This month, there are two major wellness issues to watch:
1) How the global rise in obesity is driving the debate on a sugar tax
2) How the debate over “mandatory versus voluntary” employee wellness plans is evolving in the U.S.
Connect with Key Thought-Leaders re “Future of Well Work” Initiative
The future of workplace wellness isn’t just the subject of GWI’s new research – it’s one of its year-long Initiatives. Chaired by Renee Moorefield, PhD (CEO, Wisdom Works), its members include companies innovating employee wellness (from Humana to Virgin Pulse) and medical experts in the field (like Dr. Fikry Isaac, Johnson & Jonson and Dr. Kenneth Pelletier, Universities of California and Arizona).
Now There is Proof! Mindfulness Meditation Changes Both the Brain and Body
For the first time, a study showed that mindfulness meditation, unlike a placebo, changes both the brains and bodies of regular people (not just long-time meditators). Read more about how a few days of meditation changed areas of the brain that process stress reactions, and how the trial meditators also saw much lower levels of unhealthy inflammation markers in their blood – even months later.
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of February 23, 2016)
“Too Cautious About Food? That’s Dangerous” – Bloomberg View, Jan. 19, 2016
This article claims that, in the case of food guidelines, too much caution can do more harm than good, and asserts that the scientific literature is full of contradictory claims.
What to Watch for in Wellness in 2016
Check out a few issues in the wellness world that global economist Malleret predicts will be important trends to watch in 2016.
GWI’s ‘Future of Wellness at Work’ Report Will Be Released Next Week
The GWI’s 2016 research report, “Future of Wellness at Work” will be available next Wednesday (2.17). This in-depth study includes new data on the state (and cost) of unwellness for the global & U.S. workforces, while predicting how work itself, and workplace wellness approaches, will change dramatically in the future. Also being released: a white paper on key findings from a GWI/Everyday Health survey of American workers, shedding new light on whether current workplace wellness program are working, and identifying strategies that would make a surprising impact.
