Well-being at Home and at Work in The Woodlands — Supporting the Modern Person
Everywhere you turn, people are talking about personal wellness and its importance in their lives. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines wellness as the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal. Wellness includes moving towards a healthier way of being in many areas including emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, financial, social, environmental and spiritual parts of our lives. Not surprisingly, these components are interconnected and build on one another.
Living in The Woodlands effortlessly integrates wellness with its unprecedented 28 percent of open/green space, 220 miles of hike and bike trails for exercise and 148 parks for play. The community also has convenient access to healthy grocery stores and fitness experiences, myriad ponds and lakes to explore or simply gaze across in meditation—all under the canopy of a piney woods forest that some would say is healing itself.
The natural verdant landscape is the hallmark of The Woodlands with its warm winter climate promising the beauty of nature all around, all year round—even in the urban living areas. With mental and physical health benefits, lifestyle advantages and a positive impact on the environment, personal wellness is simply a part of every life.
“Where others make a concerted effort to incorporate health and wellness into their lives, we don’t, because it’s already part of The Woodlands’ DNA,” explains resident Mindy Reynolds. “For example, our family already bikes to school, shops the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market, spectates the annual Ironman Marathon (which has inspired our family to exercise more!), plays at local parks, listens to concerts at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, often goes on art sculpture hunts and enjoys weekend boating on Lake Woodlands.”
Where the culture of wellness for residents of The Woodlands may seem natural, The Howard Hughes Corporation has integrated workplace wellness into its properties and created wellness programs (i.e., Wellness Wednesdays, Lunch & Learns, biometric screenings, FitSpot with personal training, bootcamps) for their tenants and tenant employees.
Many employers in The Woodlands are also incorporating workplace wellness programs into their employee programs, and, like most people, if you work full-time in an office, you spend more than 1/3 of your day, 5 days per week at your workplace, if not more. So, it’s vitally important for wellness to succeed here too.
A Wikipedia search defines workplace wellness as any workplace activity or organizational policy designed to support healthy behavior in the workplace aimed to improve employee health outcomes.
Substantive health and wellness strategies encompass a wide range of vital programs, including but not limited to: access to fitness centers and fitness programming; ergonomic desk and chair checks; bloodwork lab/weight loss/BMI index assessments; stress/anxiety/depression screenings; wellness speaker series and seminars; and employee assistance programs. Wellness has a positive impact on employee morale. Healthy and happy employees are productive employees.
New Century Financial, an account receivable finance company with offices in The Woodlands, introduced a health and wellness program to their employees last year.
“For almost a year now, we have the opportunity to exercise outdoors on the beautiful nature-laden shore of Lake Woodlands after work in our office backyard,” smiles New Century Financial President Nel Somarriba. “The physical and emotional connection has boosted our company culture. This balanced engagement stands second only to the health knowledge gained by all who participate.”
Headquartered in Hughes Landing in The Woodlands, Strike, LLC is one of the fastest growing privately-held pipeline, facilities, and energy infrastructure-solutions providers in the country.
“Strike values the importance of staying healthy so we encourage our employees to get their annual checkups. We remind them that preventative care is free. Who doesn’t like free, so why not check on your health today?” explains Human Resource Benefits Specialist Shavondalyn Johnson for Strike. “To inspire physical activity, we have an onsite gym in The Woodlands and provide reimbursements for gym memberships company-wide. The key to wellness at Strike is awareness, so we make great efforts to communicate wellness benefits and opportunities to our employees.”
Communities and employers understand the importance of integrating wellness into our everyday lives. In The Woodlands, it’s a win-win scenario with health and wellness alive (and thriving) in both our personal and workplace lives!