January 24, 2020
The beginning of the year always provides a perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on the past, and strategize how to make the future the best yet. That rings true at Aria, where we fuel our healthcare communications work with a robust wellness offering. As we prepare for another successful year of public relations wins, we are bringing the best of 2019's wellness initiative forward, plus scheming up new plans and activities. Here’s a taste of what we did last year plus a sampling of our team’s feedback and goals for 2020.
Last Year’s Hits
During the wellness program’s pilot year, a few events and activities topped the charts in terms of favorite events, plus they actually made lasting impacts on our staff’s daily lives. Sustainable, long-term improvements in positive behaviors are a huge goal of the program, so we see that as a big win. Two favorite activities were:
Tastings: When it comes to exploring more nutritious foods and beverages, no one wants to buy a whole package of something only to discover they hate it. To combat this, we combed through the myriad brands and flavors of kombucha and veggie burgers and hosted tasting events featuring a selection of both for people to peruse and find their favorite. Since then, several Aria folks have started drinking kombucha on a regular basis (a fantastic source of probiotics and alternative to alcohol) as well as eating more veggie burgers (plant-based meals benefit human and environmental health).
Competitive Challenges: Competitive blood clearly runs in our veins, because every challenge we hosted spurred great team-building (and playful banter). The challenges motivated us to dive into activities that support greater wellness, and demonstrated that many of these behaviors are easy to incorporate into daily life. For National Vegetarian Month in October, we challenged the office to eat as many meatless meals as possible, tracked the total number of veggie meals, and donated $1 for every meal to the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary — raising a total of $730. We also divided the office into groups for team-based challenges to drive improvements in physical, mental, nutritional, and professional spheres. These ranged from eating locally and sustainably to exercising and being active, meditating, bringing reusable shopping bags and thermoses, and more.
New Year, New Goals
As we gear up for 2020, we want to align our programming with our group’s goals in order to continue inciting meaningful change. A survey of our team revealed that the group likes activities that run the gamut — nutrition and food, physical activity, mindfulness, professional development, finance, and environmental — so we’ll be sure to hit all those buckets next year.
While you’ll have to wait for the next wellness blog to find out what events we host next, the following 2020 goals from our crew should give you a preview of what we’re cooking up:
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- “Step away from my desk for a few minutes each day, i.e. lunch or walking meeting”
- “Eat healthier foods, exercise consistently, save money. I would love some guidance on nutrition/diet and also finances.”
- “Have a better work-life balance.”
- “Getting more fit/physically stronger.”
- “Mental health is my top priority; more activities that support stress reduction or tips and tricks on that.”
- “Healthier eating/ weight loss; living in the moment, intentionally and with gratitude. Bring in Oprah to speak.”
- “Eating healthier, personally and for the planet.”
- “A more plant-based diet and more mindfulness. Events and challenges around these areas in the office would be great. Also, let’s get rid of the junk food and find more healthy snacks!!”
What are your biggest wellness goals for 2020? Let us know on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook — or shoot me an email at aowen@ariamarketing.com.
