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November / December 2011
Volume 23, Number 6

News you can use

Maintain No Gain Starts for Healthy County Members

Maintain No Gain, a Healthy County holiday challenge offered to members of the Texas Association of Counties Health and Employee Benefits Pool (TAC HEBP), aimed at battling the dreaded holiday weight gain, kicked off Nov. 21.

“Our number one risk factor among pool members is obesity,” said Wellness Program Supervisor Julie Sullivan. “Texans gain an average of 8-10 pounds during the holiday season and we want to help our members overcome that statistic. Excess weight contributes to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and some cancers.”

The Maintain No Gain program combines attributes of other Healthy County programs, including the 5-A-Day campaign that encourages eating fruits and veggies, and PATH, a pedometerbased walking program that promotes daily exercise.

Participating counties will receive weekly messages with tips to avoid the holiday weight gain. Counties are also encouraged Maintain No Gain Starts for Healthy County Members to create special events for their employees, such as healthy potlucks and prize drawings for county-specific prizes.

An overall drawing for prizes is held at the end of the sixweek campaign. Prizes include $120 toward a running shoe, a bike up to $100 and two indoor grills.

To be eligible to enter the drawing and win a prize, an employee must have maintained his or her weight within two pounds of their starting weight. The more weeks that goal is met, the more chances a person has to win.

Counties that are members of TAC HEBP and want to learn more about joining Healthy County or Maintain No Gain can contact TAC at (800) 456-5974.