Holiday greetings from the Lifelong Wellness Team! We wish you all a Holy
Christmas Season in solemn commemoration of the birth of Jesus, mankind’s
Savior from eternal darkness and isolation; and a New Year filled with inner
peace to weather the stresses that 2009 is expected to bring.
In mid-2006, when the Lifelong Wellness System came to life, the Team anticipated that the challenge of promoting HOLISTIC WELLNESS in the Lopez Group would be tough. Getting into the information and communication highways of a highly diverse business conglomerate, and catching the attention of people to consider lifestyle changes for better health and long life, would take tremendous human effort with the help of modern technologies.
It gratifies to note that Lifelong’s journey these past two and a half years is now generating positive effects. I attribute this to Chairman Oscar M. Lopez’s persistence, after planting the seeds of holistic wellness a decade ago; the all-volunteer Lifelong Wellness Team and its formidable backroom backbone of multi-taskers; the cooperation of the PR Council, CEO’s and HR practitioners; and the Group’s employees who have converted and are living models of wellness.
2008 has been a remarkable year. Lifelong’s mainstay programs were sustained. The mountain trek series was highlighted by Chairman Lopez’s conquest of Mt. Apo, a lifelong dream come true at 78 and, reportedly, the oldest to crest the summit. The Walk the Talk series, stress management program, wellness fora and short courses, and the popular sports tournaments – basketball, bowling and badminton – provided a broad platform that promoted the holistic nature of Lifelong Wellness.
We also held our first-ever Health and Wellness Fair held at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City in late-November. It served as the culminating point of the 80 Days to Wellness weight-loss contest, also its first ever. On account of their successes, the Team has decided to include these to its mainstay programs. If plans do not miscarry, the 2nd Lifelong Health Fair will be held in late-October 2009 again at Rockwell where the winners of the 180 days to Wellness will be announced!
The future of Lifelong ultimately depends on the leadership
of the CEOs and their HRs to ensure its sustainability. Creating their own
Wellness Circles and crafting their own programs relevant to the health risk
profiles of their executive and employees are crucial steps. Knowing and updating
that profile is elementary to managing their respective economics of wellness;
in monitoring and benchmarking performance; and measuring impacts. Rising
participation rates are a good indicator.
The Team hopes to start planting
the seeds for a self-reliant program with commercial offerings to the public
starting next year. And we will continue to mentor and assist companies in
the Group who haven't yet the wherewithal to form their own teams or formulate
their wellness programs. On this note, Lifelong looks
forward to a vibrant 2009. So stay well and be well. Watch those calories
and keep moving. With an extended holiday season we have plenty of time to
exert self-discipline and shift to a health lifestyle.
Rafael M. Alunan III
for the Wellness Team