Clearing out the wellness clutter

We are bombarded by “get healthy” messages. From food marketing to gym membership promotions and weight loss websites, everyone has advice on how to get healthier.

But what’s right for you?

Your health is the product of little everyday lifestyle decisions and behaviors. The key is to crack the code on what can help improve your individual health.

That’s where your health coverage can come in. As a GuideStone medical plan participant, you have free access to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield’s^® suite of online wellness tools, including the Succeed questionnaire. In addition to basic health statistics like your cholesterol and blood pressure, this health risk assessment includes questions designed to look at the way you live each and every day.

Why look at all these factors? Think about how many things affect your health: stress, diet, exercise, environment, injury, nutrition. Many programs focus solely on weight management or exercise. That is only part of your health. Improving your overall well-being means looking at the total package.

The Succeed questionnaire helps you better understand how your overall lifestyle can impact your health. Once you’ve completed the online questionnaire, you’ll receive a customized action, specifically created for you. No one-size-fits-all, haphazard advice here. This is tailored for you — at this time in your life, at this point in your health.

Your Succeed plan analyzes your overall lifestyle behaviors and how much you indicated you want to change. The result is a prioritized list of things you can do — or stop doing — to improve your current health.

This program can impact your pocketbook, too. Healthcare costs continue to rise — with no end in sight. Improving your health can have two direct effects on healthcare costs:

1. You can lower your individual healthcare costs. The healthier you are, the less disease-related care you’ll probably require. Nearly three quarters of all the healthcare in this country is for preventable or lifestyle-related disease. A healthier lifestyle may help you avoid conditions that would require expensive treatment or medication.
2. You help control overall healthcare costs. On average, one quarter of the population accounts for three quarters of all major health care expenses. These costs are most often related to major illness and/or disease, much of which is preventable.

Ready to get started? Highmark’s Succeed questionnaire is secure, confidential—and designed just for you. Follow the instructions below to access your Succeed questionnaire.