Here is one of the TV ads that BCBSMN is running.  It’s simple and funny, but it makes a great point.  Even if you’re in the workplace, you can take 30 seconds and move your body!

Today is Bike to Work Day in Colorado.  Here’s a photo of some of the incentaHEALTH riders who took part in this year’s event.  Last year, over 30,000 riders participated.  Based on the crowds out there today, 2010 looks to be another big year!  I can tell you from personal experience that starting your day on the bike (instead of sitting in traffic in your car) is a great way to start your day.  Really clears your head and gives you energy.  And at the end of the day, it’s a perfect way to decompress get all the daily workday demands to loosen their grip on you…until the next day!

You can read more about Bike to Work Day here.

Team incentaHEALTH Enjoys Bike to Work Day

USDA Food Pyramid

The USDA has released preliminary information about the next round of changes coming to the Food Pyramid.  First published in 1980, the Dietary Guidelines are mandated by Congress to be reviewed, updated and released by USDA and HHS every five years.

Based on the material being released, it is clear that obesity is front and center as a focus of the upcoming changes.  It’s no surprise considering that 67 out of every 100 American adults are overweight or obese.  The new enhancements should be a welcome addition to the all of our efforts to improve our nation’s health.

Below are some of the key goals targeted in the new guidelines:

Reduce the incidence and prevalence of overweight and obesity of the US population by reducing overall calorie intake and increasing physical activity.

Shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. In addition, increase the intake of seafood and fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products and consume only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, and eggs.

Significantly reduce intake of foods containing added sugars and solid fats because these dietary components contribute excess calories and few, if any, nutrients. In addition, reduce sodium intake and lower intake of refined grains, especially refined grains that are coupled with added sugar, solid fat, and sodium.

Meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

You can view the USDA page describing the upcoming changes here. One of the interesting features of the USDA site is that you can view the comments that have been posted in response the the proposed changes.   Here is the link to view the comments.

Jeffrey Heer, a professor at Stanford, has a some neat data visualizations on his web site.  They are part of a nice story he co-wrote in the June issue of the Communications of the ACM about different ways to visualize data.  On his site, you can manipulate this graph below and see the rise in obesity over the past 13 years.

You can read Mr. Heer’s full story here.

Obesity Cartogram

incentaHEALTH Case Study

The most rewarding part about being a member of the incentaHEALTH team is hearing success stories from our customers.

One of our participants in Michigan has had an amazing transformation while participating in the incentaHEALTH wellness program.  We know we’re having an impact when we see stories of how our customers make positive improvements in their health.

“I still remember the first time I went down to the Dining Center and someone asked me if I had lost weight. I was excited about it all day,” said Linda Cramer who still looks at her “before” picture quite often as motivation.

Do you have a story that you’d like to share?  Please let us know.  Read on to learn more about how Linda and her employer are both succeeding with incentaHEALTH.

It often seems that obesity is an entirely American phenomenon.  May 22, 2010 is European Obesity Day.  While the U.S. tips the scales at 67% of the population being overweight or obese, European citizens measure in at around 50%.  Watching the international obesity trends, you can see how the spread of sedentary lifestyles (more and more of us are working at computers) combined with larger portions (super size, anyone?) leads to an increase in overweight and obesity.  This just bolsters the case for incorporating physical activity and better nutrition in our daily routines via corporate wellness.

You can read more about the European campaign here.

In the latest survey conducted by the Midwest Business Group on Health, 78% of the employers surveyed indicated that it is more important than ever to keep their workers healthy and motivated to adopt healthy lifestyles.  While there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the latest health care legislation, employers are in agreement that improving employee health is good for employees and the bottom line.

You can read more about the survey here.

By 2015, several of the top food makers in the U.S. have pledged to reduce calorie counts by 1.5 trillion.  The most exciting part of this announcement is that they are targeting portion sizes as one of the primary ways to meet their goal.  It seems that after years of portion sizes creeping upwards, we may finally be hitting a plateau and starting to see discussion of reducing portion sizes.  Let’s hope we can keep up the momentum around a return to more reasonable portions.  You can read more about the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation here.

B-Cycle Bike Rentals in Denver

A new community bicycle program is launching in incentaHEALTH’s backyard in Denver, Colorado.  The program—similar to programs running in several European cities—allows anyone to do a short-term bike rental whenever they need to get around.  This is a great way to make it easy for people to integrate physical activity into their day.

Below is a video of a similar program operating in Paris since 2007.  It’s called Velib.  Based on Velib’s inital success (over 3.7 million rides in the first two months of the program according to NPR), the B-Cycle program should be warmly embraced here in Denver.

Bikes Belong presents: Velib from Bikes Belong on Vimeo.

Wellness ROI Calculator

Today we are excited to announce a new tool for employers looking to quantify the reduction in health care costs that can result from a wellness program.

By visiting the “Measurable Results” section of incentaHEALTH.com, employers can enter the number of employees in their company and calculate how much the incentaHEALTH Wellness Program should save in reduced health care costs.

Employers can also enter the state with the largest concentration of employees to tailor the results to the specific percent overweight and obesity rates for their state.

The calculator combines national research data correlating body mass index (BMI)  to levels of medical claims, absenteeism, and prescription drug usage.  This data is then applied to the typical program performance experienced by clients using the incentaHEALTH program.  By using the actual program engagement rates and measured reductions in BMI experienced by incentaHEALTH customers, we can estimate real-world reductions in health care costs.  And since this outcomes data is measured by our patented HEALTHspot kiosk located in the workplace, we have moved beyond self-reported data and now have authenticated outcomes.

Click here to try the calculator for yourself.