RICHMOND, VA –
At high noon, on the first Wednesday of every month, for the past five months, anywhere from two to a dozen people gathered at either Parker Pond Pavilion or the Community Center on the Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, to learn different ways to recharge their mental and physical batteries.
Melissa Futreal, family programs manager, Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Office, Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management Richmond, leads the class. She said it’s part of the FMWR Office’s Family Program Initiative to promote resiliency and readiness within the workforce by using evidence-based techniques, such as learning various breathing techniques, yoga, Tai Chi and meditation.
Data-backed benefits of incorporating wellness programs in the workplace include:
- Increase healthy behavior and curb the risk of lifestyle-related disease.
- Increase engagement.
- Well-being increases adaptability.
- Boost productivity.
- Have a positive influence on workplace culture.
- Decrease depression.
- Bring employees together and build camaraderie.
Futreal said 2020 will bring several changes to the program. Starting Jan. 7, the class will be held on the first Tuesday of each month and the name will change to Tension Tamer Tuesdays. The location is also changing from Parkers Pond Pavilion and the Community Center to Bldg. 70, directly in front of the Virginia National Guard Headquarters building. The class time will remain the same, Noon – 1 p.m.