How do you stay motivated to achieve your health and wellness goals? We’d like your ideas and tips about eating right and exercising. Please email HealthinAction@pdrma.org with your story or suggest another PDRMA Health Program participant who has inspired you for us to feature in a profile. Help us to stay focused on health and wellness!

One of the biggest changes to PATH in 2022 is that covered partners are now eligible to receive a PDRMA-paid incentive! They can access and participate in PATH just as employees do — via the PDRMA website or Virgin Pulse app. Covered partners have always been able to participate in PATH, but now they can earn up to $400 annually by reaching the maximum quarterly point levels. Based on the fact the participation rate of eligible partners increased from 3 percent at the end of 2021 to 23 percent by the end of March 2022, this new benefit is a big hit!  

“We’re excited to be able to offer our PATH incentive to all covered partners this year and hope to see that 23-percent participation rate continue to grow throughout the year — and maybe see our employee participation and engagement grow as well!” says Lauren Blackburn, PDRMA Wellness Consultant.

For some partners, like Joe Moreno, being able to earn points and dollars from PATH are just an added bonus to what he sees as a great way to stay motivated and focused on keeping himself moving. Joe, husband of Jessica Merma-Moreno, PDRMA Health Benefits Coordinator, started participating in PATH challenges a few years ago and says they are what got him moving again this year. “The challenges got me motivated to do things to be more fit,” he says. “This year it was the personal healthy habit food challenge. I like to get out and do stuff, but it’s hard for me to keep motivated by myself.
 
“When my wife invited me to join her group of friends on PATH that includes her coworkers and their husbands, it really made it fun and appealed to my competitive side. You get to see your ranking every day and where you stand. When the challenges stop, it’s hard for me to keep going, but the everyday ranking system with our PATH friends keeps me going.”

Joe says he likes the Daily Cards, too. “They’re really educational. I always thought that drinking coffee was bad for you but there was one that just came out that says drinking up to three cups a day is good for you. I saw on one of the cards I could go for a biometric screening, and it had a link to sign up at the closest clinic — and earn 2,000 points. It sounded simple enough, and I learned I’m prediabetic and need to watch my blood pressure, cholesterol and weight. I tried doing it by myself, but after seeing my results, I went to my doctor.”

Joe says he’s a brick layer in construction, which requires a lot of physical activity, but he admits that kind of activity is not necessarily the kind that benefits your health. “It involves muscle memory but doesn’t do anything to raise my heartrate like running does. And PATH really helped me start running again — plus it gives me a community to run with. I like that you can track your health habits, too — like sleep and steps — both of which are important to me.”

Like many others, Diego Mendez, an insurance agent, started using PATH after his spouse, Kalina Mendez, Finance Supervisor at Waukegan Park District, introduced him to it.

“I really like the rewards — and the incentives to earn points. I’m a very points-oriented person, so I really like having goals to reach. I mostly use it for workouts, but I really like the challenges and being able to have friends to work out with and compare points and progress.” He does the step challenges with his wife, who he says usually beats him, but he’s working on changing that.

Diego participated in the on-site screenings, too. “I thought that was pretty cool, and when I got my results, I learned some things about my health. I found out I could stand to lose a few pounds to be in the healthiest range for my height and body type, so I absolutely plan to get busy on losing those extra pounds!” Even better, he says it got him and his wife talking about what changes they need to make in their daily lives to be healthier. And part of that is a commitment to stay on PATH and keep up with their daily workouts.

High-school teacher Becky Finn, wife of Chris Finn, Superintendent of Facilities at Park District of LaGrange, started using PATH because of the incentives and the ability to earn some extra money while focusing on her health. She says she likes PATH because it’s so all-encompassing and can affect so many parts of your life. “For one thing, it helps with motivation — like making sure you get your daily 10,000 steps, and it’s a regular routine to log your activities.” Becky says she competes for steps every day with her husband, too.

She hasn’t really participated in the challenges yet, but Becky’s “excited to participate in the individual challenges, like the current mindfulness challenge.”

“I’m really into the Journeys — and while you can only formally participate in one at a time, I read and get tips from all of them, often,” she explains. “I’ve gotten recipes and learned so much about things like stress, diet, exercise, mindfulness, managing finances and sleep. For instance, in the sleep Journey, I learned about the importance of calming your mind before bedtime — and saw how doing that really improved my sleep. Unfortunately, I’m not doing that anymore, and so now I’m not sleeping as well again.”

Becky also shares the tips she learns from the Journeys and the daily cards with friends and really likes the tips, which she views as good daily reminders for healthy living — even reminders to help other people throughout your day. “Best of all, you choose which ones you want to focus on some days or every day. Things like starting your day with a glass of water, or did you get enough protein at a given meal or how long did I sleep today?”

If like Joe, Diego or Becky, you or your life partner could use some tips or motivation to improve or maintain your health, join PATH and get started on your wellness journey today!