Weekly Wellbeing Resources: HIIT Workouts, Pandemic Fatigue and More!

When it comes to wellbeing, employers often find themselves challenged by how to approach a shift from a traditional wellness model to a comprehensive and holistic program that supports the whole person. Below you'll find this week’s curated list of wellbeing resources. Feel free to share these resources, as appropriate, with your team. Have a safe and healthy week!

Career Wellbeing

• Work-Life Balance is a Cycle, Not an Achievement – Research has definitively shown that overwork isn’t good for employees or their companies — and yet, in practice, it can be hard to overcome unhealthy work habits and reach a more sustainable work-life balance. This article by the Harvard Business Review explores a process that might help you find a healthier balance.

• 9 Ways to Improve Cooperation from Your Kids – If you are tired of arguing, begging, and bribing your kids to help around the house, these 9 tips will help you improve cooperation from your kids.

• Working from Home? Here’s How to Spend Less on Car Insurance  – If you have a car but barely drive it (especially during the pandemic), you might find yourself wondering if there’s a cheaper car insurance option beyond traditional coverage. This article discusses whether pay-per-mile insurance might be a hit or a miss for you.

• Why Your Brain Loves It When You Exercise – According to Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist at NYU, exercising not only improves your physical fitness but it also builds brand new brain cells. “It changes your brain’s anatomy, physiology and function,” she explains. This article shares Dr. Suzuki’s insight on how much exercise we need to reap these mental benefits.


• Why is a 15-Minute HIIT Workout More Effective Than a 45-Minute Long-Distance Run? – Certified Health and Fitness Expert, JJ Virgin, explains why HIIT is so effective and shares how we can practically add HIIT into our lives.

• It’s Not Just You.  A Lot of Us Are Hitting a Pandemic Wall Right Now. – The past few weeks of the coronavirus crisis have been especially taxing on our mental health. Here's why things feel especially challenging right now as well as some advice on coping.

• South Carolina Principal Take Night Job to Support Struggling Students – In a school where 90% of the student body lives under the poverty line, one principal took it into his own hands to help his students in need.  If you haven’t heard this heartwarming story yet, it’s worth a read.

• Black Mental Health Matters: What Employers Must Do in 2021 – With increased racial tension in the US, how can organizations better understand what their diverse team members are experiencing at this time, and what can they do to support them and help them adapt? Join Spring Health’s next webinar to learn from Kat Hall, emotional wellness manager at Harlem Children's Zone, who will share her expertise on taking action to create healing spaces for racial trauma and helping team members thrive. Thursday, February 11th at 2 PM ET.


• What Happens to Workplace Perks When No One’s In the Office? – The shift to remote working due to the pandemic has accentuated a growing suspicion that the novelty of perks had worn stale for many.  Post-pandemic, the best office perk may be somewhat ironic: the ability to spend more time outside the office than ever before.


• Proposed Rules Related to Wellness Programs – There are many questions as to how the proposed EEOC rules will impact employers, and although still only proposed, it is likely they will be implemented in 2021. Many of you have wellness programs that include wellness credits or surcharges as part of your overall health budget. These new proposed rules will impact what you need to do in order to keep your current wellness program in place and compliant. Join SIG (an Alera Group Company) and Stacy Barrow, Esq. as they review these new proposed rules to help you be proactive and strategic. Thursday, February 25th at 11 AM ET.