PruHealth Vitality Experience - month 1 feedback thread with WEEKLY prizes for non participants.....

[AnnMumsnet]

You may recall we have recruited 10 willing volunteers to take part in the Mumsnet PruHealth Vitality Experience - this is running until mid March. This is the feedback thread for the participants to share their feedback with you all.

As PruHealth are so very keen for as many MNers as possible to experience the benefits offered by their Vitality programme each week there will be an incentive (see below for chance to win a £50 Nectar card) offered to non participants to read how the volunteers are getting on and to share your own tips, experiences and opinions. Bookmark this thread and keep an eye out for updates across the next few weeks....

PruHealth say "We believe the more you look after yourself, the healthier you feel. That's why we offer our customers Vitality when they buy our health insurance. Vitality is the world's largest incentive-based wellness programme and can make getting and staying healthy both easier and cheaper, but also reward you for all of your hard work!"

The Vitality Experience kicked off in style at PruHealth HQ in London on Friday 17th January. Here participants were given everything they need for the experience - including a Vitality Healthcheck, advice on healthy eating from a qualified nutritionist and an exercise plan designed by a personal trainer.

Each week participants will be presented with a new Vitality benefit - from earning additional Nectar points when you buy healthy foods at Sainsbury's, taking advantage of discounts at Virgin Active or treating the family to a trip to the cinema! Vitality aims to make healthy living fun, easy and rewarding.

Here's the full schedule of the Vitality Experience:

Week 1 - Get Gyming - Kick start your January resolutions with a free 2-month pass to a Virgin Active gym and £50 to spend on new gym gear at Sweatshop.
Week 2 - 5-a-Day - Get £50 worth of Nectar points to spend on healthy food choices at Sainsbury's.
Week 3 - Step It Up - Get motivated to increase your daily step count with your new FitBug pedometer.
Week 4 - Family Treat - Take the family out on a trip to the cinema with £40 worth of vouchers to either Cineworld or Vue cinemas.
Week 5 - Half-Term & Half-Time - Check in with your personal trainer for a free 1hr session to boost your gym routine.
Week 6 - Discounts Dispensed - Get £25 worth of vouchers to test drive our up to 50% cashback at Lloyds Pharmacy benefit.
Week 7 - Choose Your Reward - Take your pick between discounts to Merlin attractions, National Trust parks or travel with Eurostar, Mark Warner or Mr & Mrs Smith getaways.
Week 8 - Wrap Up - Finish the Vitality Experience with a day of pampering at Champney's spa.

Week 1 - Get Gyming
Vitality Experience Participants: please share on this thread:
How you found the welcome day - what did you enjoy, what worried you, how did you find meeting other MNers? Why did you want to take part? Pick three words to sum up the day.

Please share how you're getting on with the gym: have you been before? What did your family think / say? What did you buy with your Sweatshop voucher? How did you feel the next day? Do you think it's given you the push to start going regularly? How do you fit it into your schedule?

Non Participants - gyms and you - discuss!
Now that we're in the middle of January, how are your resolutions for a fitter 2014? Share your stories and thoughts about gyming and you and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £50 pre-loaded Nectar card (prize draw Monday 27th at 9am) NOW CLOSED

Week 2: - is all about healthy food choices (w/c 27-1). PruHealth with Vitality members can earn five times the amount of Nectar points they normally would by buying certain foods. As well they earn 1 Vitality point for each £2 is spent on healthy foods once they have linked their nectar card to their account.

Vitality Experience Participants - please share on this thread: At the welcome day you had a presentation from Sally Nash, the nutritionist with EnergiseYou -
~ What would you say was the key message you took away from her presentation and what did you learn?
~ What healthy foods have found their way into your trolley since then and what are you planning to buy this week with your Nectar card?
~ How's the rest of the programme going - we'd love to hear what you've done!

Non Participants - what's your best tip for including your 5-a-day in family meals? NOW CLOSED
~ Share your best tips for getting the 5-a-day into family meals or share a fruit or veg packed recipe on this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £50 pre-loaded Nectar card NOW CLOSED

Week 3
The third week is about increasing the number of steps you take every day and finding ways to fit 'steps' around your lifestyle. PruHealth with Vitality members can earn points for the number of steps they take each day. Start earning once you've taken over 7,000 a day - the more steps, the more points.

Vitality Experience Participants: please share on this thread:

~ How are you getting on with your new FitBug pedometer?
~ How many steps are you taking each day? Does this surprise you? Disappoint you?
~ What tips can you share for increasing your steps per day.

Non Participants - what's your best tip for increasing the steps you take each day? Add your comment below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £50 pre-loaded Nectar card! Share your top tips for making it easy to get more steps into your daily life on this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £50 pre-loaded Nectar card (prize draw Monday 10th Feb at 9am). NOW CLOSED

Week 4
Family Treat Week
PruHealth say "The very heart of Vitality is focussed on wellness and making healthy choices cheaper, easier and well-rewarding for our members. The weekly cinema ticket incentive is one of our most popular as it gives members the opportunity to treat themselves to a night at the cinema as a reward for their efforts to lead a healthier lifestyle. Small changes, big rewards."

Participants please share what film you are seeing or have seen with your Cineworld/ Vue voucher and what treats you like to enjoy generally with your family. How do you think the treat and reward element of the PruHealth with Vitality plan works?

Non participants...with half term coming up what treats do you have in store for your family? What are your families fav films?
~ Add your comment and you will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win a £50 preloaded Nectar card. Prize draw Monday 17 Feb at 9am. NOW CLOSED

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

[AnnMumsnet]

Oh dear walking...that doesn't sound so good! Do let your coach at PruHealth know won't you?

[Flossiecrossie]

I've been a gym lover in the past, and have loved it. But family life, work & finances mean regular gym attendance just isn't possible. To compensate I try to do as much exercise as I can at home, and out and about, but I do miss the motivation the gym and classes provide. Having been a member of a gym for years I would recommend to anyone planning on joining the gym as part of their new resolution to consider it thoroughly, and really question your long term commitment. It's amazing all the new faces you see in January, that you don't see when you get into April.

[EldonAve]

WalkingThePlank - did noone else notice the pigeon?

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

Walking - maybe the pigeon was there to poop on anyone not working hard enough?
Your V-cycle class sounds horrible. I hate being the newbie who doesn't know what they're meant to be doing while everyone else just gets on with it and ignores you.
I'm going to stick to running too. The gym sounds unfriendly. At least when I pass other runners we say hello.

[Kewcumber]

My gym cad has arrived so I might go take a look tomorrow if I have time keeping a beady eye out for pigeons

Would it be really, really mean if I sniggered at your post Plank? Not saying it did of course... just wondering...

Is wildlife an optional extra?

[HellonHeels]

Blimey some of these accounts of the gym aren't showing Virgin Active in a good light. I'm rather shocked! Is anyone from PruHealth or Virgin Active going to drop by and comment?

[HellonHeels]

I'm bloody loving the pigeon in the spin class story though! (Was it on a spin bike?)

[WowOoo]

Non participant here.

I tend to prefer other forms of exercise to going to a gym. I prefer running in fresh air to being inside. Even in bad weather.

I think an advantage of being a member might be that you want to go so that you don't waste your money. This is why I like paying for classes up front. More likely to go then.
I have no resolutions for 2014 but hope to continue doing as much exercise as I feel like every week. Usually 2 to 5 sessions.

[Bubbles85]

Non Participants - gyms and you - discuss!

I haven't been to the gym in a long while but am always out and about walking with the pram - that must be doing some good!

[micra]

When DD was a baby and I was on maternity leave, the small local council gym ran a crèche. partly to get into shape and partly to get out of the house, I went once or twice a week for an hour - would take a magazine to read on whichever machine I was on at the time - my only chance! As soon as I went back to work that went out the window. As a time-filler and sanity saver on maternity leave, I looked forward to it, but I'm too busy now with work & family (2 kids and DH works away) to be able to do anything except collapse in front of TV - that's my luxury.

[Pollaidh]

I am a non-tester but have insurance with pruhealth and I get really pissed off because there are no gyms here with an agreement with Pru, so I don't get any recognition for my multiple exercise classes a week. I really need a gym with a creche anyway these days. There is a great gym here with a creche, but it's an independent, so no link with Pru. (They don't link with waitrose either, so no point for buying healthy food there.)

[Kewcumber]

pollaidh - have you thought about getting a fitbug and wearing one to your non-Pru gym classes. From memroy of our induction, you are limited to 40 points a month (?) from combining gym and walking you might be able to make up the difference using a fitbug.

[Kewcumber]

And for any of the participants interested - you can get refined (ie no smell) cocnut oild from Amazon for £10(+postage) for a Kilo! I'm also told that indian/thai supermarkets often stock it cheaper

[Pollaidh]

Kewcumber, thanks, yes I did have one and it was useful then but as have been unable to walk more than a few metres for the past year it's not been much use. I just look like I'm doing no exercise, but I am, just not walky/runny stuff.

[smallinthesmoke]

A pigeon! That's hilarious.
I'm a tester, feeling very lucky to be part of this. It has come at just the right time for me as I was recently made redundant so have some very unusual and precious spare time between job hunting to get to the gym and complete the other tasks. And I am finding the swimming and other exercises a welcome diversion, a new challenge, something to stop me moping about. I wanted to see about the impact of regular exercise on mental health in particular, tackling stress and getting wound up by the kids.
I enjoyed the Welcome day. It had been well-planned and it was good to meet the other Mumsnetters. My favourite bit was when we were all doing the plank and I realised one of the women from Pru Health was photographing us. Not my best angle!
The whole principle of Pru Health Vitality seems sensible to me; cheaper health insurance if you can show you are trying to keep healthy. The actual way it comes about with points, levels etc is a bit complicated but I think I understand it enough to explain it... just about.
Since the Welcome day I have tried to incorporate a few small changes into my routine, eg swapping Coca Cola for cordial (not perfect but better), walking instead of catching the bus small distances. Nothing wild but should be sustainable. Actually, I have to be honest, I do find it really hard to stop drinking coke. There was a thread about it once so I know I'm not the only one! The nutritionist's threats about osteoporosis caused by acidity from drinks like Coca-Cola were really alarming. (Even if Coca-Cola were a v friendly sponsor at the Mumsnet bloggers conference this year! And I loved them because they were dishing out free Coke!)
Anyway, I have been to Virgin gym four times so far, at very different times of day ranging from 7am to 8.30pm. It is oddly sociable as I keep meeting people I know . The staff are very friendly. I started off with swimming to get into the hang of things. Then today I had my gym induction including the crazy Power Plate which Cointreau has already encountered! I think I'll do a few gym sessions then work my way up to a class as, like others have found, they can be a bit intimidating. I remember that from when I was a real gym bunny in my twenties (a hundred years ago...)
I haven't spent the Sweatshop voucher yet as I want to go to the shop for some gait analysis; hoping to fit that in in the next few days.

[CointreauVersial]

about the pigeon, WalkingThePlank! I'll look out for it tomorrow.

[Kewcumber]

small I have known about the calcium leaching effects of coke for sometime and was still a bit of an addict at one point! UnFortunately I developed a few autoimmune diseases some years ago and one of them causes gastritis and for some odd reason I've not really been able to stomach fizzy drinks since... its an ill wind...

[MollyBerry]

I've decided that before gumming I've got to get my weight under control !

[Laverne196]

i think the benefits are great cos the whole family benefit from mum training.

[Willemdefoeismine]

Kewcumber, the leaching effects of coke didn't surprise me although I'm not sure how I knew that fact. I had a phase as a student of being semi-anorexic (or is it anorectic?) so have always been interested in dietary issues (although obviously not necessarily practising them!). I think that's one of the double whammy things for anorexics - not only do they reduce dietary intake to virtually nothing but they use diet coke etc...to 'fill themselves up' which is then further depleting their calcium levels....

Thankfully fizzy drinks have never been my thing (except for the very, very occasional glass of lemonade to restore electrolyte balance when I suffered very bad morning sickness with one of the DCs) so thankfully that's one 'naughty dietary habit' I don't need to address at all...possibly the only one....

Just read an interesting article about making cauliflower 'rice' as a substitute for carbs with meals.....whizz it up in a food processor to 'fine grains' and microwave it with a few tbsps of water (in a covered dish)......Will be trying that one out....

However, having massively cut down on carbs, reduced the diary products massively (now on almond milk), upping the nuts and pulses/lentils and eating loads more fruit and veggies etc....I did start to think that my diet is in danger to returning to how I ate as a student - extraordinarily wholesome but lacking..... One of my best friends and SIL have this type of diet - they are very, very slim but..... I think as we get older, although we do need to 'not abuse' our bodies with rubbish food, one wants to achieve a healthy but not skinny look. It is actually quite difficult to get a happy medium, particularly with a family of whom two member have absolutely no spare fat to lose! I've got to get the cookery books out to find some really nutritious and healthy but tasty and robust meals for next week, using the 'healthy' foods list from the PruHealth Vitality website.....

My week hasn't entirely been the energy-bust I'd been hoping for....still awaiting delivery of my gym kit, my induction is booked but I have yet to break a real sweat. It's been an unusually atypical week on many fronts (more akin to a holiday week than usual term-time) with family members doing entirely different things to usual (which has impacted on my time use) which has meant that I've been managing my time very differently. I'm sure when usual routine returns next week it will be easier to incorporate gyming it into everyday life....

[Willemdefoeismine]

Very impressed at you going to the gym four times thus far, smallinthesmoke.....Yikes I've got some catching up to do....

Using the Fitbug has been an eye-opener for me: what I've noticed is that for me usual activity (school runs etc..) means I hit the recommended footsteps easily but again this week activity hasn't been 'usual' at all - so I've varied from a mighty 17,000 one day (that's just walking not running) down to shamefully low number (about 4,000) when I was stuck at home . Unless you do actively engage in exercise I cannot imagine that those who use cars, work at desks and lead sedentary life-styles would ever hit their daily target. It also made me realise that although my usual routine 'hits' the target figure, I need to be much more vigilent about weekends/holiday times when the children in particular are less keen on long walks....So there's room for improvement for me here even though I thought this wouldn't be problematic for me....

I found the gym staff very friendly when I went in so I have high hopes of a good gyming it experience...

[Chopstheduck]

I'm a non participant, but I am actually a pru-health & Virgin member. :)


Walking - try another one, but with a different instructor, and do arrive early so you can get the bike set up. Some instructors are better than others and they do tend to start bang on time or I've found sometimes a bit early too.


I'd really recommend the Body pump, body attack, etc classes. I was going to give Fierce a try until I realised it was barefoot. My shins get sore as it is without jumping around without trainers on. There are loads of newbies in classes atm with it being January and new years resolutions, so it's the perfect time to jump right in.


I'm off to spin this morning followed by Body pump then maybe a quick dip in the pool. I love my gym!

[Bagtrainlady]

Participant here
I'm off to the gym with ds this morning. His first crèche session & then a 'swim' as a treat after. He has been talking about this all week (was a bribery reward) so hope I don't have too high hopes for us. I get a whole hour to myself & I think there is a Pilates class at the same time
Back tonight for my induction as it was the earliest we could both do. Will keep an eye out for gym wildlife but don't think I'm going get that lucky!

[CointreauVersial]

Willemdafoe - I'm a big fan of cauliflower rice, and eat it in preference to the real thing. You don't get the bloated feeling that a plateful of rice can give you. You can microwave it, or "stir-fry" it with butter, or oil. You can also add herbs/spices to jazz it up (although I like it as a bland accompaniment to curry etc).

And make sure you keep up the protein. Fish, chicken......

[Willemdefoeismine]

Thanks CointreauVersial! I am just about to sit down and look at the Sainsbury's list of healthy foods - was reading their January food magazine yesterday and some scrummy options - particularly the ones for breakfast :-). It actually sounds rather scrummy, particularly if jazzed up! Thanks for the tips!

I think though that I will end up cooking one meal for me and DH and another for the children...I am not sure my patience is strong enough to sift thro' loads of recipes until I can find ones that are healthy and nutritious, heavy on veggies (DS eats most fruit but still not a veggie lover) and suit all taste-buds/predilections...