Jesse Warwick, Director of Creative Services:   In Seattle, May is Bike to Work Month and the 15th of May is Bike to Work Day. It’s great: droves of bikers are out there peddling their way to work, sharing their stories and bonding over Cliff Bars. This is the third year that I’ve participated, and while it’s going to sound really cheesy, I have to say that biking changed my life—and I am by no mean a serious biker. (Yes, I wear biking shorts, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to ... [More]

Jennifer Fifield, M.S., Content Manager, Weight Management:   How was your 30-minute walk yesterday? Wednesday, April 8th was National Start! Walking Day sponsored by the American Heart Association.  The Start! Walking Program encourages employers to create a “walking-friendly” environment at work.  The program also encourages employees to incorporate more walking into their work week. A lot of us truly underestimate the power of walking.  Walking is a great form of exercise for a... [More]

Carol Frieberg, Health Educator, Weight Management:   Just what would it take to live to 100?  And what do those who live that long, attribute their longevity to?  Dan Buettner, freelance writer for National Geographic and author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, set out to discover just that.  In partnership with The National Institute on Aging and the University of Minnesota, Buettner traveled the globe to find communities that have... [More]

Dana Montanari, Vice President, Human Resources:   In July 2008, Free & Clear employees set out to collectively walk 100 Million Steps toward better health by December 31, 2008.  The program started off with a great deal of zest as employees uploaded their information from their Omron pedometers to our Walking Club site and planned weekly walks with walking buddies and groups of work colleagues.  As winter wore on and Seattle was blanketed with an unusual flurry of snowstorms, we faced ... [More]

Annie Short, Marketing Intern:   In college, I noticed that I had gained the freshman 15. My roommates and friends were constantly baking treats and the dorm food we ate was not nutritious. I decided to start running. The running jump-started my weight loss and I started eating healthier meals. My friends started to follow suit. Four years later, I am still running and so are my friends. We have completed multiple half marathons and one marathon. It is hard to keep motivated, especially... [More]

Dana Montanari, Vice President, Human Resources:   At the beginning of Q3 2008, our Employee Advisory Board launched the Free & Clear Walking Club.  Each member received a state-of-the-art Omron pedometer and signed a commitment form that it would be used regularly.  Each person uploads steps via a USB cord at a kiosk or on his/her personal computer.  The step count is aggregated and reported on the company internal screens and via email by Human Resources every two weeks. Over 23... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Despite the many quitting resources we offer to participants in our tobacco cessation program, many people let the opportunity pass them by. As a Quit Coach, I hear it in their tone of voice, or lack there of: “Yeah, I read the materials. I think I’ve been online a few times.” When, in reality, most of these participants have probably never lifted a finger to flip through the pages of the booklets this program has provided.  I can al... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery   It amazes me how much support (or lack thereof) can really affect a smoker’s quit. For some, not having much support is okay. In fact they’d even prefer it. However, for others, they wouldn’t be able to move forward in their quit process without it. In my eyes, there is no right or wrong, but more so a who or how? Let me explain: What does support look like for our participants? It could be the faces of family or friends, co-workers, ... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Most people think of their quit buddy as being someone who they are quitting with. Pretty simple right? It definitely can be if you know how that quit buddy relationship is going to play out. In my experience as a Quit Coach, I have learned that there are many types of quit buddies. Some quit buddies quit as one single unit. This means, if your buddy slips up and smokes, you slip up. If your buddy succeeds through an urge, so do ... [More]

Erin Lavery, Senior Supervisor, Service Delivery:   Sometimes, the last thing our participants want to hear from a helping professional is, “I know how you feel.” It makes them wonder if we really do. Even though many of us have quit in our past, we are separated from that moment by time and experience. In short, we may have a pretty good idea of where you are coming from, but we don’t know how you feel. This fact highlights an issue faced by many of our participants. Quitting tob... [More]