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

non-participant. I've never used a gym - I find the whole prospect intimidating. I do, however, enjoy ice skating which I am going to do more regularly in 2014. I also hope to get back to regular swimming.

I grate carrot and courgette into homemade turkey burgers and serve with a homemade corn salsa.
Also I serve sweet potato instead of a normal potato.
The kids often have ice cream or yoghurt with some berries for a pudding.

No idea where I am meant to answer!!

So happy to read GwenStacy's update. I think it is so impressive that you are up and about and getting active so soon after having a baby. It sounds like you have such a nice club too. I think mine is a bit down at heel given the fees - and certainly no towels or Molton Brown goodies - it's definitely working the 1990s vibe with generic pumps of gel, shampoo but obviously no conditioner. The no conditioner thing is a bug bear of mine but perhaps it is just me. Hotels, gyms etc rarely include conditioner but surely most women use conditioner so you still have to remember a bottle.

I went to the gym today - did the V-Trek class today which I really enjoy - saw 3 people I vaguely know as I puffed and panted with my red face!

After the gym I did my healthy food shop. I had swiped the nectar card at our little Sainsburys yesterday so that it was primed but went to the large Sainsburys to ensure a better choice. I too bought the coconut oil at £6 for 300ml. I also saw one in the world foods aisle which was £2.45 for 500ml (KTC?) but it was in a plastic pot (would the chemicals leach?) and was product of several countries. It would be interesting to know if anyone has views on this. I bought fruit, veg, cous cous, lentils, high fibre pasta (looked to be better than wholemeal) and fish. I couldn't find seeds and the like. Anyway, I then went to pay and they wouldn't let me use the Nectar points because I hadn't used the card in that specific store before. So, I'll have to use the points on top-ups which will be mostly fruit and veg over the next few weeks (I usually have groceries delivered).

I loved the nutrition talk but seem to be binging at the moment on rubbish. Not sure what's got over me. I need some discipline!

I bought the KTC one but having read up on it I would probably go in future for a refined (non coconut smell) organic oil which hopefully has a better gentler refining process.

I'm not sure left over choclate fingers from Xmas ar eon my healthy eating plan

But I'm just about to head out to Sainsburys... on foot... with my old lady trolley (we are only a 15 mi walk away)

Non participant here, I do a selection of veg I noticed with salads the variety seemed less to create less fuss so now I do a small amount of different veg, if cooking carrots I give them raw sticks prior to meal they don't recognise that as its not served on their plate. I stab a cocktail stick through leaves of baby spinach, small pots of peas, sweet corn, red pepper sticks or roasted with onion, squash, courgette, leeks,if roasted with red onion they have a sweeter taste and I can also use up whatever I have left.

I have had that jar of coconut oil in my hands so many times, but just can't quite convince myself that it will be life-changing enough to spend £6 a time on. Going to hit Sainsbury's tomorrow though, just to spend my Nectar points on trying new things.

I came away from the nutritionists talk thinking more about adding in things like nuts and seeds to my diet and making easy substitutions (hence the coconut oil dilemma). Also the idea of just trying new vegetables - I realised I never branch out from the ones I like and cook for the kids.
So tomorrow I hope to find some of the seeds and grains that Sally mentioned, and maybe try using things like lentils to hide them in casseroles. Also have promised my son I'lll get loads of "fun fruit" like mangos!

I also took away the "add more" message loops

Have added more seeds (form Holland and Barrett on their 1 extra for 1p offer - sorry Sainsburys!)

Will be buying organic coconut oil from Amazon because I like the texture and think it will multitask for baking instead of butter too.

I have just got back from Sainsburys and blown the lot! Mind you I have gone for some expensive stuff I wouldn't normally get... though I also added quite a few things from the sainsburys basics range like their smoked mackerel. I splashed out on free range skinned chicken breasts as DS and I plan to make our own chicken nuggets tomorrow and I thought it would be way easier! I also splashed out on agave nectar which I've wanted to try for a while and could never justify the cost.

I also bought some tinned salmon to make out own pate and tuna in oil. I know that the oil one doesn't count as "healthy" but I get the no drain one which really has hardly any oil and the one in water is so tasteless that I just end up drowning it in mayo.

Bought some spelt pasta to try to see if I like the taste and brown/white mixed basmati rice.

Struggled to find any commercial yohgurts that didn't have added sugar or sweetener surely there must be a market for yoghurts sweetened with fruit?

It was nice to be able to try stuff that I wouldn't normally risk because of the cost. It also occurred to me that the sainsburys basics frozen fish could also be coated and made into "fish fingers".

I'd love Sainsbury to have a made/grown in UK and in season section. I'm quite interested in food miles but mostly its quite expensive to go for the veg box schemes if you end up with a load of stuff you don;t want (particularly as there's only two of us). I'd love to be able to see at a glance which stuff is UK grown and in season. Annoys me when during apple season I inadvertantly buy apples from somewhere that have obviously been flown here. Happy to support farmers in emerging markets but not really with stuff we grow as well or better here!

Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay.

Will be interested to see what of my shop today counts as "healthy" by looking at my vitality points online.

This is a friend's blog - she bakes some amazing cakes and biscuits, but adapts recipes to use non wheat flours and alternative fats and sugars as well, if you anted to try baking with coconut oil!

londonbakes.com

Non Participants - what's your best tip for including your 5-a-day in family meals?

Cut them up small and mix them in well. Works a treat every time! :)

Non participant
I don't find it hard to get the 5 a day in, The children and all of us take an item of fruit to school/work. We have fruit with our porridge or cereal. We have 3 different vegetables with each meal and often have lots more beg in the cottage pie or spag Bol etc. we also have a salad with our meal, but only DS will eat that.

Non-participant
I don't find it hard to get 5 a day into my family as we all eat a lot of fresh fruit. I just have to ensure we always have a good selection available.
I do have tips though, it's not always been easy. Grated carrot in pasta sauce, side salads on most dishes. crudites and dips for snacks, smoothies, jellies made with fruit, fruit flan, soups where they can't see the veg, bribery.

We make fruit smoothies with our children to make sure they get their 5 a day I find if the kids are involved in the preperation or cooking then they tend to eat more. With smoothies you can be as creative as you like and even say your making up magic potions that give us special powers

Non tester. I made no resolutions, I find it easier to focus on 1 thing at a time. Keep it simple is my motto.

Gyms are not my cup of tea. Running around after my LO, my husband and the housework keeps me fit, hee hee.

Re 5 a day, I agree with other comments, I always ensure offer a variety of veg at meal times and fruit salads/kebabs work a treat.

Non tester. I made no resolutions, I find it easier to focus on 1 thing at a time. Keep it simple is my motto.

Gyms are not my cup of tea. Running around after my LO, my husband and the housework keeps me fit, hee hee.

Re 5 a day, I agree with other comments, I always ensure offer a variety of veg at meal times and fruit salads/kebabs work a treat.

The key message I took away from the nutritionist was that acidic fizzy drinks increase the risk of osteoporosis. Also she recommended 5 fruit and veg each day as an absolute minimum, suggesting 8 to 10 would be better. That's when I started to shuffle around in my seat a bit as 8 to 10 portioms a week would be good going for me. I just live on sugars and carbs.
This week has been phenomenally shit, in many ways not least that my DD1 is in hospital. Not serious thank god but who reaches for healthy eating in these sorts of circumstances? Yet now more than ever I should be putting some proper nutrients into my body. I think when she is well I will take her to Sainsburys with me to spend the points and see if she can find the the healthy products. She'd enjoy that.
Aqua on Monday. No Zumba tomorrow as planned but I hope to fit in a relaxing swim on Thursday if things are a bit more sorted then. Fingers crossed.

Checking in from the sofa, having just got back from the gym. I did the Fierce class again, and spent 25 minutes on the treadmill (still getting tangled up in my headphones). The treadmill (and running in general) serves as my meditation, but I find the classes quite fun and sociable. It brought today's steps up to 10,000 (I'm actually surprised it wasn't more). And I looked the business in my new Sweatshop stuff; a lean, mean, gym machine.

Anyway, onto the "discussion of the week" - nutrition.

~ What would you say was the key message you took away from her presentation and what did you learn?

I thought the presentation was excellent, and I like the way it focussed on little changes here and there that could make a real positive difference to your diet. Quite a few suggestions I already apply, or at least knew about, but I learned a few new things, like the fact that you shouldn't cook with olive oil.

I already eat a lot of veg, fish, chicken, very few refined carbs, and am a fan of almond butter, seeds and nuts. I never drink fizzy drinks (unless it comes in a green bottle with a cork ). If I'm not low-carbing I eat a fair amount of wholegrain and porridge. I probably eat more fat than the nutritionalist suggested, but that's part of the low-carbing. I'm not giving up cheese any time soon!

I am trying to increase the amount of water I drink, and have taken some herbal tea to work to increase my fluids. I will also be adding coconut oil to my shopping list (I have a little bottle I use on my nails, but it's not culinary grade), although I already buy rapeseed oil, which is pretty good too.

~ 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?

Apart from plans to buy the aforementioned coconut oil, I have stocked up on ground flaxseed, which is nice added to yogurts, or to make savoury pancakes (Linwoods do all sorts of yummy mixtures of flaxseeds with nuts/berries/cocoa etc). I had a look at almond milk the other day, but it was so pricy, and I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I only really have milk in tea and coffee anyway, and I'm a bit "funny" about milk. With my Nectar points I fancy buying some interesting fruit and veg, maybe some fish for the family to try, and it will be nice to see if I can pick up some healthy treats. I shall be going to the local "big" Sainsburys (so, if I'm reading it right, I need to make a purchase there first, to "register the card", then I can use the points.....?)

~ How's the rest of the programme going - we'd love to hear what you've done

It's going really well - I am feeling so positive. My clothes are definitely looser. I am going to bed early (or at least on time!) and feeling more rested generally. And the Fitbug is now working.

X-post, Small - really sorry to hear about your DD, how stressful for you. Hope she's on the mend, and you are finding time to look after yourself.

dont make a big fuss oif it.if they think having them is normal from the off they will be easier to like.make it birght colourful.ask them what they want with tea.give them an exciting choice to make them feel all grown up[ being able to choose our veggie for tea.

Oh dear Smallinthesmoke....hope your DD is better soon....You will be hard pushed to even find healthy food in hospital......ironic isn't it....

I haven't noticed my clothes being noticeably looser but my very sensible DD suggested that it was unlikely so quickly. I think I have a lot more weight to lose than you, CointreauVersial, so sure that I'm not going to notice it as quickly.

I'm finding porridge, nuts/seeds and extra fruit/veggies easy to do. I tend to drink my coffee black so the almond milk has not really been an issue in hot drinks. I bought a 1-L Tetrapak and I haven't finished it yet - just having it sometimes with the porridge...Not sure you could successfully use if for making savoury sauces though.....

Just a tip - I was perusing The World Foods Aisle in Sainsbury's yesterday and noticed that huge bags of nuts etc...are significantly cheaper there than in the 'Home Baking' row - it's all a bit of a swizz. If we continue with some of these dietary changes - which I'm intending to do - I will be in search of 'best value for money' rather than just buying in Sainsbury's. When I did my healthy shop at the weekend I couldn't find 'Basics' porridge oats for love nor money and paid well over the odds for Saino's 'normal' brand - it pained me to do so!

My Fitbug is just about full and I will need to download the data sometime today....

With my trip to the gym yesterday, I hit 17,500 steps...I think I am getting the picture that without trying, I have incorporated sufficient exercise (although maybe not fast enough to be efficient for calorie burning) to keep fit - as long as I'm doing my school runs. At the weekend when life is less structured and sometimes less active I will need to focus on hitting my target number of steps per day!

Any recommendations y'all on almond milk. Would really like to try this but immediately ran into scare stories about carrageen.

Plus where are the vids!!

Yikes what's carrageen, Telsa!???

I've not even got thro' a 1L Tetrapak yet so I'm not exactly swigging it back....just added a small amount to porridge and smoothie I made earlier this week. I recall reading about a very nice non-alcoholic almond milk based 'nog' that Pearl Lowe recommended that would be good try out at this time of the year...will have to see if I can track it down...

On the subject of 'scare stories' I think you will be hard-pushed to find any foodstuffs that don't come with a 'caution' label attached regardless of being natural or highly-processed.

I think at the end of the day the mantra "a little bit of what you fancy does you good" is possibly the best mantra to live by.....

Are the rest of you, the Vitality crew, using coconut oil as a butter/margarine substitute? Lovely as it smells I really don't fancy it smoothed on my Ryvita. Haven't got to a health-food shop yet to track down the elusive non-peanut-nut butters..Or the chia! I bought some Flora yesterday but somehow don't think that's any healthier than butter really.....

I know absolutely everything seems to have scare stories attached. But I was really taken by the idea of almond milk - inspired by you lot - and did the fateful google and stuff comes up about the carrageen (Irish Moss) added to many of them has caused some tumours in mice blah di blah....jury still out etc. So wondered if you had addressed that at all.

By the way on coconut oil - which I have tried again in emulation of you lucky devils (I had some already for mouth swishing!) - goes really nice on Ryvita, hot cross buns! and just about anything, I think.

Quite what Irish Moss is doing in almond milk I have no idea!

I've just thought of another "message" from the nutrition talk, which is to eat the main meal earlier in the day, and eat a small evening dinner. Unfortunately, this doesn't fit with my lifestyle; I have no cooking/canteen facilities at work, so lunch is usually of the soup/sandwich/salad variety. The main meal by default is in the evening (and we are late eaters because of DH's hours).

But whenever practical I will switch this around, so last weekend I did a big lunch and a snack for dinner, which was fine.

I went to acqua and I liked it! Must turn that into a song.