At L&A, we are learning on a daily basis! Through the Living & Learning at L&A initiative, we will share what we’ve learned on various topics in hopes it will free you to enjoy life. As a part of Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, Allison Walbrandt, our Operations Assistant, shares how Lacher & Associates has affected her health.

Did you ever realize that sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you – or a block away?  One of the perks of Lacher & Associates is a complimentary gym membership at Genesis Fitness Centre/Club EZ fit (which happens to be a block from our office).  Some of us utilize this membership and some don’t – it’s a decision you make.  However, I want to share how this benefit has impacted me over the past year to become a healthier person.

At Lacher & Associates, most of us make cardio a priority and have added walking, running or the elliptical to our fitness routines.  However, I was challenged to take it a step further this past year and add strength training into my routine.  I signed up (with some others from L&A) for TRX training over our lunch hour.  It was a great experience to be pushed out of my comfort zone and to do something I would not have done on my own.

Through TRX training, I discovered that strength training is important for us as we age.  Strength training, or resistance training, builds muscle strength which helps to keep our bones strong and actually prevent osteoporosis.  Increased muscle also helps to burn more calories.  We not only want strong hearts, but strong bones and sleeker bodies.  Strength training can sometimes feel intimidating, especially for women who may not have lifted weights or been in a gym before.  But, taking this class was a great way to introduce myself and others to its benefits.

In addition to taking the TRX training class, our membership at Genesis/Club EZ offers an annual personalized fitness analysis and training.  Their experts will develop a strength training routine with you and teach you how to use the weights/machines in order to be successful!  Does your employer provide a free gym membership benefit?  If so, I would encourage you to take advantage of it!  If you aren’t sure, contact your Human Resources department and inquire.  If they don’t, talk with your co-workers and maybe a group of you can join the local gym and take classes together when it is convenient for you. 

Bottom line… take advantage of any benefits your employer offers and push yourself to try something new, like adding strength training to your routine!

May is Global Employee Health & Fitness Month (GEHFM) – an international observance of health and fitness in the workplace.

Why should you care?

Unhealthy living continues to be an epidemic in America, resulting in increasing obesity rates, soaring health care costs, and an overabundance in unhealthy people, places, products and policies.  The cost to employers, in a time when they are looking for increased production, general cost-cutting measures and overall efficiencies, is significant.

Employee health is a powerful strategic component of an organization’s human capital management! 

How can you participate in GEHFM?

• Sign up on the Employee Health & Fitness website
• Encourage Healthy Moments
• Cooking a healthy meal
• A morning bike ride or walk with a friend or spouse
• Scheduling an annual physical with your family doctor
• Encourage Group Activities – recurring acts of healthy living
• Several employees going to the gym every Thursday
• Colleagues who bike together on Saturday mornings
• A dinner club that takes turns cooking & eating healthy meals together once a week
• Encourage Projects – activities that positively affects the health of the community
• Donate time and food items to the local soup kitchen
• Purchase a share at a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
• Organize a community walk to support a health-related initiative, such as cancer research, diabetes, multiple sclerosis

The goal of GEHFM is to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to employers and their employees through worksite health promotion activities and environments.  The month-long initiative is an effort to generate sustainability for a healthy lifestyle.

Lacher & Associates has been active in this area with their employees and in helping clients to get started promoting health in their organizations.  If you need help getting started, contact us to see how we can be of assistance.

Here’s to being healthy this month and all year long!

May is Global Employee Health and Fitness Month.  Our Employee Benefits Senior Account Executive, Cathy Annis, shares her approach when defining healthcare reform.

When individuals think of “Healthcare Reform”, they naturally think of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).  However, I would like to define it differently.  The dictionary defines reform as “making changes in something in order to improve it”.  So, when I think of healthcare reform, I think of making a positive personal lifestyle change.

I have been in the employee benefits space now for 16 years.  In that time, I have seen a lot of change, but not a lot of reform.  To make an impact on outcomes, we need to change behavior.  I have been in countless meetings that employees have expressed dissatisfaction about the cost of their healthcare benefits.  And, yes, I feel for those employees.  However, we can all play a part in controlling the costs.  This is where the true reform will happen.

When I look at the healthcare claims reports, it is pretty obvious what is driving the cost of healthcare in America: obesity and smoking.  They are the top 2 factors driving healthcare costs upwards.  So, what can we do?  I would suggest self-examination on how healthy or unhealthy we are living our lives.  Making even the smallest changes can have a large impact to us personally and to the employers we work for… not just for the cost of healthcare, but productivity and having a more positive attitude to those around us.  I find that there is always room for improvement. 

What I have also observed is that employers that are having the biggest impact, or reform, are those employers that have implemented a “wellness program” at the workplace.  I have seen some drastic changes from employers who formerly allowed smoking to going 100% non-smoking, who offer weight management classes, blood pressure checks, health coaching, etc.  The more aggressive and mandatory the programs, the more healthy the employees!  This is not a coincidence.  Wellness programs are, and will continue to be, the best reform for our healthcare system.  I have seen employees quit smoking, loose weight, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, feel better about themselves, etc.

Without this type of personal change, we will continue to slide downward as a nation, as far as our healthcare goes.  We can all make improvements, so why not start today to help ourselves, our employers, our families and our nation.  So put down that doughnut and pick up that apple, America!  Better yet, take a walk while you’re eating that apple and take part in healthcare reform.

Click here to read the story of Cathy’s personal healthcare reform.

If you’ve been following our blog this month, it’s been hard to miss that fact that April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month.  We’ve provided a lot of resources and focused on educating individuals about distracted driving, as well as the dangers of texting and driving.  Why not take the opportunity to provide an overview of this information to your employees!  Here are some suggested ways to communicate this information to your employees:

• Flyers and Posters – These are great ways to provide safety tips for your employees regarding distracted driving.  You can post them in employee common areas, such as break rooms or cafeterias.  You can make your own flyers and posters or search websites like this for free downloadable resources.
• Email Blasts – Email blasts are a great way to send safety information to your employees.  Great things to send via email could be simple facts or tips related to safe driving, such as these from focusdriven.org:
• Drivers using cell phones behind the wheel miss half of the information in their driving environment.
• Texting while driving increases your chances of a crash by up to 8 to 23 times. 
• Sending emails on a regular basis provides a consistent reminder of the importance of a given safety topic.  Maybe pick one day a week or the same day each month to send emails related to personal safety.
• Lunch and Learns – At Lacher & Associates, we host Lunch and Learns for our employees on a monthly basis.  Lunch and Learns can provide information on everything from personal wellness, how to’s on a given technology topic or items related to safety.  You can provide lunch for your employees or a “bring your lunch” type of setting.  The point is to provide the space for your employees to learn more on a given topic.  Distracted driving is one topic of many that could be discussed during a Lunch and Learn.

These are just some ways to provide information on distracted driving to your employees.  You can also encourage them to check out our blog this month for additional resources.  If you have ideas on ways to increase employee awareness on distracted driving, please comment below… we love to hear new and creative ways on educating employees on safety topics.

This month at Lacher & Associates as a part of National Distracted Driving Awareness month, we are focusing on distracted driving and giving you tips and tools to better understand how to stay safe while driving your vehicle.

This week, we are focusing on texting and driving.  I have to admit, I’ve texted while driving (even though I know it’s distracting). Our lives these days are so busy.  When spending a lot of time in the car I sometimes think, why not catch up with a friend and send a quick text?  Before you know it, you’re at your destination and you can’t remember the trip there. It’s scary, but we all do it. If you text while driving, what is your reason? 

The reality is, by doing something that seems so quick and easy; it could danger the lives of you and those around you. Here are a few simple, but alarming facts about texting and driving:

• In 2011, 23% of all accidents were cell phone related… that is a total of 1.3 million accidents
• Texting while driving makes the possibility of an accident 23 times more likely

So, is it really worth it? Is it fair to endanger ourselves and others for the sake of a text? In my opinion, NO!  Even though we are aware of these facts and know it is dangerous, we can all feel the urge to pick up the phone and glance at a text when we hear that buzz/beep in the car.  So, what can we do to make it easier for ourselves and others to stay safe?  Here are a few tips:

• Turn your phone off while driving.  If you don’t have it on, you won’t be as tempted to utilize it while driving
• Put your phone out of reach.  I’ve found that if I put my cell phone in my purse (well diaper bag these days!) and put the bag behind my seat, I can’t text, call, or answer my phone
• Download a mobile application, like these, that help prevent texting while driving
• Set an example for your kids and take the time to educate them on the dangers of texting, and laws in your state.

If you have any other tips, please comment below.  Here’s to putting our phones away and staying focused while driving!

This post was written by our Administrative Assistant, Valerie Alburger.

At L&A, we are learning on a daily basis! Through the Living & Learning at L&A initiative, we will share what we’ve learned on various topics in hopes it will free you to enjoy life. This month, our Personal Insurance Senior Account Executive, Amy Kelley, shares her learning process regarding types of driving distractions as a part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Who hasn’t seen someone on a cell phone either talking or texting while driving?  I would have to say very few of us haven’t witnessed this situation.  We have seen that making or answering phone calls while driving has become more of an everyday occurrence.

According to the National Safety Council, cell phones were used during 1 in 4 car accidents.

Although most of us agree that using a non-hands free cell phone while driving is very distractive, there are other common acts that are also distractive during driving, including: 

• Adjusting the radio station
• Eating or drinking while driving
• Readingmaps or directions
• Reaching or leaning to get something
• Talking to others in the car
• Applying makeup or shaving (yes, I did witness someone shaving while driving once!)
• Helping children in back seat

All of these are equally distractive and should be limited as much as possible while driving.  But, many times I forget myself.

Most of us may know the suggested things to do to avoid cell phone use (like pulling over to make a call or text).  In researching this topic, I was interested in what I read are the main types of driving distractions.

• Visual – taking your eyes off the road while calling, texting, eating, shaving, etc.
• Manual – an act of doing something (like opening a bag of chips or changing the radio station)
• Auditory – hearing something and being distracted (like a phone ringing or someone talking in the back seat)
• Cognitive – when you are lost in your thoughts while driving

The next time you experience one of these types of distractions, I would encourage you to think about the potential impact it can have on others, your passengers and yourself.  Being aware of distractions is the first step to avoiding them.  So next time you are driving, think about what distractions you are facing and what you can do to avoid them until you arrive at your destination.

Being a safe driver impacts many more people than just you and your passengers.  Split second decisions made by drivers on a daily basis can be the difference between two very different outcomes.  The habits formed in this mundane task of getting from point A to point B can make all the difference. 

You’ve probably heard the term defensive driver, but how many people actually know what the term means?  There are some basic principles of defensive driving, which, if practiced, will turn into habit and help make you a safer vehicle operator. 

Defensive driving includes:

• Following traffic rules
• Being aware of traffic signs and signals
• Being aware of other drivers and what they are doing
• Observing proper speed for the conditions in which you are travelling
• Staying alert

Being an alert driver is critical to the process of being a defensive driver.  A statistic that is on the rise is the number of accidents caused by distracted drivers.  It used to be that driver distractions were limited to passengers and maybe the radio.  These days, however, the distractions are growing.  Drivers are now essentially sitting in a computer on wheels (Kit from Knightrider has become reality).  With touch screens and on board computers, drivers are forced to decide if they want to be entertained or arrive safely.  Moreover, the dangers of texting while driving have become so evident, that states have created laws to keep drivers from injuring themselves and others.        

My only accident came when I was a teenager and I was pointing something out to a friend in the car with me.  The car in front (also a friend) stopped in a line of traffic and I barely had time to brake before the front of my car was under his. 

It’s hard to know what the future holds for vehicle technology.  Much has been done to improve vehicle safety.  Cars can’t fly yet, but from what I have seen, a car that can drive itself is not too far off.  But until then, knowing the skills involved in being a good defensive driver is still the best way to make yourself and those who share the road with you safer.  

This blog post is a part of raising awareness for National Distracted Driving Awareness month.

Ah, the life of the owner/manager/CEO of a small business- the wearer of many hats. You pay the bills, you hire & fire, you do sales, you ARE customer service.  Does this sound like you? And don’t forget, you’re supposed to fit marketing into your day too!

As a marketer myself, it is my hope that every company is able to have an in-house marketing person because I believe that marketing is such an important part of the sales process. However, I know that isn’t feasible for every business. The next best bet is hiring a marketing company to help you get things done. But even when that isn’t possible, there are things the small business Manager/Owner/Doer-of-it-all can do to stay on top of the company’s marketing. We are through Q1 of 2013.  When did you last look at your marketing plan? Do you have a marketing plan?

Here are 6 things you can do this week to jumpstart your marketing for 2013.

1. Identify your target demographic. 

Who are you targeting? Who do you want to reach this year? Identify this group or groups and realize that to reach group A, you may not do exactly what you do to reach group B.

Make sure the audience you are trying to reach or sell to is clear, and clearly communicate that to your employees or staff.

2. Figure out where your target demographic is.

Are they some of the few who are still reading newspapers? Plan to direct some advertising dollars to print. Is your target demographic online? Start thinking about an online plan.

3. Now that you know where they are, come up with 1-2 ways to reach them.

Maybe that’s starting a Facebook page. Maybe you want to start an e-mail campaign.

There are tons of options out there. The most successful companies are doing many different things, but you can, yourself, start with just 1 or 2.

4. Make a plan. 

You know who they are; you know where they are, and you know what you need to do to get to them. Now plan out how you’ll do that! It doesn’t need to be fancy, but write down your plan and create a timeline to get it done.

5. Implement. 

Are you a clothing retailer that wants to be active on Pinterest? Great! Start a Pinterest page, and recruit some employees to help you. Set up guidelines for how your company will use Pinterest.

Hoping to reach the few who still read the local newspaper? Call your local paper & get started with an ad representative.  The point is to implement your plan. 

6. Track your goals

What do you want to achieve? What is the end goal? If you are starting on Pinterest, maybe you want 200 followers and 75 pins from your website in the new few quarters. Maybe you want to grow your Facebook page 25% by the end of the year.

Come up with a goal & track it. See how you’re doing on a monthly (or maybe more realistically, quarterly) basis. 

Stick to the plan — it’s easy to get sidetracked, but once you identify a goal and new market you want to hit, or marketing tactic you want to try, see your plan through!

This post is written by our guest blogger, Rebekah Decker. Rebekah is the Inbound Marketing Specialist for MyOhai, a marketing collective based out of Souderton, PA. She loves talking to small businesses about marketing.  If you don’t want to try the above tips yourself, she’d be happy to help!  She can be reached at rebekah@myohai.com.

National Nutrition Month, is a great time to encourage your employees to live healthier lives.  Healthy employees equal lower business costs, lower absenteeism and higher employee productivity.  So, what can you do?

Create a Healthy Environment

• Form a Wellness Committee – Do you have dedicated individuals at your organization that are focused on employee health and wellbeing?  If not, form a wellness committee!  Wellness committees can focus on various initiatives and information to help your employees live healthier lives.
• Offer Healthy Options – Find healthier food alternatives for your cafeteria, vending machines, meetings and events.  For example, swap out the donuts and bagels and provide yogurt, granola and fruit for your morning meetings. 
• Water, Water, Water – Encourage your employees to drink water over soda or juice.  You can do this through providing water coolers or even purchasing reusable water bottles with your company logo.

Promote Employer Resources

• Health Insurance Options – Does your employer sponsored health plan have options for nutritional coaching/counseling?  If so, work with your carrier to promote the program throughout your organization.
• Healthy Spotlight – Include a nutritional tip when sending your company newsletter.  Or, send an email to all employees once a month with a nutritional tip or nutritional resources like these nutrition tip sheets. 

These are just some suggestions to get you started in promoting nutrition within your organization.  You can start small and get more robust, such as developing health management or wellness programs for employees.  Contact us to see how we can help with promoting employee health in your organization.  Or, check out our recent blog post on successful wellness programs.

Here’s to a happy, healthy workforce!

At L&A, we are learning on a daily basis! Through the Living & Learning at L&A initiative, we will share what we’ve learned on various topics in hopes it will free you to enjoy life. This month, our Commercial Insurance Account Executive, Jesse Bessler, shares his personal nutrition journey as a part of National Nutrition Month. 

Yes, yes I can eat a whole pizza.  Sicilian would be tough, but a regular thin crust type can be powered down.  Sure I’d regret it later, but it can be done.  I have a difficult time with self control in the food arena… how about you?

As a child I was a little picky.  Onions were out no matter how small.  Asparagus was inedible and any fat on a piece of meat was surgically removed.  As an adult, all that has changed.  I love to cook and eat.  Onions are in everything, asparagus is delicious.  OK, I still dissect my meat (some habits die hard). 

I also didn’t like people telling me what was good and not good to eat.  Even being part of the wellness committee here at Lacher & Associates, I would find enjoyment in countering some of the suggestions and practices of my co-workers. 

What changed this attitude for me?  Well, being somewhat of a foodie, I was being exposed to more and more information that started to catch my attention.  I started studying things like:

• GMOs (genetically modified organisms) – Google it and be amazed/horrified
• Organic Foods
• Local Foods
• Sugar

These topics are far too extensive to begin to get into here.  Instead, here is a sample of what I changed.

• Cut out processed foods.  If it’s in a box or bag (for the most part), or I don’t know what’s in it, I don’t want it. 
• Lower (not completely cut) carb intake… especially at dinner.  Dinner typically consists of meat and two vegetables. 
• No more bread from the store.  I limit my bread intake by not purchasing it from the store (I make exceptions for hotdog and hamburger buns).
• Hotdogs!?  I thought this was a healthy blog.  Calm down.  Nitrate free natural hot dogs from my local farm, along with my eggs, milk, and other meats.  It’s pricey, but worth it.
• No more snacks before bed.  I used to eat a large bowl of cereal every night before bed.  That’s like three to four servings of carbs (sugar)!
• Lots of water
• Keep cakes, pies and candy in check.  Straight sugar.
• Awesome discovery – whipped cream is a great substitute for syrup on pancakes and waffles.  Check it out. 
• Low fat items use sugar or chemical substitutes.  I go full fat on a limited basis.

Anyway, what did all this do for me?  I lost 15 pounds in a six week period, and haven’t gained any of it back.  My blood sugar seems to be under control because I don’t get the 2pm and 8pm crashes like before.  I feel good and since these changes are not too dramatic and are not a “diet”, it’s easy to maintain.  Yes, exercise is a must, but there are a lot of people who do a lot of it and can’t lose weight (research that too while you’re at it, there’s some crazy stuff).

These are just some choices I’ve made.  I’m not a doctor, so do your own homework.  The moral of this story is to take some time to do a little research before you try the next fad diet or buy that fitness machine on TV.  A little research will benefit you and your family for the rest of your lives.  There’s nothing good on TV anyway.

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