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

[Willemdefoeismine]

You're being optimistic CheeseTMouse - isn't this usually the truly grim half-term when no-one gets out and about.... I admire you for your optimism. We can only hope that Mother Nature takes note - it's about time that the rain stopped....

[DoctorGilbertson]

Non participants...with half term coming up what treats do you have in store for your family? What are your families fav films?

Treats: Not going to work or school. We are sooooooo looking forward to the break. Hopefully a trip to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight museum.

Favourite films: Thunderbirds are Go

[whattoWHO]

Non participant.
Were meeting friends at the roald Dahl museum.
Holiday club booked for 1 day while in work.
A trampolining session booked at the gym and a trip to the cinema to see the Lego movie.
We're also going to make some time yo to some of the kits and activities dd got for Christmas.
Favorite family film - jungle book.

[kelandab]

We are taking it day by day so haven't anything at all planned except meeting some friends. We normally fit in a light trip into London, having a stroll round Covent Garden & Leicester square & at least one visit to the grandparents.

[WalkingThePlank]

Just booked the cinema tickets online. At our 2 local cinemas you have to book online to have a chance of getting seats together. Unfortunately, the Vue Card voucher does not work online so I am paying for my families treat. Such a shame given that the Nectar card hasn't worked in-store and the Sweatshop voucher doesn't work online. I've seen that some participants feel very 'spoiled'. Can't say I do to be honest.

I was the participant who already had PruHealth Vitality. This experience has not tempted me (or my husband) to log-in yet.

[CointreauVersial]

What a pain, Walkingtheplank.

I have Cineworld vouchers, but we will probably just pay on the door (when we decide what to see).

I haven't spent my Nectar points yet, because I haven't been able to get to the big Sainsburys since my abortive attempt to spend the points a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping it will work at the next visit.

[Willemdefoeismine]

Oh dear.....yes it is a bit of a hassle one way or another...the cynic might say it's to put you off actually claiming your rewards! That may be a question to put to them - what % of those entitled do actually uptake their rewards?

Gym assessment tomorrow :-)

[smallinthesmoke]

Thank you for the lovely Valentines smellies! I can't use heavily scented products but gave the bag to my friend and she was made up. Thanks a lot. Lovely surprise.
Am really enjoying the gym, especially the swimming. I went last night in the evening and was the only person in the pool again- heaven. Also this weekend I can take a guest for free so that is this evening sorted too.
DH and I are looking forward to using the vouchers to see Wolf of Wall Street if it is still on by the time we get a babysitter fixed. It will be the third time we have been to the cinema in 6 years! Unfortunately my DD1 has watched all the trailers for the kids' films on at the moment and has declared them all too scary or too boyish (even Frozen!) and I refuse to sit through Tinkerbell or Barbie so that's the plan to take her on half term scuppered. While I think cinema vouchers are a good reward, for us as a family we would always need a babysitter, which costs so much especially as I have just lost my job, so tbh we wouldn't take them up much. Or maybe would go separately.
For me the Virgin gym membership is the overwhelming perk of this package. I can imagine if I were without kids then the cinema tickets would be a very attractive perk. I used to go to the cinema every week in my yoof...

[smallinthesmoke]

Willem, I did ask that question at the induction day but it wasn't answered. I'd still be fascinated to know.

[GwenStacy]

Happy Birthday lovely ladies!

I think I might share my cinema vouchers with some of my NCT friends - we meet for coffee with the babies, and the dads get to go to the pub minus babies - I think we need to redress this balance a bit! I would quite like to see the Wolf of Wall Street -anyone else seen this? E is only 3 months old, so my husband and I have had to re-evaluate our treats! One thing I am really enjoying is that at the weekend he'll take her for a walk for an hour or so, and I will get a large coffee and curl up to do some knitting - this feels like a real treat now, as it's a rare occurance!

I found it interesting that the guy from Pru Health was saying that there was a link between engagement and rewards, especially when some of the rewards aren't linked to engagement, ie the cinema tickets. I do like the idea of the stepped rewards as well to encourage you to exercise and look after yourself more, even if that's just walking a bit more.

I've been pretty rubbish with the gym this week. I had a cold at the start of the week, then E had her jabs and a world of fun ensued from then on. Thankfully she's calmed down now, and I have my PT Session booked for Wednesday, so excited about that! I am going to ask her to help with my core strength, as the Body Conditioning class I did last week really emphasised how poor that is, and also for some advice on protecting myself when I start running again.

I've bought myself the 30 Day Shred and Davina 15 Minute fitness DVDs as well. The 30 Day Shred is a 20 minute work out, and the Davina one is designed so you can do one section when you get a chance or combine the four sections for a more comprehensive workout if you have the time(!) Hopefully, these combined with taking up running when the weather is a bit better will help me stick to the good habits I am trying to create...

[MadMonkeys]

Non participant.

my kids are too young to sit through a whole film so we don't really have family favorites yet. And as they aren't at school yet we do treats in school term time when its cheaper! Favorite treats are the sealife centre, a big soft play in a local garden centre and calke abbey, which is our nearest national trust property and has a lovely play area and loads of space for kicking a ball around.

[kslatts]

My dd's (ages 14 and 12) are looking forward to relaxing and having long lie ins during half term, therefore we only plan activities for the afternoon. We are planning swimming, cinema, a meal out and I am taking youngest dd to an M.A.D. concert in Islington on Monday.

[HootyMcOwlface]

Non participant.
We're going to an aquarium, a treat for me too as I love fish.
Also seeing PIL at the weekend.

[goldenretriever]

Non participants...with half term coming up what treats do you have in store for your family? What are your families fav films?

Non participant. Both of mine will want to sleep in. I will probably take them to a soft play place and spend lots of time with them. They are 3 and 4 so favourite films can vary, but Wallace and Grommit: curse of the wererabbit is always popular.

[Patilla]

Non participant

Our favourite family films tend to be Christmassy ones like Elf and more recently Arthur Christmas.

For half term, DS is in his first year at school and still ever so tired so a real treat for him will be uninterrupted Lego time and chilling out at home.

He is a real "home" boy and missing being home these days so we will probably open up our home cafe where I make him lukewarm decaf tea and we share some cake or biscuits. He loves it!

DD (aged 10 months) will just love having her big brother around so much . So hopefully not a budget busting week.

[Willemdefoeismine]

Hi GwenStacey,

your idea of going on a trip (and sharing your reward) with your NCT friends sounds lovely. Since I've had children, going to the Mums 'n' Babies viewings was the time when I got to see most films, so go for it....

I'm getting a bit nervous about my work out with a fitness instructor today not least because I will then be on 'pause' until next weekend at the earliest (no childcare back-up)....

Happy days everyone and enjoy half-term!

[Wjjkl]

Non participant

We will be going to London during half term to visit Daddy at work - and possibly fit in some lunch & a shopping treat or two as well!

We adore most of the Pixar animations - Finding Nemo is always a favourite for everyone!

[Bagtrainlady]

We're just back from the Lego Movie. It was pretty funny with lots of good asides that adults will also appreciate as well as some slapstick that our 2 yo could appreciate. He did really well to make it to about 20 minutes before the end before he started getting bored and asking to leave. Apologies to the other cinema goers if he disturbed you

We still have £20 left to spend so dd already has her eye on a trip to Mr Peabody & Sherman (we had our own 3d glasses & tend to bring our own snacks as much as possible - though DP did treat us to a big popcorn & pick n mix, so that's my diet out the window today!). It has been a lovely family reward even if it meant an obnoxious tired toddler afterwards!

We are off for a family swim at the gym now as it is an open weekend, so DP is able to join us all for free. Hopefully this will tire said toddler out again as he has had rather a large nap!

How did the PT session go Wilem? Mine is booked for next Thursday. She has set me homework! I have to go to a website called foofoofunbox.com & look up 'The Purposeful Breath'. I'm not sure how I feel about this atm

[Willemdefoeismine]

Wow where do you live,Bagtrainlady, that you could do two family trips to the cinema for £40 (or less)? Fully anticipating that if all four of us go it will be at least £28, although have my eye on bargainsville Tuesday which would mean DH wouldn't come and I might get to see a film I want to see too for the remainder of the giftcard!

I did very nearly book online, got as far as inputting one giftcard number and pin code BUT it still wanted my debit card details and sorry but don't give those out unless I have to, particularly when the giftcard covers the cost! So will just have to take my chances....

Glad you enjoyed The Lego Movie - one of the newspapers - Evening Standard, Daily Mail or The Times gave it a 5 Star review which somewhat surprised me because I was less than convinced by the trailer which was shown on Mumsnet before Christmas...

Had my gym assessment today - very, very nervous although I have learned that the best approach until one is there is denial.....My instructor was lovely and I had a very energetic but also 'buzzy' session including boxing which I loved (always fancied boxing) - apparently I pack a very strong punch :-). Have decided that I will "go forth with vigour" for the remaining three - four weeks.....although, having said that I see absolutely no opportunity for any further gyming it until next weekend at the earliest.... I realise that my whole relationship with exercise has been marred by not breathing properly at the exertion times, so I've been in huge lactic acid build-up every time I've done exercise..... I particularly loved it when he asked me about playing sport at school (or not in my case....)

All in all so far I have found the VA staff very, very sweet and helpful! They have seemed somewhat vague about our 'status' but nevertheless very, very professional...

Ouch my quads are aching...

[Audreyblue]

Just completed my first video blog - it was pretty horrendous watching it back. Didn't realise I sounded so awful! I was supposed to have my personal trainer section this morning but I have pulled a muscle in my neck and both my shoulder and neck are extremely painful. So I have rescheduled for Thursday.

DH doesn't really want to see The Lego Movie so I am planning on watching it on Tuesday afternoon with DS and DD who are pretty excited. Will be enough for popcorn and treats too! If we have to book at the cinema we'll have to get there quick before seats go! I know I can get a third of adult tickets on a Tuesday.

GwenStacy - I have the 30 day Shred. It's a killer. Did two weeks last year and felt like I was going to die! My knee joints suffered for weeks. Good luck with that.

Didn't get my smellies - apparently they tried to deliver twice (but I didn't get any calling cards). They are coming tomorrow hopefully.

[CointreauVersial]

I went for a lovely run in the sunshine today - it was very invigorating. DH came too, but he's much faster than me and soon streaked off into the distance.

Open weekend at the gym? I wonder if mine is planning something like that. The DCs have been begging to come and see it, although secretly I'm quite enjoying the fact that I get a bit of time without them!

[sealight123]

My daughter is only 2 so unfortunately there is no half term for us, but we plan on doing lots of baking and arts and crafts after work and nursery :)

Plus movie nights :)

Our favourite films at the moment are Elmo in Grouchland, Lilo and Stitch, anything disney and anything pirates...

We've just been to disneyland paris and my daughters favourite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean lol

[Stripytop]

bagtrainlady foofoofunbox!!?? .

Anyway, my vouchers haven't arrived so no cinema for us yet.
Also no visits to the gym as it is not v child/family friendly. We managed several hours in the park yesterday as it was such a nice day, but the rain is back today so play area it is. The kids will get lots of exercise there, but not so good for me really. I'll just have try to burn calories by chatting and drinking tea!

[AnnMumsnet]

Month 2 feedback thread now live here

Winner of the week 4 Nectar card is Chopstheduck - well done!

[Chopstheduck]

ooh that is fab, thank you Ann!