As we usher in a new year, many of us will be making resolutions and recommitting to our health and wellness goals. The Mauser Packaging Solutions’ employee benefit program offers many resources to support you on your wellness journey. Whether you are making new resolutions this coming year or maintaining your personal goals, keep the following tips in mind for a thriving 2023:
Adopt (or Maintain) an Active Lifestyle
While many might exercise to lose weight, the physical benefits of an active lifestyle go beyond that. Exercise helps make your heart strong, reduces blood pressure, helps maintain healthy bones, increases flexibility, helps lift your spirits, gives you energy and helps keep weight in a healthy range. But even knowing how good exercise may be for us, fitting in regular exercise may feel like a hard habit to start. For many people, it might be a matter of overcoming excuses — it may be common to feel too tired, too busy or too intimidated.
For employees enrolled in a qualified Mauser medical plan, our Virgin Pulse wellness incentive program encourages employees to become, or stay, engaged in your own health by tracking your activity and rewarding you along your fitness journey.1 Enrolled employees earn points that can be converted into HSA dollars or Virgin Pulse Cash which can be redeemed for health & wellness items, gift cards, or charitable contributions.2-3 More information on Virgin Pulse is available at the end of this article.
1This wellness incentive program is available only to U.S. employees who are enrolled on a qualified Mauser medical plan.
2Earned HSA dollars are offered to employees enrolled on a qualified HSP/HSA plan and are deposited on a quarterly basis to active employees.
3Virgin Pulse Cash is offered to employees enrolled on a qualified PPO plan. Federal tax law does not include a specific exemption for wellness program incentives; wellness incentives, as Virgin Pulse Cash, are subject to the same tax rules as any other employee rewards or prizes.
Make Healthy Food Decisions
While there is a lot of nutrition information out there, it may be hard to identify fact from fiction — or how to start making healthy eating a habit. Healthy eating is about balance. Following healthy eating habits may improve your mood, may give you more energy, and may feed your body good nutrients.
Countless food philosophies agree on some basic healthy eating habits including:
- Eating at regular intervals
- Eating a variety of foods
- Drinking water regularly to keep hydrated and meeting your daily recommended consumption
- Increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables of all colors, and limiting fruits that are high in sugar
- Aiming for balanced meals.
Get an Annual Wellness Exam
Checking in on your health concerns and receiving recommended routine preventive care may help paint a more accurate picture of your overall health. That's one of the many reasons preventive care is important. Preventive care is routine health care that's meant to help you stay healthy. When you schedule regular appointments and screenings, it can help you manage and maintain your health.
Preventive care is generally focused on the following:
- Evaluating your health when you are symptom-free
- Offering routine checkups and screenings
- Decreasing the risk of developing health issues, even if you are in the best shape of your life
For employees enrolled in Mauser’s medical plan, preventative care is covered at 100% when using an in-network provider (note: preventive care that is out-of-network is not covered). Employees are encouraged to visit member.uhc.com to find an in-network physician and schedule their annual wellness exam.
For International employees, medical coverage in most countries is provided through government healthcare systems. Check with your local Human Resources representative or your national health system for available resources.
Make Time for Mental Health Wellness
Taking time to invest in your personal mental health can help increase your capacity to cope with life’s challenges and avoid more serious mental health issues. When personal and workplace challenges outpace your ability to cope, it can lead to a negative impact on your mental and physical health. Biological, social, emotional, and environmental factors may also contribute to mental health issues. Worries, emotions and feelings are personal. Mental health problems may come up any time and at any age – even in children.
Having a comprehensive and easy-to-access Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available is one of the ways Mauser Packaging Solutions provides employees in the U.S. and Canada4 with the tools and resources they need to manage heightened levels of stress, anxiety and other behaviors that can have long-term negative effects on their health and life. Resources and assistance are CONFIDENTIAL and available to ALL Mauser Packaging Solutions employees and members of their household through our benefit programs.5
For International employees, similar programs may be offered in other countries through Company provided offerings or government healthcare systems. Check with your local Human Resources representative for available resources.
4In Canada, this program is titled Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). For the purpose of this article “EAP” refers to both the U.S. and Canadian programs unless specifically addressing the Canadian program.
5Employees and members of an employee’s household are eligible for EAP and EFAP resources regardless of enrollment in healthcare benefits or dependent status.
In the U.S.: THE HARTFORD: GuidanceResources® - Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
In addition to online information and resources, this service includes up to five face-to-face counseling sessions per occurrence. This means you and your household members won’t have to share visits. You can each get counseling help for your unique needs. Counseling for legal, financial, medical and benefits-related concerns is also available by phone.
Call 24/7/365: 1-800-327-1850 or visit www.guidanceresources.com
(Web ID: HLF902 and Company: MAUSE)
In Canada: Manulife – Homewood Health/Santé: Resilience® Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
EFAP provides support for you and your family when you need it, in a way that works best for you. Support services available include counselling, online services, lifestyle and specialty coaching, depression care and trauma care.
Call 24/7/365: 1-866-644-0326 or visit www.manulife.ca/groupbenefits
Virgin Pulse6
The Virgin Pulse program encourages U.S. employees who are enrolled in a qualified Mauser medical plan to become, or stay, engaged in their own health.
In addition to resources and tracking exercise, Virgin Pulse offers a variety of tools to help you develop healthy habits. Virgin Pulse points can be earned for tracking calories, types of foods you eat, exploring new recipes and food plans, and participating in Journeys® that are daily, self-guided courses for sleep, stress reduction, emotional balance, and more!
Earn points by making healthy decisions and tracking your activity with Virgin Pulse. Points equate to dollars that will be contributed to your Health Savings Account (for employees enrolled in HSP/HSA plan) or Virgin Pulse Cash (for employees enrolled in PPO plan). Points can be earned from January 1 – November 30 each year, so get started today!
How to enroll:
- New participants can sign up at join.virginpulse.com/mauser
- Existing members can log in at https://app.member.virginpulse.com/welcome.html
- Download the Virgin Pulse mobile app for iOS and Android
- Start tracking your healthy activities and Journeys®
- Check-in by entering health measurements such as weight and blood pressure
- Participate in challenges with friends, discover healthy recipes, and more
- Get rewarded for the healthy things you do
Get started with Virgin Pulse today! The future is a choice and the best way to predict the one you want is to create it.