blueresource - home | blue cross and blue shield of illinois · 2008-01-25 · week 2 guide...

Weight Loss

BlueResourceSM

From the Leader in Health Care Communication Solutions

www.bcbsil.com1

*U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003; Human Resources Executive, 2004

Public health officials refer to obesity as an epidemic and see it as one of the top health threats in the United States.Employers can help by providing education and awareness, supporting weight loss initiatives and creating anenvironment that promotes employee weight loss success.

Emphasize Healthy LifestylesAre you looking for a way to talk with your employees about the importance that weight management can playin their lives? If so, start with this edition of BlueResource which showcases Don’t Weight to Feel Great—aneight-week weight loss program that encourages a healthy lifestyle. Topics include:

• Healthy food choices• Physical activity tips• Stress management techniques• Chronic disease risk factors

Check out the Don’t Weight to Feel Great messages and artwork in this booklet. Every file shown is available inboth English and Spanish. Locate the files you want on the CD provided by your BCBSIL Representative orat www.bcbsil.com/employer.

Integrate into Your Existing CommunicationsDon’t Weight to Feel Great files have been designed for you to implement the entire weight loss program, or youcan integrate select files into your existing employee communications. You can use PDFs electronically in e-mailsor on your intranet site, cut and paste from Word documents into your employee newsletters, or print from PDFsand distribute to your employees. It’s your choice.

Add Your Logo to the FilesWould you like to co-brand the Don’t Weight to Feel Great files with your group’s logo? Contact your BCBSILRepresentative to have your logo added to the files and returned to you—ready to go! It’s all part of our service toyou, at no cost, because communications are key to your employees’ health and improving plan utilization, whichhelps reduce health care costs for everyone

Government statistics report that two-thirds of U.S. adults areoverweight or obese, producing an estimated $12 billion a yearin higher health care costs, lost productivity and absenteeism.*

Look for new and updated files at www.bcbsil.com

BlueResource Introduction

www.bcbsil.com2

Tip!Look for additional tips throughout this booklet


BlueResource Implementation

Encourage Employee ParticipationLaunch your weight loss program with e-mails using theDon’t Weight to Feel Great e-mail banner and copy. Or if youprefer, print stuffers and include them with your employees’paychecks. Display introductory posters throughout yourworksite to encourage employee participation.

During the eight-week implementation:• Attach program guides and handouts along with the weekly

e-mails, or print the materials and distribute to your employees• Use the coordinating posters if you’d like to post supporting

information throughout your facility• Integrate newsletter copy into your employee newsletter,

or contact your BCBSIL Representative and ask aboutWellness Works—a complimentary quarterly employeenewsletter PDF available from BCBSIL

Congratulate ParticipantsWhen wrapping up Don’t Weight to Feel Great, use thecompletion certificate to congratulate participants on their hardwork. T-shirts can also be distributed. Encourage your employeesto complete the program evaluation form. We’d love to hearabout your success—please let your BCBSIL Representativeknow the results.

Health Care Service Corporation,of which Blue Cross and Blue Shieldof Illinois is an operating division,launched Don’t Weight to Feel Great.Collectively, 3,000 employees lost twoand a half tons, or more than 5,000pounds during the eight-weekimplementation period.

www.bcbsil.com3


BlueResource Program Launch

Don’t Weight to Feel GreatTakes Off

Weight no longer! Your answer tosimple, effective weight loss is herewith Don’t Weight to Feel Great fromBlue Cross and Blue Shield of ...

Don’t Weight to Feel Greatfor a Healthy New Year!

Need a better “weigh” to gethealthier this year? Coming soonfrom Blue Cross and Blue Shield ofIllinois, all the tools you need ...

Don’t Weight Introduction Poster41026.1206IL - English41404.1206IL - Spanish

Don’t Weight Banner Weekly E-mail41008.1206IL - English41430.1206IL - Spanish

Don’t Weight Intro E-mail41395.1206IL - English49074.1206IL - Spanish

Program Intro Teaser E-mail42043.1206IL - English49073.1206IL - Spanish

Don’t Weight Introduction Stuffer41351.1206IL - English41405.1206IL - Spanish

www.bcbsil.com4

Tip!Seek executive and senior management support foryour program and encourage their involvement

Tip!Use the FoodDiary Handoutthroughout yourweight loss program

Posters are designed in an 11x17-inch format. To scaledown to an 8.5 x 11-inch format, use Adobe Acrobat(full version) and follow these steps:

• Select File, then Print Setup• Click on the Properties box, and select the Effects tab• Check the Print Document On box, then select Letter in the

drop-down box, and check Scale to Fit. Click on OK

Introduction Weekly Guide41378.1206IL - English41406.1206IL - Spanish

Food Diary Handout41383.1206IL - English41419.1206IL - Spanish

www.bcbsil.com5


BlueResource Week 1

Week One – Can’t weight to get started

Weight loss will be a breeze when you do your prep work. Put thesestrategies for Week One into action and you’ll soon see the poundsdisappear before your eyes: ...

Weekly Activity Log (All Weeks)41380.1206IL - English41416.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Request that your group’slogo be added to the PDFfiles to create a co-brandedcommunication campaign

Tip!Attach weekly guideand handout PDFsin e-mails for anelectronic campaign

Weight Loss Poster - Week 141018.1206IL - English41431.1206IL - Spanish

Week 1 Guide41010.1206IL - English41407.1206IL - Spanish

Personal Contract - Week 141379.1206IL - English41415.1206IL - Spanish

E-mail41396.1206IL - English49075.1206IL - Spanish

www.bcbsil.com6


BlueResource Week 2

Week Two – Can’t weight to eat right

Low-carb, no-carb, sugar-free, low-fat—the different approaches toweight loss are enough to make your head spin. Put a healthier spinon eating with these Can’t Weight to Eat Right tips: ...

Calculating Your Energy Needs - Week 241381.1206IL - English41417.1206IL - Spanish

NutritionPoster - Week 241019.1206IL - English41432.1206IL - Spanish


Meal Planning at a Glance - Week 241382.1206IL - English41418.1206IL - Spanish


Tip!Make weight-loss programs, like Weight Watchers,available at work

www.bcbsil.com7


BlueResource Week 3

Week Three – Can’t weight to get moving

If extra pounds are weighing you down, give yourself a lift with thesehelpful ideas that are sure to give you a leg up on your weight-lossefforts: ...

Physical Activity Basics - Week 341384.1206IL - English41420.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Coordinatelunch-and-learnprograms

Tip!Give your employeespedometers andpromote walking10,000 steps each day

Physical ActivityPoster - Week 341020.1206IL - English41433.1206IL - Spanish


Take 10 and Do It Again - Week 341385.1206IL - English41421.1206IL - Spanish


www.bcbsil.com8


BlueResource Week 4

Week Four – Can’t weight to contemplate

The boss is on the warpath, your kids are giving you fits and traffic’screeping at a snail’s pace. Is that why you just downed your thirdchocolate bar for the day? Extra weight can sneak up on you ...

Eliminating Food Triggers - Week 441386.1206IL - English41422.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Print and hangposters in employeebreak rooms

Dining OutPoster - Week 441021.1206IL - English41434.1206IL - Spanish


Find Your Food Cues - Week 441387.1206IL - English41423.1206IL - Spanish


www.bcbsil.com9


BlueResource Week 5

Week Five – Can’t weight to meditate

Stop what you’re doing, tune out the distractions, relax and take somedeep breaths. You’ve just practiced a stress-reducing technique. Hereare some more ways to handle life’s ups and downs without turning ...

Reducing Stress at Work - Week 541388.1206IL - English41424.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Send out a series ofweight loss e-mails ifyou’re not planning toroll out the entire program

Stress ManagementPoster - Week 541022.1206IL - English41435.1206IL - Spanish


How to Stress Less - Week 541389.1206IL - English41425.1206IL - Spanish


www.bcbsil.com10


BlueResource Week 6

Week Six – Can’t weight to be healthy

Want to reduce your risk of chronic disease? You can by practicing asensible lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight. Can’t Weight to BeHealthy focuses on strategies that can help you live to a ripe old ...

Tip!Use copy providedto create messagesspecifically for youremployees

Tip!Develop a healthy eating campaign—include healthyoptions in cafeterias and vending machines



My Personal Medical Summary - Week 641390.1206IL - English41426.1206IL - Spanish

Weight Loss: Chronic DiseasePoster - Week 641023.1206IL - English41436.1206IL - Spanish

www.bcbsil.com11


BlueResource Week 7

Week Seven – Can’t weight to demonstrate

By now, healthy weight loss has become a part of your healthy life!Now it’s time to take everything you’ve learned so far and put it alltogether to chart your success. You’re beyond the pale when it comes ...

Score Big for Your Health - Week 741391.1206IL - English41427.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Promote fitness byencouraging youremployees to use thestairs instead ofelevators or escalators

Healthy SnackingPoster - Week 741024.1206IL - English41437.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Distribute handoutsat health fairs oremployee meetings

Tip!When you request co-branding, you’ll receive a custom CDof artwork files that display your group’s logo



www.bcbsil.com12


BlueResource Week 8

Week Eight – Can’t weight to celebrate

Bring on the confetti and balloons—you’ve reached the final week ofthe Don’t Weight to Feel Great program! Now you’re ready to stepout on your own to use the behavior modification strategies that you’ve

Exercise Log - Week 841392.1206IL - English41428.1206IL - Spanish

Tip!Give away healthclub memberships in adrawing for participantswho completeevaluation forms

Lifestyle ChangesPoster - Week 841025.1206IL - English41438.1206IL - Spanish

Don’t Weight Evaluation - Week 841393.1206IL - English41429.1206IL - Spanish



www.bcbsil.com13


BlueResource Newsletter Articles

Thinking outside of the bagHealthy brown-bag lunch ideas that turn

boring into alluring

Your lunch break rolls around, and you’re feeling like you need abreak from your lunch. With a little time and creativity, you can giveyour lunch a makeover and eat healthy at the same time.

Bringing lunch from home doesn’t mean hours of slaving in thekitchen. Wrap your hands around these delicious meals that are quickand easy:

• Turkey salad wrap. Combine chopped precooked turkey breast withpre-shredded coleslaw and low-fat honey mustard dressing. Spreadcranberry relish on low-fat tortillas and fill with turkey-coleslawmixture

• Barbecue wrap. Combine drained canned black beans, whole-kernelcorn and barbecue sauce to make a relish. Heat the relish and rollwith warmed barbecue meat into warmed low-fat tortillas ...

Exercise judgmentThe do’s and don’ts of physical activity

Good for you, you’re thinking about starting a fitness program.Whether you want to engage in moderate, daily physical activity,or your goals involve marathon running or weight training, amanageable plan can help you get moving for a healthier lifestyle.

Here are six steps to help you get started:

1. See your physicianMen who are older than 40 and women who are older than 50,should talk with their physician first before embarking on a fitnessprogram. Your physician will assess whether you have anyunderlying health conditions or are taking any medications thatcould cause a problem. With those guidelines, you can create aworkout plan that will work for you ...

The heavy cost of obesityWhat you can do to make health care

more affordable

Obesity is an epidemic and has become one of the most importanthealth problems facing Americans. The prevalence of obesity hasincreased substantially over the past two decades. From the years1999 to 2000, an estimated 31 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 yearsand older—nearly 59 million people—were obese, which is defined ashaving a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.

Research shows that obesity increases the risk of developing a numberof health conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronaryartery and heart disease, colon cancer, osteoarthritis and obstructivesleep apnea. As a result, overweight and obesity and their associatedhealth problems have a significant economic impact on the U.S. healthcare system. According to a study of national costs attributed to bothoverweight and obesity, medical expenses accounted for 9.1 ...

Tipping the scales in your favor

You step on the scales only to discover another 10 pounds has edgedthe number upwards. What can you do to make the number on yourscale go down, and stay there? By practicing behavior modificationand lifestyle changes, you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

First, it’s important to learn what factors may have caused you to gainweight. Some of them may include:

• Weight problems in your family• Eating when you’re lonely, sad, bored or stressed• Family or friends pressuring you to eat• Using food for recreation, or eating just because food is available• Taking medicine that makes you feel hungry

Once you determine your weight gain triggers, you can learn ways tocounteract them ...

Newsletter41481.1206IL - English49083.1206IL - Spanish




www.bcbsil.com14


BlueResource Other Materials

Certificate42448.1206IL - English42449.1206IL - Spanish

T-shirt Back41009.1206IL

T-shirt Front41352.1206IL

FPOCD

button

21106.1107 A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

www.bcbsil.com

blueresource - home | blue cross and blue shield of illinois · 2008-01-25 · week 2 guide...

Documents