2 free tools worth incorporating into your wellness program
June 14, 2010 by Christian SchappelPosted in: Communication, Health care, In this week's e-newsletter - benefits, Latest News & Views, Pay and benefits
Scientific research and psychology have revealed that the best way to achieve a big goal (like losing weight) is to break it down into small steps — and that’s where these tools come in handy:
Health Txts and text4baby are free online text messaging services designed to help people achieve their fitness goals by sending them little inspirational messages and tips. Each would make a great addition to any employer wellness program.
Why use text messages?
Texts are personal, can be saved for future reference and are already a big part of many peoples’ daily routines — so it won’t take any time for your employees to warm up to them.
Sure, e-mail is a great medium for sending and receiving health updates, but e-mail messages are easily lost or ignored in the inbox.
Text messages, on the other hand, are almost always viewed. Think about it: When was the last time you ignored a text sent straight to your cell phone?
Another reason texts are so popular: People know they’re short and to the point.
And that’s the beauty of these two services — they send personalized, short, relevant health notes and tips directly to where your employees are almost guaranteed to read them.
Breaking the services down
Some specifics on the two services:
- Health Txts — sends self-improvement text messages that recipients can either write themselves or have sent to them from Health Txts’ library. Recipients can select a category (like “Quit Smoking”) and how many texts they’d like to receive per day. A smoking cessation sample message: “Cravings will pass — strokes and heart attacks do not.”
- text4baby — sends messages every week to help soon-to-be parents through pregnancy and the first year of child care. Each message has been reviewed by U.S. government health agencies — and the info and advice offered is personalized based on the due date the user enters upon signing up.
Let us know what you think about these programs in the Comments Box below.
Tags: child care, free, Health Txts, heart attacks, pregnancy, smoking cessation, strokes, text messages, text4baby, tools, wellness program
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June 15th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
i agree with you. mobile health tools will make a great addition to company wellness efforts. as you mention, i think they can do a lot to eliminate self-sabotage (http://bit.ly/beJO10). i’ve been testing health txts for the past few weeks, and i have to say i’m disappointed. i’ll be writing about my experience on my blog, but the gist is that i do ignore the texts, even the ones that i personalized. initially, i felt guilty about not being at the gym at the time i texted myself a reminder to go. then i felt guilty about ignoring the messages. now, i delete at will without a second thought. i think there are ways around this, but my experience suggests that these aren’t foolproof and may only work for certain people.
thanks for writing about these.
fran
June 15th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
So even though you had no self control, did the service work correctly?
June 15th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
I have had quite a different experience with Health Txts. I get gratitude messages and it has really helped me get out of my own head and think more positively. I think it might not work for you is because you know you have to go to the gym at a certain time whereas for me it helps me refocus my thoughts at radnom times throughout the day. My girlfriend does the healthy eating one and the one thing I have really noticed is that she is drinking much more water. I wouldn’t say that it is a spiritual experience but getting those messages where ever I am has certainly made a difference in my life.
June 15th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
ouch! to your point, some of this is “user error,” in that the service is working exactly as designed. it’s not a lack of self control. i am going to the gym. however, the reminders are not getting me there or helping me push my self.
f
@femelmed