Pack Go!)
In turn, you have no way of knowing exactly how your wellness program will play out. So when you encounter obstacles during the year, don’t let it shake you from the original goals of the plan. Instead make the necessary adjustments and keep the end goal of engaging employees in healthy behavior in mind.
3. Fundamentals
At the end of the day, the game of football will always come back to fundamentals – blocking and tackling. Coaches bring many different philosophies to the table when it comes to offensive and defensive play calling. But ultimately, players still have to catch, protect the ball, block, tackle, etc… or all the strategies fall apart. Likewise, your wellness initiatives can have creative spins around social challenges, gamification, incentives, etc… but it still boils down to engaging employees in healthier eating habits and regular physical activity. Focus on the fundamentals and the results will follow.
Winning at wellness isn’t easy. But by focusing on the fundamentals and adding a little preparation, perseverance you can succeed.
Good luck to the football and wellness teams out there!
This post was originally published on Motion Connected's Corporate Wellness Updates and has been updated for comprehensiveness and accuracy.