Slimming World presents at this year’s Rail Wellbeing Live
With an increasing need to tackle the rise of obesity in the UK, and the support of health and wellbeing in the workplace being thrown under the spotlight due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more progressive businesses are looking at how they can support their employees.
Slimming World’s Employer Partnerships Lead, Joanne Allen, was invited by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to speak at this year’s Rail Wellbeing Live 2021 to discuss the ways in which Slimming World has supported GTR employees over recent years to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Addressing a number of leaders within the rail industry at the event, Joanne says: “Slimming World has been offering workplace schemes for a number of years, and it was great to speak to the rail sector about ways in which we’ve worked with GTR to support their staff improve their health and wellbeing through weight loss.
“As well as high rates of obesity in the transport industry, tackling the issue is extremely high on the Government’s agenda, with more evidence showing links between being severely overweight and being more seriously ill with Covid-19, as well as the alarming increase in people being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Slimming World understands the physical and psychological burden of overweight and believes now is the time to act on supporting your workforce to improve their health and wellbeing by losing weight, and leading a happier, healthy life.
During the conference Joanne spoke about the various flexible packages Slimming World has worked in partnership with GTR on: “As well as GTR employees attending Slimming World groups, we have worked together over the years to produce materials to aid staff in healthier lifestyles, for example practical hints and tips around food and mood, particularly during lockdown, and introducing physical activity at a rate comfortable for the individual. More recently, due to a male-dominant industry, we’ve even published a fact sheet specifically looking at Men’s Health.”
A recent weight loss pilot for male employees at GTR and TfL who wanted to lose weight resulted in participants losing on average more than 15lbs with some members losing almost 2st in six weeks.
The trial also found group members made lifestyle behaviour changes with 92% agreeing they now make healthier food choices, a third drinking less alcohol, and almost half of them are doing more activity after the six weeks virtual Slimming World group than before.
Slimming World was founded by Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE in Derbyshire in 1969 and has become the UK and Ireland’s leading weight loss organisation with more people choosing to attend a Slimming World group each week than any other weight loss programme. We support hundreds of thousands of people, both in our groups and online, to lose weight and to adopt new habits to stay slim for life.
Over the years our founding principles haven’t changed:
- Our unique programme is based on a powerfully motivating support system called IMAGE (Individual Motivation and Group Experience) Therapy. Underpinned by a deep understanding of the psychology of overweight people, and incorporating the most effective sustainable behaviour change techniques, IMAGE Therapy is designed to inspire and motivate slimmers to make positive changes and to develop new, healthier habits around food and activity.
- Food Optimising is our healthy eating plan, based on the liberating concept of Free Food. We encourage our members to fill up on those foods that are naturally lower in energy density (calories per gram) and also highly satisfying while limiting foods that are highest in fat and sugar and are less satisfying, so they lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived and without having to weigh, measure or count everything they eat.
- Our activity programme, Body Magic, encourages members to become more active, more often in ways that they enjoy, until regular physical activity becomes an intrinsic part of daily routine.
Above all, at the heart of everything we do, lies our passion for treating every member with genuine care, empathy and respect.
We’re proud to work with the NHS, Public Health England, The Royal College of Midwives and others to help shape the future of weight management in the UK.
For further information please contact the Slimming World press office on email public.relations@slimmingworld.co.uk