Ready to start planning your company’s 2020 wellness program ideas?

For a healthy dose of inspiration, consider refreshing your perspective with a corporate wellness conference to make this upcoming year the healthiest yet for your team.

Health and wellness conferences are an excellent opportunity for HR reps, benefits directors, wellness committee members, and health directors to network and learn about upcoming wellness trends to bring into the workplace.

If you’ve been looking for a way to increase interest in your company’s wellness programs, here’s one way to do it. Most conferences offer team discounts, so check when you register if you can bring down the cost per person by registering your team.

Don’t feel like tracking down the best wellness conferences to attend this year?

No worries. We’ve rounded up the top health and wellness conferences and summits of 2020.

Here are 13 to send your team to for a healthier new year:

It’s easy to fall off the nutrition train during the holidays.

Sometimes just even thinking about all the holiday goodies can make you feel like you’ve gained 10 pounds. After all, who can resist all of that decadent chocolate, homemade cookies, and peppermint bark…

 ...especially when it’s up for grabs at every holiday gathering, including at work!

Indulging throughout the holidays shouldn’t put you to shame, though. It’s okay to enjoy your favorite foods in moderation. With the right plan in place, holiday weight gain doesn’t have to be the unwanted gift you get this season.

Below we share 21 tips to help you keep the jiggle away:

With the holidays and 2020 approaching fast, you may be noticing a nervous buzz in your office.

While this time of year can be joyous, it may also provoke a lot of stress and anxiety for your employees. End-of-year projects, financial stressors, family visits, and increased workloads may be impacting even your best workers.

But how do you know who is stressed and who is on the verge of a panic attack?

And as an employer, you may wonder if there’s a difference and how each impacts the workplace. Each year, anxiety, in particular, costs the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. Chronic stress, on the other hand, can manifest itself in a variety of physical and emotional health problems.

Both are bad news, but both are also treatable and manageable.

Read on for a deeper understanding of the differences between anxiety vs. stress.

More than 34 million people smoke cigarettes.

Of those, over 16 million live with a smoking-related disease.

On November 21, the Great American Smokeout is set to help smokers to quit their nicotine habit. While quitting smoking isn’t easy, the immediate and long-term health benefits are worth the quitting struggle.

Encourage your employees who smoke to kick the unhealthy habit for good this month.

Unsure how to help?

This post will list the best tools and tips that will actually help employees quit smoking once and for all.

Are you always tired?

It may be time to take a look at your sleep patterns and practices.

Getting quality shut-eye is about more than sleeping in a dark room with a comfy bed. It’s all about what you do in the hours and minutes leading up to sleeping — even what you do as soon as you wake up can impact your sleep later.

Why does sleep matter so much?

Lack of it can deplete energy, minimize work productivity, and reduce the brain’s ability to retain information. It also costs employers big money when employees are exhausted or even falling asleep on the job.

So, we asked sleep experts: “What's the best way to get a restful night of sleep?”

Below, you’ll find their answers and advice on how to sleep better at night.

It’s American Diabetes Month.

And it’s time for employers to raise awareness. Why?

The cost to American employers when it comes to diabetes is about 57 million unplanned sick days and $20 billion each year. With those staggering numbers, it’s becoming clear diabetes is a health concern that must be addressed in workplaces.

There’s no better time than now to raise awareness about this disease and its health impacts when so many free resources are available.

Plus, awareness events can inspire unhealthy employees to make a change by encouraging healthier behaviors.

Ready to educate your employees about diabetes in a memorable way that doesn’t break the bank?

Read on to learn how to spread American Diabetes Month awareness.

Ready to liven up your drab office space?

Indoor plants that clean air are the answer.

Studies show that spending time in nature has significant health benefits, improves mood and creativity. Mimicking the outdoors with green spaces can help bring those benefits inside the workplace.

Plants in the office may:

• Increase productivity
• Reduce stress
• Improve moods
• Create a better air quality

Need to give your office a breath of fresh air? Read on.

When employees are well, companies do well.

And considering that worker injuries and illnesses cost U.S. employers $225.8 billion each year — that’s about $1,685 per employee — keeping your workforce healthy is critical to a healthy business.

Luckily, there’s a way to stop that.

As a company, encouraging employee wellness through a variety of workplace initiatives can help employees feel and actually be healthier overall. Promoting lifestyle changes that are sustainable and feel doable is the key.

Employee wellness programs can include:

• Workshops
• Activities
• Health benefits
• Free printable resources

Knowledge is power, too. The more information you give your employees in an easy-to-digest format, the more likely they’ll retain it and use it. The first start, though, is encouraging them in the workplace to make healthier habits that they’ll hopefully bring home.

Here we share seven easy ways to promote employee wellness in your workplace:

Mmm, coffee.

If you can’t start your day without coffee, you’re not alone.

Last year, the National Coffee Association surveyed 3,000 Americans on their java drinking habits. The survey found that 64 percent of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee daily.

The amount of Americans downing this beverage is the highest it’s been in years. Thanks to its ability to wake us up quickly, it’s become the go-to beverage for working Americans for decades.

As a stimulant, coffee is known to:

• Improve memory
• Increase energy levels
• Shorten reaction times
• Boost productivity

As one of the best instant energizers, coffee is well-known for its stimulant effects, but it also has several surprising health benefits, too, like reducing pain.

Need another reason to keep up your daily coffee habit?

Read on to learn about all the positive benefits hiding in your favorite brew.

Mental health isn’t an easy topic to talk about.

Not discussing it at all in the workplace can be harmful, though.

For one, employees lose out on valuable resources that could potentially improve or save their lives. On the other hand, employers miss the chance to break the stigma that surrounds mental illness discussions.

Considering serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year, it’s a topic too big to be ignored by companies.

This month, consider starting a mental health dialogue with employees. October’s three mental health observances offer perfect conversation starters:

• Mental Illness Awareness Week 2019
• World Mental Health Day 2019
• National Depression Screening Day

There’s no better time to start the conversations than now. Below, we share just how to build mental health awareness and empathy in the workplace.