It was a sunny day, so Marguerte Vadenais and some of her Navigant Credit Union co-workers ditched the gym and went for a walk outside. That day, their path to wellness led to the top of a daunting hill.
Time passed with chatter and encouragement, so Vadenais didn’t realize she had climbed higher than ever– – with no trouble from her asthma. “That was a great thing for me,” she said.
As part of Navigant’s Biggest Loser weight-reduction contest, Vadenais lost 31.6 pounds and 13.98 percent of her body fat. She took home the $300 prize.
Navigant offers many wellness resources: a worksite gym with a personal trainer; an annual Wellness Clinic for blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose screening; support to quit smoking; a health-coaching program through Blue Cross; and information on sun safety, nutrition, stress and weight. Navigant even has a healthy cookbook by employees.
“The word health relates to so many aspects of one’s life – physical, emotional, spiritual and even financial,” said Terri Brophy, human resources assistant vice president.
Navigant offers people in the company’s 13 branches a wellness portal on the company Intranet and email access to the Wellness Committee. But more is on the way.
“We are recruiting for wellness champions to be stationed throughout the credit union,” Brophy said. “Their job will be to get the word out to their area employees. Encouragement from fellow employees is always a positive.” •
