Corporate Wellness Case Study: DeVry Reduces Workforce Obesity Costs
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently reported that more than two-thirds of surveyed employers indicated their total healthcare costs increased compared with the previous plan year. DeVry Education Group, like many companies, recognized the serious impact this fact had on its bottom line, and the value of employee health and wellness. See how Retrofit helped DeVry improve workforce wellness and reduce healthcare costs.
Readiness for Change: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself
When it comes to losing weight this year, a key ingredient is often overlooked. Retrofit Lead Behavior Coach Jennifer Plotnek shares the secrets to making successful changes.
RESOLVE TO CELEBRATE YOUR WINS THIS YEAR
There is no magic bullet for losing weight in 2015. However, a growing body of research suggests small changes in the way you think and speak about yourself can yield big results.
4 EASY WAYS TO RESPECT YOURSELF MORE
It may feel as if you’re hard-wired to be polite and kind to everyone except yourself. However, there are exercises you can do to retrain your brain and give yourself some hard-earned respect. Here are four easy ones to get you started.
DINING OUT:
MASTER THE MENU
During this busy travel and holiday season, you may find yourself eating at restaurants or away from home. Worrying about what you’ll order at a restaurant can take the fun out of dining. Instead, Retrofit can help you relax and enjoy your meal by mastering these easy strategies.
9 RULES FOR BEATING OVEREATING AT A BUFFET
Buffets can pose a real challenge to weight loss due to the unlimited choices and portions offered. But we’ve got you covered with 9 proven rules specifically designed to prevent you from piling your plate too high. The more you abide by these 9 rules, the better off you’ll be.
Food "Hacks" to Avoid Stress-Eating This Holiday Season
Life's curve balls can lead to stress eating whether you are at home or dining out. Here are some of the tips Retrofit Lead Dietitian Amy Margulies shares with her weight loss clients to help them avoid some common pitfalls at home or at a restaurant.
Show Stress the Door
The food choices you make in the coming weeks can mean the difference between starting the year with extra pounds to lose or not. Rather than stressing over every plate, platter and serving tray, take control by having a strategy and seeing it through.
Holiday Foods: How Many Steps to Walk Them Off?
From beer and eggnog to sugar cookies and sweet potatoes, festive foods can increase your daily calorie counts. Wondering how much extra exercise it's going to take to work them off? We've got answers.
The More Movement, The Merrier
No matter how good you are about exercising for most of the year, the season’s around-the-clock festivities can make it difficult to squeeze in regular workouts. Instead of making excuses, try these tips to boost your energy & exercise habits this holiday season from Retrofit Lead Exercise Physiologist Gary Ditsch.
Battle of the Beverages:
The Smarter Sip
'Tis the season to clink, drink and be merry. Here's how to raise a glass with friends, family and coworkers without putting yourself into the category of holiday weight gainers.
The Importance of Saying Thanks
On Thanksgiving Day, you'll likely take the time to think about how fortunate you are, and possibly even share those sentiments with guests gathered around the dinner table. Or maybe you will show your appreciation by cooking up a storm or sending relatives off with care packages.
How to Become More Grateful in 5 Minutes or Less
With your long list of to-do's this holiday season, taking the time to thank others and stop sweating the small stuff may seem a low priority. But it can help you get into the holiday spirit—and keep you there all year long. Best of all, it doesn’t even require a huge time commitment. Here are six ways to practice gratitude in five minutes or less.
Healthy Thanksgiving Tips and Swaps for Hosts and Guests
PART TWO: Rules for the Guest
Attending Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to be an exercise in gluttony. Registered Dietitian Amy Margulies explains how to keep your calorie intake reasonable while still enjoying the delicious assortment of dishes and treats.
Healthy Thanksgiving Tips and Swaps for Hosts and Guests
PART ONE: Rules for the Thanksgiving Host
As the host of your family's Thanksgiving dinner, there are some helpful tips and ingredient swaps you should know about if you're staying health-conscious. Retrofit Lead Registered Dietitian Amy Margulies shares some healthy Thanksgiving dishes as well as other useful advice.
SAY "YES" TO SAYING "NO"
Saying "no" anytime during the season of ho ho ho may sound downright Scrooge-like, but if you've made the decision to lose weight and have committed to a healthier lifestyle, it's essential to turn down some invitations, second helpings and (yes) delicious treats in order to get through the season without posting a gain on the scale.
GAMEDAY STRATEGIES:
TAILGATE LIKE A CHAMPION
Football season is a time to spend with your family, friends, and fellow sports fans, enjoying the fall weather and warm foods. However, it can also be a challenging time to lose or maintain weight. Tailgating and football parties often go hand-in-hand with football season, which also means excess calories and alcohol, both of which can do a number on the waistline. This year, your game day strategy doesn't have to be "All or Nothing".
EAT, DRINK & BE HEALTHY:
8 STRESS-BUSTING RULES FOR A WORRY-FREE SEASON
The easiest way to maintain your current weight from now until New Year’s is to prepare yourself for the reality that you’ll have too much to do and too little time to get it all done. Retrofit can help you have a stress-free season, despite the fact that there will be festive food and drink options greeting you at every turn and social obligations that might obliterate your workouts. It just takes some careful planning to make sure that you stay in control when things seem overwhelming.
5 Tricks for Treat Eaters
Craving sweets this-or any-time of year can be a scary prospect when you're looking to lose weight. Here's how to be savvier about sugary treats. This time of year, candy is ubiquitous, so if you’re prone to sweets, have a plan in place for crushing candy cravings. Here are four “Do’s” and a “Don’t” to get you through the season without a frightening gain.
Your Company's Biometric Data Is In … Now what?
How Corporate Wellness Programs Pay for Themselves
What if I told you that you could invest one dollar in your business that would generate three dollars in return. Is that an investment you would make? That's how much you can save by investing in corporate wellness. Programs that reduce healthcare costs, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism, and increase job satisfaction are well worth investing in. The data proves it.
Sip or Skip: Pumpkin Spice Latte
The popularity of the hot-beverage equivalent of a pumpkin pie slice can't be underestimated. Since its introduction more than a decade ago, Starbucks has sold 200 million-plus PSLs. Fortunately, it's entirely possible to have your latte and lose weight, too. If you order wisely, you can drink one or two PSLs a week without impeding your weight loss progress.
Wall Street Weight Loss: How to Use Stock Charts to Get Healthy
What do the zigzags of stock charts possibly have in common with weight loss? It turns out that they tell us quite a lot. Tracking your daily weight is very similar to watching a stock’s price movements. With the correct interpretation, you can see whether you are likely to lose or gain weight and how to get back on the right track toward your target.
7 Steps to Restored Health and Happiness
Instead of looking outside of yourself to determine what will make you happy, look at what you can do throughout your daily routine to increase overall levels of health and happiness. Here are seven steps you can incorporate to effectively generate change.
Defined Contributions Are the Next Big Thing in Corporate Healthcare
Across the board, the healthcare insurance market is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. With the creation of public exchanges, the expansion of Medicaid, and the elimination of pre-existing conditions as a reason to deny coverage, we are witnessing unprecedented innovation across the spectrum.
Top Race Hacks for Starting a 5K
Lead Exercise Physiologist Gary Ditsch describes his experience hitting the 20-mile wall while running a marathon. He explains how he approached it, mentally and emotionally, and how he adapted his mindset to overcome this hurdle.
10 Tips for Eating Healthy on the Job
Eating healthy at work isn't always easy. With constant meetings, travel, long hours and general business, it's hard to make the time for mindful food decisions. To help you stay on track, we've detailed 10 tips for eating healthy on the job. Read on and be healthy!
Is Your Company's Cafeteria Making Your Employees Fat?
Retrofit Weighs in on How to Create a Culture of Health
A culture of health starts at the workplace. Is it possible that the food at the office is contributing to employee obesity rate? In all likelihood, the answer is yes. Companies are increasingly realizing this fact and making changes to the food offered in their cafeterias. From healthier options to posted nutrition facts, there are many approaches to improving employee health while at the office. Read more about it from Retrofit CEO Jeff Hyman.
How To Escape Weight Gain During Summer Break
When on vacation, especially during the summer, it's easy to overeat and find yourself with that familiar holiday weight gain. Not to worry - Retrofit Lead Registered Dietitian Amy Margulies explains how to avoid that summer vacation weight gain while still enjoying your time off.
Is Obesity a Socially Transmitted Disease?
Retrofit CEO Jeff Hyman explores the possibility that being overweight and/or obese is a socially transmitted condition. Our culture promotes an, "I'll have what she's having" mentality which may contribute to the obesity epidemic we're currently facing. Jeff offers some tips every one of us can take in order to fight back and reclaim our personal health.
It's a Marathon, But No One Told Me What That Meant
Lead Exercise Physiologist Gary Ditsch describes his experience hitting the 20-mile wall while running a marathon. He explains how he approached it, mentally and emotionally, and how he adapted his mindset to overcome this hurdle.
How to Make Your Corporate Wellness Program Work
Retrofit CEO Jeff Hyman explains the key points many companies and HR executives are missing when designing their corporate wellness programs. He also addresses these points with solutions that include a weight loss component as part of a robust corporate wellness program.
4 Summer Health Tips
Summer brings many fun and exciting activities, but it also brings opportunities for us to derail our healthy habits. Parties, weddings, barbeques, and vacations often lead us to make "exceptions" that add up to stifle the progress on our weight loss journey. These 4 easy health tips will help you stay on track this summer.
Knowledge is Power: Soft Drinks By the Numbers
Americans drink 20 oz of soft drinks per day. With all of that sugar and calories, there are inevitable effects on individual and public health. In this blog post, Amy Margulies, Retrofit Registered Dietitian, explains how to take harmful drinks out of your daily habit if you're aiming for better health and weight loss.
Are You Eating the Wrong Kind of Calories?
Are all calories created equal? Retrofit weight loss experts delve into the issue and uncover how calories from different foods are metabolized differently. Get all the details on how to eat the right calories in the right proportions.
Healthy Eating Tips for Easter and Passover
The spring holidays can derail your healthy eating routine. With the large family meals for Easter and Passover, as well as the family time surrounding those meals, it's easy to get off track. But there are simple ways to make some minor modifications to your eating and meal tracking during these times in order to keep up with your weight loss progress. Check out these great tips!
How I Triumphed with Retrofit
Weight loss motivation is difficult when you don't have the right mindset or don't have a complete understanding of how the body works. It's common to experience self doubt and discouragement. But with the help of her Retrofit weight loss team, Lisa Barry was able to overcome those obstacles and find ways to think positively. And it worked - Lisa lost over 50 lbs while on the Retrofit Expert 10 program! See how she did it…
Losing Weight as a Couple
How Love Can Lead to Successful Results
A common challenge many couples face is weight gain. While popular theories abound on how this can cripple a relationship, I actually think it can showcase how real love triumphs throughout the years. By losing weight as a couple, spouses and partners can support each other in making smarter, healthier life decisions, in turn, reflecting the commitment that they’ll always be there for one another.
Lessons From a Super Bowl Legend
How Super Bowl Champ Steve Atwater Lost Weight After Retiring
Two-time Super Bowl champ Steve Atwater, formerly of the Denver Broncos, put on weight after leaving the NFL. As he wound down on his rigorous workout routine, his weight increased until he decided to do something about it. In this blog post. Steve's registered dietitian, Lindsey Joe, describes how he was able to lose the extra weight.
Weight Loss Scams - And Why We're at Fault
The Siren Song of the Silver Bullet
Weight loss scams are everywhere. You've seen them, heard them, read about them, and maybe even tried them. The FTC receives thousands of fraud claims related to weight loss products every year. So who's at fault for all this diet fraud? Maybe we are. Retrofit CMO Kim Evenson explains…
Geek Chic: The Rise of Fitness Trackers
How wearable devices are changing weight loss
Wearable fitness trackers have exploded into our lives. We see them worn by celebrities, friends and relatives alike. Not too long ago, it would have seemed strange to wear a device that tracks all your workouts, exercise, sleep and other activity. But with the emergence of the Quantified Self movement - the idea that tracking data about your life will help you in making positive changes - these fitness tracking devices have become a common part our lives. With their help, we can approach health, fitness and weight loss in smarter ways. Read on…
Realistic New Year's Resolutions
For 2014, stick to a simple, effective plan.
It's always a good idea to make New Year's resolutions about your fitness - as long as they're realistic! Buck Hanson, Retrofit's Research Analyst, shows how weight loss is possible in the new year with real numbers from our data. Check out what the numbers say about your best chances for weight loss in 2014!
5 Healthy Travel Tips
Eating healthy while traveling doesn't have to be hard!
Eating healthy while traveling doesn't have to be hard. Registered dietitian Julie Vuksic describes 5 healthy travel tips for the holiday season and beyond. If you travel during the holidays and throughout the year, be sure to read about how you can stay healthy through planning ahead and being aware of better eating options. Read on for these useful tips!
How to Maintain a Gluten Free Diet and Lose Weight Over the Holidays
How do you stay gluten free and lose weight during the holiday season?
The holidays can be particularly tough for those with gluten intolerance. But they don't have to be! We created this Gluten-Free Guide for everyone who wants to stay healthy and even lose weight over the holiday season. Even if you don't have Celiac Disease, you're sure to find some useful tips for losing weight with a gluten-free diet. Keep reading…
Cancer Made Me Healthy
Fighting Cancer: Diet & Exercise
When Jack O'Brien found himself fighting cancer, he also found the motivation to get healthy through rigorous exercise and a more disciplined diet. Read about his inspiring journey and how Retrofit helped him achieve remarkable weight loss!
Healthy Holiday
Survival Guide
It is quite common to struggle with healthy food choices over the holidays, especially when you are trying to lose weight. On average, Americans gain 5-7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years. Not a great way to start off your year. Furthermore, this weight is often not lost once the year begins, so the pounds begin to add up. This infographic shares weight loss tips for the holiday season.
Weight Loss Tip for Travelers
The "Delayed-Flight Airport Workout"
If there's one thing that seems here to stay, it's flight delays. They're a nuisance, a tragic waste of precious time and, for the traveling professional, an unavoidable part of life. Often, especially around the holidays, business trips and family vacations can turn into "aggra-vacations" when things don't go as planned.
However, an extra hour or two stuck at the airport isn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, I have discovered a simple way to turn airport idling into a productive endeavor that is both healthy and, dare I say it, fun.
Self Monitoring
Embrace the data to shed the weight
Self-monitoring can be easy; there are a variety of devices and applications that have come out of the quantified self movement to help track meals, activity and weight. We've come a long way from simple pen and paper to GPS sunglasses with displays. But from low to high tech, the pattern is the same. Knowing the numbers drives your weight loss. The more consistently you measure your activity and weight; the higher your chances of meeting your weight loss goals.
The Retrofit Hunger Gauge For the Road to Success
Retrofit Featured in Men's Health
In this month's Men’s Health magazine, Retrofit Behavior Coach Matt Lawson is quoted in the article titled "Melt Your Gut for Good." Lawson uses the analogy of a personal fuel gauge as he offers expert tips for using visualization techniques for weight loss. After all, losing weight is largely about staying in the right mindset.
Coopetition
Retrofit is Changing the Game of Weight Loss
Every weight loss success story addresses issues of motivation. Coopetition turns weight loss into a competitive game between two people, providing a very effective source of motivation that most people enjoy. The popular personal and corporate weight loss technique leverages high-tech weight loss tools, like the Fitbit wireless activity tracker that is given to Retrofit clients, combined with the competitive nature that resides in most of us, to turn weight loss into a mutually-beneficial competition. All someone needs to participate in this effective weight loss strategy is a competitive partner with similar goals. Readiness and a competitive nature are the key components for coopeting to improved health and fitness.
Go Slow to Go Fast
You have to go slow to go fast. It’s an expression we’ve all heard a thousand times in reference to business. Executives tell their employees to plan and prepare for a meeting. They often say, "Spend time getting to know your audience before the big presentation. Taking the time up front will pay off in the long run." Going slow is also valuable in our personal lives, and offers important weight loss lessons.
Tracking Health Trackers
The Quantified Self movement has the data to prove it is effective, and it's here to stay. Major institutions are integrating data acquisition into how they approach the coming changes in health care. Whether you're tackling corporate weight loss like Retrofit does, or developing treatments for chronic medical conditions as our clients’ customers are, driving end-user behavior change is the most effective way to affect long-term lifestyle improvements.
Meet Cathy Cox
Your Personal Weight Loss Advisor
I've been there. I can't count how many times. I've been to all the extremes and back again. I've counted calories, obsessed over carbs and protein and fat grams, and skipped going out with friends. And I have looked to the scale to tell me that I was good or bad, right or wrong, successful or not. At best it was utterly crazy-making, and actually harmful at its worst. But I’ve learned some important weight loss lessons from this experience.
Creating a Weight Loss Environment
Preparation is Everything
Weight Loss Experts agree; creating a weight-loss mindset leads to both initial and lasting success, so having a mental plan prepared ahead of time is essential. One of my college roommates was a Marine and he had a habit of telling us that, "No matter the task, preparation is everything." One spring vacation, a group of us planned a trip, and two days prior my roommate transformed our front room into his "staging area." Everything was well organized and his approach accounted for all the gear we needed for every aspect of the trip.
Run Right
Why Having the Perfect Shoes Makes Perfect Sense
Runners may not realize that each foot strike during a run shocks the legs with pressure equal to four or five times his or her body weight. For a 170 pound man, that’s 680 to 850 pounds of pressure on each leg every stride. Running shoes are the only thing between a runner’s body and the ground, absorbing some of that shock and pressure.
How Retrofit Helped My Golf Game
Nutrition, Exercise & Mindset
I recently tested my club head speed and clocked in at 128 mph, a velocity fast enough to generate a +250 yard carry off the tee. Retrofit weight loss helped my focus on three areas: nutrition, exercise, and mindset. These three things have been key to my weight loss, but they have also been vital to my golf game.
Avoid Free Foods
They Are Not Really "Free"
"There is no such thing as a free lunch." We have all heard this popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing. A basket of chips, bread at a restaurant, or food samples at the market are hardly "free" when it comes to your health. Keep in mind - it all adds up even if they are free in dollars and cents.
Rickey's Retrofit Success Story
Everything is possible again
I was always large. I was always "big guy." I was also always a reader, someone who wanted to know everything about a topic of interest. So, I began reading a good deal about fat acceptance and obesity awareness. A lot of things written on these topics really speak to me. I hate the shame I felt at being so large. I hate that people shame others for their size and I empathize with the belief that we should respect and love others for who they are and who they choose to be. I know and believe that some people can be happy at 300 or 500 pounds. I envied them.
Suits vs. Jocks
Suits and Jocks are totally different breeds with nothing in common, right? Wrong.
Professional athletes endure the same struggles as any other professional. They travel frequently and, aside from their job which involves both practice and game time, the pro athlete has to find time to work out, as well as make smart eating choices.
Men Don't Diet
Three Man Lessons for Weight Loss
Men think about weight loss differently. The three "man lessons" below helped shape how we work with our clients at Retrofit to achieve their weight loss goals.
