Trend Setters: What’s Shaping Your Wellness Programme?

Businesses of all sizes are being impacted by the trend of corporate wellness programmes, integrating strategies to help create an overall wellbeing-enhancing experience in the workplace. Corporate wellness programmes also use incentives to increase participation and awareness. Let’s take a look at five trends that are helping shape health and wellness at the workplace:

 

1. Lifestyle Management: Finding time to workout or visit the doctor can be problematic in today’s hectic world. You need to rush home, make dinner, help your kids with their homework, clean the house, make time for your relationship and somehow get to bed at a decent hour; where’s the time for wellness? This is why more and more corporate wellness programmes are focusing on lifestyle management, and including efforts such as biometric screenings, flu shots and cholesterol screenings in the workplace to help you make time for your health. Such measures can help you prevent the risks for common, yet dangerous, health problems including diabetes, stroke and coronary disease – without having to leave the office!

 

2. Weight Loss: More companies are now offering free yoga, Zumba classes or individual workouts onsite or at a nearby facility to make fitness opportunities more accessible for those looking to lose or manage their weight. Doing your diet plan alongside your colleagues brings with it a sense of camaraderie, with your workmates encouraging you to keep going along to workout sessions. Moreover, companies that offer weight loss programmes tend to have vending machine options with fresh, healthy snacks, as well as fruit and veggies at meetings instead of unhealthy treats. With such a variety of healthy food options and fitness classes available, you have the opportunity to try several options to find the best fit for your lifestyle.

 

3. Redesigning the Workspace: In order to encourage you to become healthier, many businesses are rethinking the design and layout of the office. This may incorporate a variety of design options, such as fitting out desks with exercise balls or standing or treadmill workstations instead of chairs. Some employers offer anti-fatigue mats for employees to stand on while they work, while others give employees ergonomic telephone headsets and keyboards. Then you have wireless personal trainers such as BodyBugg and FitBit, which accurately tracking calories burned, steps taken, walking distance, etc to help keep employees in the mindset of fitness.

 

4.  Smoking Cessation: It’s often a wise investment for companies to introduce smoking cessation programmes, which is why so many businesses do exactly that. Many wellness experts view such programmes as a necessity that provides a direct correlation with good health, helping employers to foster a healthier workforce. As an employee, you need motivation, social support, an understanding of what to expect and a personal game plan to increase your chances of quitting smoking, and many companies offer all of this and more. In fact, some companies execute smoke-free campuses, and even go so far as to avoid hiring smokers.

 

5. Stress Management: While programmes focusing on physical fitness have been proven to decrease stress and increase energy, mental fitness programmes are increasingly being recognised as equally important. The point of a stress management programme is to allow employees to dedicate a short time every day to mental fitness through volunteering, journal writing or even daydreaming. This, in turn, helps you to feel rejuvenated and more confident, which shows in your work and overall lifestyle. One of the strongest efforts being used to manage daily pressures is meditation, which many companies use as a daily tool to help employees cope with stress.

Categories: corporate wellness, corporate wellness programmes, lifestyle management, mental fitness, Programmes, smoking cessation, stress management, Weight Loss, Wellness, Wellness programmes

Can Alternative Therapies Help You to Quit Smoking?

If you’ve quit smoking successfully, the chances are you’ve used complementary wellness methods to help you do it. Many a successful quitter has gotten through the pangs of cigarette withdrawal using techniques such as hypnosis, acupuncture, or meditation, as these therapies address all the areas in which smoking affects your wellbeing and develop a healthy balance between your physical and mental wellness. There are many doctors who recommend alternative approaches, but they do also encourage patients to try them in conjunction with other quitting methods such as the patch or nicotine gum.

 

Amit Sood, MD, director of research for the Mayo Clinics complementary and integrative medicine programme, asserts, ‘People shouldn’t think that alternative modalities will help alone; they should be combined with other treatment. Smoking is a serious problem and should be treated like a real chronic disease.’ While it’s difficult to measure the success of alternative approaches to quitting smoking in a clinical setting, you cannot doubt the popularity of alternative medicine overall, with regards to smoking cessation or not. In the US, a 2002 government survey estimated that 36% of Americans had used some form of complementary or alternative therapy within the previous 12 months – clearly, something was working for them! Let’s take a look at some of the alternative therapies that may help you to quit smoking, once and for all:

 

1. Hypnosis: This therapy can relax your mind so that you identify the things that subconsciously trigger you to smoke. Alan B. Densky, a certified hypnotherapist who specializes in smoking cessation, explains, ‘Hypnosis is nothing more than the alpha state—a state of mind that we pass through as we fall asleep at night, go deep into a memory, or as we watch television.’ A hypnotherapist will take your case history of past attempts at quitting, and then induce you into a state of relaxation—often through the methods of guided meditation or visualization. Your hypnotherapist will then ask begin a conversation to explore what might motivate the patient to quit. According to the preliminary results from a small 2007 study of smokers hospitalized with cardiopulmonary diseases, hypnotherapy increases your chances of quitting in six months than if you choose nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) alone.

 

2. Acupuncture: A technique derived from traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture uses tiny needles to stimulate certain points on your body. When it comes to smoking, acupuncturists generally insert the needles on and around your ears, feet and top of the head in order to reduce your cravings and ease the withdrawal symptoms throughout the body. However, it’s important note that the needle placement varies depending on who you are, and the acupuncturist will evaluate you to determine your physical weaknesses. Through a reading of your pulse and the colour of your tongue, your acupuncturist can work out which needle points to address. While acupuncture is the most extensively studied among the alternative therapies used to quit smoking, you need to bear in mind that the research is mixed here too and the best results come from a combination of acupuncture and education.

 

3. Meditation:  Not only does meditation soothe your wellbeing and refocus your thoughts, but a 2002 study showed that it releases dopamine in your brain, which is a similar process to how nicotine triggers that relaxing feeling. ‘There is an element of neurobiology behind it,’ says Dr. Sood, adding that meditation can also be a way to replace the stress-relieving qualities of cigarettes. Try breathing in and out slowly through your nose while sitting in a comfortable seat. Do this for five minutes, simply refocusing your thoughts back to your breathing whenever your mind wanders. Gradually work up to 20 minutes of mindful breathing a day.

Categories: acupuncture, Alternative, alternative therapies, hypnosis, meditation, quit, quit smoking, quitting smoking, Smoking, smoking cessation

Gender Differences Extend to How We Smoke and Quit

We’ve long been aware that the male and female bodies are affected by things in different ways, but did you know that the way in which we smoke is yet another to add to the list? In 2001, a study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that women and men are affected by smoking, and likewise quitting, differently. After lighting up, women collectively rates their cigarettes as less satisfying than men did. In another study, women who sampled both standard and low-nicotine cigarettes noted less of a difference in their enjoyment and their perceived nicotine intake than male participants did. These are just some of the findings from this research, which suggests that there is a gap between male and female smokers. The research found suggests that men smoke mainly for the nicotine, whereas women tend to care more about the smell and taste, the hand-to-mouth sensation, the boost to their mood and the weight control. Studies show that both sexes have around the same rate of success with smoking cessation drugs, but nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as the patch of nicotine gum, reveal surprising differences. NRT seems to help both men and women get through the first few months of difficulty on an equal level, but after six months women tend to slide back into the habit at a higher rate than men do.

These differences between gender in smoking addictions may also account for an interesting exception to the NRT gender gap – the inhaler, which is a small, plastic cigarette-shaped device that provides a dose of vaporised nicotine when you take a drag from it. A study carried out in 2001 found that inhalers were more effective for women than men, in the short term, whereas men had more success with gum, patches and sprays. When women stop smoking, they lose both the nicotine and the sensory cues which can make things difficult for them. Replacing these cues with an inhaler rather than with a patch which doesn’t resolve the issue can help them to cope more easily with giving up.

More than half of female smokers state in such studies that their weight concerns are a major issue when quitting. This isn’t surprising but research suggests that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could be well suited to women as it helps them to take the leap over the psychological hurdle, accepting that they may well gain a little weight when they quit.  Women may well benefit from combining CBT with a glance at their menstrual cycles as well. Studies suggest that menstruation has a unique effect on tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Women shouldn’t exacerbate hormonal mood swings with their withdrawal symptoms by trying to quit during the middle of PMS. It’s advised to wait until after the first day after a period starts to quit, so as not to make either problem worse.

If you’re struggling to quit smoking, there are a number of resources available to help you. From helplines to smoking cessation devices, you should be able to find plenty of information on how to quit in a way that suits you. Quitting is always the healthier option – smoking causes a number of health concerns, from increasing your risk of lung cancer and heart disease, to accelerating ageing and causing gum problems. Speak to your GP about ways to quit smoking and cut cigarettes out of your life as soon as possible.

Categories: female smokers, Gender, new study, nicotine, quit, quit smoking, Smoking, smoking cessation, withdrawal symptoms, Women, women tend

Mental Health Issues Linked To Smoking Cessation Medication

In a new report, the FDA has discovered that there could be a link between smoking cessation medications, Chantix and Zyban, and changes in one’s mental health, such as depressive mood swings, hostility and suicidal tendencies. A new labelling is being drawn up for medications such as these, including generic versions of these treatments, in order to warn of the new potential side effects. Those taking these medications who feel a sudden or dramatic change in their mood, such as feeling the need to hurt themselves, should cease taking the drugs immediately and seek advice from their GP as soon as possible.

It’s important for people trying to quit smoking to weigh up the risks from smoking with those from the side effects of the drugs – while smoking is, of course, bad for your health, there may be other ways in which to give up. Smoking is extremely bad for your body, causing a risk of lung cancer, disability and stroke to name just a few ailments. If you’re smoking, no matter how much, it’s crucial that you give up as soon as possible to reduce your risk of such harmful side effects.

The study found that people taking Chantrix or Zyban could be at risk of depressive or suicidal tendencies even after stopping the medication. In many of these cases, it was noted that the nicotine withdrawal symptoms brought with them mental effects such as sleep disturbances, irritability and anxiety. Patients should be aware of these symptoms so that they are prepared for them when they give up cigarettes. You shouldn’t be put off from giving up smoking though – while it does require a lot of determination and willpower, it will decrease your risk of lung cancer and heart disease, among providing other positive effects on your body.

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Mental Health Issues Linked To Smoking Cessation Medication

Categories: medication, Mental Health, smoking cessation