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about us ~ hire a room ~ corporate ~ location ~ conditions ~ contact us |
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12-week corporate wellness programme |
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Run by Mark Thompson D.O., N.D. Principal, Light Centre, LondonProgramme Summary
1. Programme Selling PointsThe human body and mind were forged on the savannahs of Africa. For 99.9% of human history we lived as hunter-gatherers, such that our minds and bodies evolved to become perfectly suited to the demands that this lifestyle required. Working at a desk in the middle of a busy city presents many physical and mental challenges to our intrinsic selves, which can lead to aches, pains, sluggishness, confusion and stress. Understanding what is happening to us and how to minimise its effects can be liberating and lead to better levels of physical and mental health. Most people want to work towards a healthier lifestyle, but left alone they rarely succeed. When this desire is better organised, when resources are provided for them, when they work together in a team and when they have a mentor to answer to they will do significantly better. This programme will offer this opportunity. 2. Alignment with Company GoalsCompanies want to find good staff, look after them well and retain as many of their best people as possible. To do this these key staff members need to see that the goals of the company are aligned to their own goals and be sure that within the company they can learn, grow and further their own aims. They want to feel that they belong to an identifiable community, can play a significant role that has identifiable benefits to other people and be appreciated and increasingly respected for their efforts. A line manager in the company usually only sees the limits and pressures a person is experiencing in their daily working life. Their worries, fears and health issues are not something that a typical staff member wants to disclose. All ancient societies have a system whereby elders act as mentors for younger members of the group. Most people value having someone who knows them, can inspire and motivate them and will listen to their worries without fear of it leaking to others. This is not work for a young or inexperienced personal trainer, Yoga teacher or therapist, it is work for a wise and considered person who looks healthy and has already been through similar life challenges. Many companies provide excellent facilities for their staff and whilst these are an important part of keeping people happy on a day-to-day basis, people quickly get used to these facilities. Without the direction and support that mentoring provides it is probably not enough to stop someone from moving on. this programme provides another layer of support to members of staff, not only guiding their health and fitness but also nurturing values that are important to their deeper wellbeing and fostering a more meaningful and enriching working environment. The productivity benefits and ability to retain staff will be measured and monitored to assure local management that their wellbeing investment is bearing fruits. Equally importantly it will be demonstrated that by increasingly redirecting money from unused and/or disjointed benefits (and critical care cover) towards structured everyday support, they can gain significant long-term productivity benefits as well as cost savings. 3. Group FormationTwelve is an ideal group size for a wellness programme. This comes from an evolutionary norm set around the size of hunter-gatherer working groups. It is important that all members of the group feel that they belong to the team and that their individual goals will only succeed if the group also succeeds. To willingly offer one’s skills and support to a group not just for the benefit of oneself but also for the other members will help participants to keep working on goals that, left alone, they would not continue with. Each group will, if possible, be composed of people from different departments of the company and the widest possible variety of demographic profiles, skills and responsibilities. 4. Programme ContentsThe programme is composed of ‘core’ goals that are common to all individuals and are worked on as a group and ‘personal’ goals that are worked on individually with the facilitator. CORE GOALS The ‘core’ goals comprise goals that can comfortably be discussed with colleagues and are easily supported by providing better on-site opportunities and resources. They are specific to ameliorating the physical, biochemical and mental challenges faced by the collective group in their common working environment i.e.: Mental Challenges: Inability to manage long lists of things to do and the expectations surrounding them. Lack of community belonging and/or sense of tangible contribution. The inability to readjust to present mindedness in non-working time (i.e. failure to achieve a healthy work-life balance). Biochemical Challenges: Sub-clinical nutrient deficiencies caused by a lack of varied, fresh fruit and vegetables. Blood sugar irregularities due to the necessity for stimulants to keep going through biorhythmic dips. The inability to relax after periods of over-stimulation. Physical Challenges: Compression in the spinal discs caused by sitting for long periods. Fixation of the eye muscles due to using computer screens. Desk-based postural compensations that lead to long term physical deficiency. To work on these goals, the group will undertake the following programme: Work-planner: An A3 desk planner that maps out the week in a manner that is consistent with natural human cycles; dividing each working day into two active periods with a passive period in between. There is a section at the bottom to list weekly goals and another for declaring a long-term vision. As participants enter each active period they pick up one or two tasks from their weekly list, plan how to achieve them and when/how to recover, reflect and rebalance again. (Each active period can only be planned as its about to happen since other urgent matters often arise). There is also a section for personal goals and objective markers. The group activities and weekly meeting are already included on the planner. Participants bring their planner to their weekly meeting and personal sessions and transfer uncompleted tasks to the following week’s sheet. It thus also acts as a record of progress. Replenishment of Nutrient Stores: The group are given a nutrient-rich juice at the start of each active phase (i.e. twice per day). This is based on the nutrient balance humans typically get from fresh vegetation, especially green leafy veg (our staple previous to farming and grains). This juice will provide nutrients in a natural, available form to achieve immediate alertness and to replenish long-term stores that will build nutritional resilience. It is very important to make this juice readily available. Most people would not otherwise keep this going if they had to think about it themselves, go to a shop, spend money and/or clean the juicer afterwards. Physical Exercise: The group undertake a 10-minute twisting, decompression exercise at the end of each active period. This also wraps in a softening process for the fixed mid-thoracic spine, plus eye stretching and ‘present moment’ breathing. PERSONAL GOALS On top of the group goals there is also a structured plan for each individual that addresses their own personal goals, providing the opportunity for optional coaching. Through ten years of providing mentoring, coaching and lifestyle management I have come to realise that this personal motivation and support is a key element in an individual’s continued, sustainable success. 5. Individual AssessmentsAt the start of the programme we will take a number of biometric markers from the participants, all of which should improve over the 12 weeks. These are:
This list of simple, in-house tests acts as a logical first step before sending staff for expensive well-man/woman checks that healthcare providers typically promote (and companies ultimately pay for). The results of our in-house tests provide a perfectly good clinical indicator of general health and can predict the need for further screening. It is probable that only 5% of staff would need to be referred for further testing. Chronic as opposed to acute health problems in humans are well predicted by simple biochemical tests. Blood sugar and cholesterol for instance closely predict macro-regulatory issues that can be the precursor to major problems such as type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, thyroid disease etc. The lifestyle programmes run by Dr Neal Ornish and Dr Gabriel Cousens in the States have helped establish these ‘core’ markers and show that holistic programmes promoting significant lifestyle intervention are better at addressing them than relying on orthodox, pharmaceutical intervention. Flexibility, body symmetry and posture are similarly excellent predictors of back pain, predisposition to physical debilitation and acute injury. The brain permanently contracts muscles in response to its protective needs and these can be evaluated through the inflexibility and asymmetry they consequently create. Whilst tests of mental wellness are prone to inaccuracy and subjectivity, there are certain core measurements that are objective and thus act as indicators of a person’s mental state. The amount of work and responsibility that a person feels they currently have to cope with is tangible and a predictor of underlying anxiety and stress. Social relevance measured by the number of significant weekly contributions to others offers an indirect way to predict future fulfilment, while the rate at which a person can switch from past/future-based thoughts to present momentness predicts how easy it is for them to also switch off from work and concentrate of their out-of-work lives. dditional to these individual measurements we will also record how often a person attends work during the programme, how effective their line manger rates them and how often they consult a primary physician. Success of the programme can thus be measured in objective as well as subjective terms. 6. The 12 WeeksOver the years we have determined that the combination of better organisation, health goals, group support and individual coaching is one that is most likely to lead to significant improvement in wellbeing. But we must also be realistic about the changes that are possible for people. Recalling the Dutch study that showed that only 12% of people faced with death were willing to change their diet, we must be mindful of the need to intelligently manage change as well as provide facilities and opportunities. People's lives are often very complicated and the environment and influences around them are sometimes not conducive to immediate or deep changes. But given enough insight and support most people can start to work towards making significant and lasting changes. We must therefore allow those ready to change to do so easily and at the same time help nurture the process of change in those who may not yet be fully ready. 7. Group MeetingsMeeting as a group once per week is an important opportunity for participants to take note of their own progress, see how it compares to others and re-establish their motivation to progress further. The facilitator of this group is extremely important. He or she needs to be respected by the group and be inspiring to all members, asking questions that open up deep reflective thoughts and new ways of seeing the world and thus a person’s place in it. Individuals in the group will take turns to be the weekly team-leader. The team leader is responsible for checking in with each member once per day and ensuring they’re ‘OK’, offering help if needed. This gives all members a sense of daily connection to the group and knowing that all members will get their turn, ensures that each member is motivated to cooperate with their team leader. It also gives management an opportunity to assess the potential leadership qualities of all individuals. In the first week, each group will agree on a small but tangible group project that will improve the office environment for all members of staff in the company. Working together on this goal will not only bring the participants closer together as a team, it will also give them a sense of charity and a greater sense of identifiable contribution to others. If there are multiple groups in a company then they can also compete with each other for a group prize. An aggregate of all objective health improvements in the group will then be compared with the other groups. This means that each individual in the group is contributing to the whole and that all participants doing well on the programme are also motivated to help those who are struggling. Having different groups also allows us to vary the programme in subtle ways so that different methods can be compared and methodologies can be improved in future cycles. 8. One-on-One SessionsPersonal coaching allows an individual to ‘stretch’ themselves to make changes beyond those of the group. Often the desire to change is a projection of our internal self-image, influenced by social pressures to be better, more wholesome people, have more social status or achieve greater rewards. But a person’s personal environment, education, life experiences, the influence of their peers and the pressures of their work make it difficult to make large, sustainable shifts. Without realistic targets and guidance people often fall back to their usual habits and thus experience a sense of failure. This further entrenches the feeling of being stuck in a lifestyle that is not part of their self-image and can lead to dissatisfaction and eventual depression. To make material changes to who we are, our environment often needs to change with us. Getting a better perspective on how this might happen, realising the personal barriers that prevent us from changing and working out what we really want from life can make this process easier, more measured and more successful. To be happy with where one currently is in life and realise that it is exactly where we should be given the life and influences we have had, allows a person to relax about their present life and be able to plan changes at a more achievable rate. People who come to realise that being at their company is the right place for them at that moment in life will arrive at work happier. Seeing that they can progress themselves within the company will keep them coming to work in the future. 9. Debriefing and ReassessmentAt the end of the 12 weeks most people will want to reflect on how far they have come and refocus on the next period. Retesting their biomarkers will give them some objective idea of their progress. Doing this on a quarterly basis also provides a milestone for long-term personal reassessment. Long-term wellbeing is an on-going process rarely achieved through reading books, attending courses, going to spas or seeing therapists. It is a process that requires daily attention, motivation and support. It will thus be the job of the facilitator to help each participant to redefine their longer-term goals at the end of each quarter and help them to plan another 12-week cycle of improvements. 10. Analysis of ResultsIf, as we expect, the participants in this programme achieve objective improvements in their health as well as subjective improvements in their self-image and commitment to working with the company, then the worth of the project will be self-evident. Of course improvements in attendance, productivity and employee retention will also provide another form of measurement of value to the company. We expect that offering theis programme will, in itself, also act as a reason for employees to stay at the company and will provide a progressive improvement in the social environment of the office as a whole. If successful, the programme could be rolled out to other groups or offices. Each facilitator needs half a day to manage one group. Thus by working four days per week at a company they can look after 100 staff members. We are able to train ‘suitable’ facilitators for all of a company’s locations, linking them together as a team with a common philosophy and publishing live results from their groups on an intranet site. This would thus help to bond employees from different offices. The facilitators can also act as gateways to other in-house wellbeing and medical services, ensuring that these services are consistent and relevant to the company’s philosophy. This would thus inevitably reduce wastage, save money and ensure that the company delivers a joined up wellbeing process. Cost
TimetableTo begin at the company’s earliest convenience. ABOUT THE AUTHORMark Thompson D.O., N.D. is a doctor of Osteopathy and Naturopathy. He founded and owns the Light Centre in central London which comprises three studios, four therapy rooms, a gym, library, garden terrace and healthy eating café. Twenty-eight therapists and twenty-five teachers work from the Centre. Mark’s speciality is in evolutionary anatomy, physiology and psychology and he is author of a book called ’10 Evolutionary Steps to a Successful Life’. He lectures to medical students, contributes to press articles and for one year was the Sunday morning doctor on a BBC radio station. Mark has been in private practice in London for 12 years. As well as treating many celebrities and top sports people, he has also been Osteopath to the Welsh Rugby team during their 2008 Six-Nations triumph, designed an ergonomic car seat for Porsche and is currently developing a nutritional wellness programme for Canada’s largest supermarket chain. He now lives in Hamburg, Germany with his partner Samantha and new baby Savannah, travelling to London every 2-3 weeks. CONTACT DETAILSUnited Kingdom Germany Email: mark@lightcentre.com Websites:
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Light Centre, 9 Eccleston St, Belgravia, SW1W 9LX. Tel: 0207 881 0728. © Light Practice Ltd, 2011 |
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0207 881 0728 |
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