Valbridge Women’s Council is taking strides to provide a workplace culture of fitness, fun, and wellbeing.

Did you know that about 30 percent of your adult life is spent in the workplace? It’s true. And though we strive to meet our steps for the day or take the dog for a walk in the morning, there’s no denying the challenge of finding the perfect balance in our journey to succeed in work, life, and overall good health.

As intimidating as it can be, the importance and benefits of an active lifestyle cannot be ignored, and neither can the consequences of not leading a healthy lifestyle. In the United States, heart disease is the number one cause of death among women. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of this and countless other illnesses including lung disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and more.

An active lifestyle has benefits that not only improve your physical health, but your mental health as well. It is no secret that being physically fit boosts confidence, but it also can be a tool to help manage stress and depression, attain better sleep, and improve overall mental clarity.

It is recommended that women get at least 30 to 45 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per day. When you put that in perspective, 45 minutes out of your entire day isn’t very much, and once you start to reap the benefits, it doesn’t seem like much at all.

Why is Health Important in the Workplace?

Companies should always strive to educate, encourage, and support their employees on health and wellness. The promotion and availability of this in the workplace is essential for workers to live a healthy life and be more productive, on and off the clock. When the workplace encourages health and wellness, it has the potential to become much more apparent in other parts of your life too.

At Valbridge, we believe that our company depends on the strength, happiness, and success of our employees, partners, and clients. After all, we spend so much of our time together. That’s why it is important to make sure that our workplace helps you maintain or even improve your health, and at the very least, get your attention about it.

Good health is a highly attainable resource that helps us all meet our goals. So, the Valbridge Women’s Council has partnered with Cigna to offer a new (and voluntary) wellness program that will help all of us increase our knowledge about health matters, explore fun ways to eat healthier, improve our level of physical fitness, and more.

By adding the wellness program into our module, we’re excited to see health, wellness, and careers grow alongside one another. We encourage colleagues and friends to run 5ks together, try a Vinyasa yoga class, or walk at lunch together. We’re strong believers that working AND working out together as a team can help better connect our members as a community while also increasing everyone’s physical activity and overall wellness strategies.

The VWC Wellness Program

Get Active & Fit

Valbridge associates now have access to Cigna’s “Active & Fit Direct” program, a simple-to-use tool that can make your life easier and healthier. This program grants instant and discounted access to gym memberships, personal training, group fitness classes, and facilities through a broad network of participating gyms. Even more, employees also have access to online tools such as a fitness center search, activity tracking, and more.

After enrolling in the Active and Fit Direct program, members have instant access to a wide range of gyms and fitness programs and may start attending the gym of their preference that day – right after leaving the office!

For those unsure of the commitment, the Cigna program offers guest passes. That way, you can try out a program before making an outright commitment signing up for a membership account. You can even continue visiting your previously instated fitness center, as long as it’s one included in the Active and Fit Directory. If not, you can always nominate the specific facility to become part of Cigna’s network.

And because we’re all about options, if you try the fit program and decide it’s not for you, you can cancel your membership after a minimum three-month enrollment period.

Reap the Benefits

Aside from the obvious benefits of a healthier lifestyle, the Cigna Active and Fit Direct program offers several additional paybacks. For starters, employees who conduct their annual physical (before April 30, 2020) will be entered into a raffle for one of 10 $500 gift cards (a total of $5,000 from our Health Engagement Fund).

Even more, statistics show that healthier employees are more likely to be more productive, happy, and healthy, both during the workday and throughout the year. Healthier employees are more active and energized, giving them the capability to get more work done in work and in life!

Why? Working out releases endorphins that give your body a positive feeling and healthy antibodies. We hope that by promoting health and wellness even further, we will notice even more positivity throughout the office- even more than already exists.

What’s Next?

All VPA employees and VWC members now have the ability to enroll in the Active and Fit Direct Program by going to the Active and Fit Direct Website URL provided by Valbridge.  A $25 enrollment fee, $25 for the current month, and $25 for the next month are due when you enroll.  Each month’s fee is $25.

After a three-month commitment, participation is month-to-month. Once enrolled, you may view or print your fitness card and take it to any fitness center in the Active and Fit Direct network. Once the fitness center verifies your enrollment in the Active and Fit Direct program, you will sign a standard membership agreement and receive a card or key tag from the fitness center to check in on subsequent visits. It’s that easy.

At Valbridge we strive to provide the best for our team. To learn more about VPA, the VWC, and our new wellness initiatives, get in touch with us!