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Earn a $200 Gift Card with Carpenters Rewards

Most people understand the rewards of being healthy. But simply taking steps to improve your health can be rewarding, too, when you participate in Carpenters Rewards.

Carpenters Rewards is an incentive program that encourages involvement in activities promoting prevention and healthy living.

The program works like last year's program: Members earn points for specific activities, track points on the EmbodyHealth website, and redeem points for a gift card. However, we've made a number of noteworthy improvements.

What's new?

For this year's program, we doubled the incentive amount to make a point: prevention and wellness can make a huge impact on your health, quality of life, and financial well-being. This year's payoff is a $200 gift card that can be used at 350 stores, restaurants, online merchants, travel destinations, entertainment venues and more.

This year we also shortened the list of activities, a change that will help members focus on activities that can make a significant impact on better health. To qualify for a $200 gift card, members must complete a health exam and biometric screening, complete the Mayo Clinic health assessment, and participate in two Mayo Clinic programs dedicated to lifestyle change.

Carpenters Rewards begins in June 2012 and ends Dec. 31, 2012. Participation is voluntary and open to active and retired participants, spouses and domestic partners who are not eligible for Medicare. Dependent children ages 19-25 are eligible to participate as well.

Step 1: Know your numbers

If you're serious about prevention, know your numbers. By numbers we mean measurements for cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose (blood sugar). A person typically gets those measurements with a simple blood test during a health exam, when blood pressure, height and weight also are measured. Collectively, these numbers are called biometrics, and they are reliable warning signs of a person's risk for the many serious illnesses and health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

As a preventive measure, a health exam and biometric screening can add years to your life. It can also add 75 points toward a $200 gift card. Eligible health plan members will receive a letter and Biometric Screening Form by mail in June. To be eligible for points, the form must be completed, signed and faxed no later than Sept. 31, 2012. Your biometric information will be uploaded to the participant's confidential EmbodyHealth profile and preloaded in the upcoming Health Assessment. Visit the Carpenters Trusts website for information and answers to frequently asked questions about biometric screenings.

Step 2: Create healthy habits

It's not enough to know your biometrics. They need to be managed, too. That means tracking values and observing changes over time. More important, it means taking action to keep your biometrics within healthy ranges.

Health risks can be managed by making healthy lifestyle choices. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out, "lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption are responsible for much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic illness."

To qualify for a $200 gift card, members need participate in at least one Mayo Clinic Health Management Program by Dec. 31, 2012. My Fitness Solution, My Weight Solution, or My Stress Solution are self-guided, interactive programs (located on the EmbodyHealth website) that require the participant to log on, set goals, and track activity for four to six weeks. These programs are worth 25 points each.

Step 3: Know your health risks

Being aware of health risks is essential to prevention. That's what makes the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment an ideal first step toward a healthy future. In about 15 minutes, this confidential survey provides immediate feedback about your health, with emphasis on specific health risks and recommendations about which to tackle first.

Your responses also personalize your experience on the EmbodyHealth website, unlocking a virtual toolbox of expert information, articles, programs, and interactive resources to help you build a healthy future. With Carpenters Rewards, the Health Assessment is especially rewarding. Earn 75 points by completing the Health Assessment between Sept. 1, 2012 and Oct. 31, 2012.

Step 4: Make a positive change

Staying motivated is critical to making lifestyle changes. That's why Mayo Clinic Health Coaching is a cornerstone of the Rewards program. This program teams you up with an expert in behavior change to help you achieve your full potential to succeed, whether your goals are related to fitness, stress, nutrition, or weight management.

Health Coaching is a phone-based program and usually amounts to a 20-minute call once a month. It's a great opportunity to get feedback, work through setbacks, overcome obstacles, and improve your game. If you don't qualify for Health Coaching or prefer to work solo, you can use My Coach, a self-guided online program, to set goals and track progress. If completed by Dec. 31, 2012, either option will reward you with 25 Carpenters Rewards points toward a $200 gift card.

Ready, set, go!

Complete details about the 2012 Rewards program are located on the EmbodyHealth website (www.CarpentersHealth.org). Simply log on with your email address and password. Then, click on the Carpenters tab in the top right corner to access information about the program.

In case you're new to the program, EmbodyHealth is a secure website created by health experts at Mayo Clinic for exclusive use by our members and eligible dependents. Access is controlled by requiring members to register and log in. This does more than protect your privacy. It gives you access to a virtual toolbox of resources to help you build a healthy future through prevention and lifestyle choices. Click here to learn how to register.