The School District of Palm Beach County, in partnership with BrightLife, UnitedHealthcare, and Wells Fargo Insurance, encouraged personnel to maintain, not gain, weight or stay within two pounds of their current weight during the holiday season in, “Hold it for the Holidays.” It was simple: weigh-in between November 25th and 27th, 2013, maintain your weight, and then after the New Year (January 7, 2014), weigh-in. There were several check-ins and reminders throughout the program to help employees stay on track.
The holidays are filled with family, love, laughter, and of course good food. Delectable desserts, scrumptious snacks, and calorie-laden cooking are common at holiday gatherings. The stress of the holidays, the cooler weather, and general busyness of the season means less time to exercise and more time spent in the kitchen or around a table, which leads to weight gain. Hold it for the Holidays was a way to help combat this unhealthy craze and help remind employees to ramp up their exercise routine to match increased caloric intake. Whether it was through pick-up football games, taking a stroll on the beach, or simply saying no to that extra slice of pie- everyone was challenged to Hold it for the Holidays.
- default_titleThere were 1,252 participants in Hold it for the Holidays.
- default_titleOf the 642 people that participated in both the weigh-in and weigh-out, 89% met the goal of Hold it for the Holidays: to stay within two pounds of their pre-Thanksgiving weight.
- default_titleThe overall average weight change was a 1 pound loss. The District lost a combined total of 680 pounds which was great news!
- default_title10 random participants that achieved the 150 points were selected to receive prizes.
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The top participating locations were: Royal Palm School, Equestrian Trails Elementary, Forest Park Elementary, Everglades Elementary, Highland Elementary, and Grassy Waters Elementary.
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Wellness Champion awards: Forest Park Elementary – Wellness Champion Sherry Thomas with 44% participation and Equestrian Trails Elementary – Wellness Champion Kristy Rodgers with 56% participation
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Employees indicated that their favorite time of the holidays was spending time with friends and family, and the majority of New Year’s resolutions were to get healthy.
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This was an easy and fun program that offered support and motivation for weight management. The results were very positive for a number of reasons. First, the event attracted many who had not participated in Apple a Day or WonderFit, broadening engagement for more members of the School District community. Second, those who participated did so by entering their weight, increasing the element of trust between personnel and the Wellness Program. In the 2013-2014 school year the event was low-key but it is expected that participation will grow in its second year. Check out the Hold it for the Holidays blog for the recipes, tips for success and an extra dose of motivation to use during the challenge. With a little bit of hard work, many kept off the extra holiday pounds. Here was one success story shared: "I just wanted to say this campaign motivated me to pay attention to what I was doing. I read some of the tips and recipes that were linked with Hold it for the Holidays and found them useful. I am pleased and grateful. Although, it will be over, I will certainly keep up with what I am doing. Hope to see more of these campaigns.”
To learn more about the District’s Hold it for the Holidays Program visit: http://pbs.holdit.us