CHICAGO, Nov. 12 Today, The Vitality Group, developer of an incentive-based wellness program, announced a partnership with Fitbug to provide its members another opportunity to increase, track and be rewarded for physical activity. Fitbug is an online health and well being coach, which uses the 'Bug' - an accurate interactive accelerometer plus a range of online tools - to allow members to clock up Vitality points for exercise that they do in their own time, like walking and jogging. The Fitbug service provides Vitality members with another tool to verify activity by measuring movement. This new program feature meets the needs of people who are looking to become more active and need a helping hand, or are already active, but may not participate in traditional workouts. Vitality members can also verify their activity with a heart rate monitor or by accessing a gym partner.
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"As the nation works towards healthcare reform, it's important that wellness and prevention play a key role - to improve the health of our nation and to help contain healthcare costs," said Arthur C. Carlos, CEO of The Vitality Group. "Exercise is a critical component of any wellness and prevention program. By incorporating Fitbug in this program we hope to encourage employees to be active in a variety of ways, from traditional exercise (e.g. walking or jogging) to incorporating physical activity into their hobbies and daily routines (e.g. gardening, taking the stairs)."
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The Vitality program provides employees with personalized rewards for engaging in activities and adopting behaviors that result in lowered health risks. Vitality is actuarially proven to improve health, reduce healthcare costs, and generate a positive return on investment (ROI) for corporations. The relationship with Fitbug expands The Vitality Group's vast network of health and wellness field providers.
The Vitality incentive-based approach rewards participants who make positive fitness and lifestyle changes with Vitality Bucks® which can be redeemed for a variety of rewards including electronics, fitness center memberships and vacation packages. Fitbug provides another tool to verify participation in fitness activities, a growing trend in the industry. Vitality members now have three ways to track their activities - swiping their membership card at a partner gym, using a heart rate monitor or using a Fitbug accelerometer.
With Fitbug, members who already manage their health by keeping active and regularly exercising will earn Vitality Bucks for their efforts. For those who need a helping hand to put those good intentions into action, Fitbug will provide a personal program to enable them to start earning points once they reach a healthy level of daily activity.
The 'Bug' is an accurate interactive accelerometer which automatically measures the number of steps taken per day and communicates the information to fitbug.com, allowing Fitbug to understand each member's lifestyle. Fitbug sets personal weekly activity and nutrition targets that participants can achieve as part of their every day life.
About The Vitality Group
The Vitality Group is a member of Discovery Holdings Limited, a leading international financial services institution founded on the principles of consumer engagement and wellness and the originator of the Vitality health promotion program. Vitality wellness programs serve more than 1.5 million members in companies in a wide range of sizes and industry categories, improving individuals' health and well-being as well as employers' and health plans' bottom lines. Early adopters in the United States include some of America's most forward-thinking companies. They join global organizations in the United Kingdom and South Africa who together are proving the effectiveness of the Vitality health enhancement solution in reducing healthcare costs.
SOURCE The Vitality Group
