Adopt healthier habits with the eHealth Challenge

UNMC employees and students are invited to participate in the WELLCOM eHealth Challenge, a comprehensive, six-week program designed to create healthier lifestyles through improved stress management, physical activity/motion, nutrition, sleep, encouragement and knowledge.

Registration opens Thursday to the first 1,000 registrants (sorry, spouses, children and Nebraska Medicine employees are not eligible to register). There is a $25 participation fee, but UNMC is subsidizing half of the cost, so employees and students pay only $12.50 for the six-week session, which begins Sept. 19 and runs through Oct 30.

“This WELLCOM (Wellness Council of the Midlands) challenge is designed to help our employees and students adopt healthier habits and achieve their individual health goals,” said Jayme Nekuda, Ph.D., associate director of UNMC’s Human Resources Benefits & Work-Life Programs.

The challenge also supports three areas reported as being the most prevalent, modifiable health risk behaviors in the past year’s UNMC Wellstream health risk assessment. As a result, the UNMC Wellness Committee is focused on boosting the number of employees who report that they:

• Consume a minimum of five servings/day of high-fiber foods;
• Consume a minimum of five servings/day of fruits and vegetables; and
• Get an adequate amount of physical activity. (See guidelines for adults).

“The WELLCOM eHealth Challenge is able to address each of these areas and provide numerous other benefits, as well,” Dr. Nekuda said. “Employees and students even have the opportunity to earn back their $25 participation fee for completion of the program.”

In addition to boosting your health and well-being, participants can:

• Win fun individual prizes for achieving their personal goals
  • Everyone who achieves their weight goal and who earns 65 percent of the minimum number of participation points will earn back their $25 participation fee. Challengers can choose from two goals:
    • Lose 6 percent+ of your starting weight (or more) in 6 weeks; or
    • Lose less than 6 percent and not gain more than 1 percent.
• Receive daily motivator emails on how to live a healthier lifestyle
• Have access to inspirational and educational health articles and videos
• Receive social interaction and encouragement with other challengers
• Track their progress with logs for food, water, exercise and sleep
• Have access to meal plans, interactive personal grocery shopping lists and healthy recipes

“We challenge everyone to register for the eHealth Challenge to both learn about living a healthy lifestyle and earn points for practicing healthy habits,” Dr. Nekuda said.