When it comes to our health, behavioral science teaches us that tapping into our motivations can make it easier to attain our well-being goals. That’s the foundation of our newest wellness challenge feature, Side Quests. Read on for more information on this exciting new addition to the WebMD Health Services platform.
Having a sense of purpose is the key to success in many aspects of life. Purpose guides our decisions, shapes our goals, gives us a sense of direction and creates meaning for us. In other words, it’s the “why” that gives us that extra nudge we sometimes need to get up in the morning and keep going.
Purpose is similarly important for our health goals. For example, a participant may want to be more physically fit so she can keep up with her grandchildren. Another participant knows there’s a history of heart disease in the family, so he’s motivated to make healthy changes to his diet. Anchoring health goals in what is personally meaningful to us makes it much more likely we will achieve them.
Introducing Side Quests
Side Quests, WebMD’s collection of participant-driven activities, taps into personal motivations, helping participants identify their well-being goals and structure a fun, interactive plan to achieve them.
The first in the collection, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” combines gamification, health trackers, health goals and wellness challenges into an easy-to-use solution that lets participants:
- Establish a personalized schedule, target and duration and work independently to achieve their goals;
- Identify their “why,” a central motivating statement that will reinforce their purpose throughout the challenge;
- Celebrate the progress they’ve made in their Quest within WebMD ONE.
Participants may select from over 45 specific activities designed to encourage small, achievable changes, including:
- Timed exercise
- Daily steps
- Mindful minutes
- Quality sleep
Side Quests serve as a great complement to organization-wide wellness challenges by providing participants the flexibility to select topics and targets that align with their personal well-being journeys. Participants also control when they engage, another factor that makes it more likely to achieve their goals. Like wellness challenges, employers may choose to incentivize participation by rewarding individuals for starting and completing their goals.
For more information about Side Quests and how WebMD can empower well-being in your organization, contact us at connect@webmd.net.
