Naturally Slim® Participants Demonstrate Significant Physical and Mental Health Improvements During COVID-19 Pandemic

Clinically-based curriculum helps participants develop the necessary skills to enhance their quality of life and overall resiliency, driving meaningful financial and cultural ROI for employers

DALLAS, TX — (August 26, 2020) — Naturally Slim® (NS), a digital behavioral health company focused on metabolic syndrome (MetS) reversal, diabetes prevention, and weight management within the employer-sponsored space, today announced life-changing physical and mental wellbeing results achieved by participants during the COVID-19 crisis. More than 40,000 people who started the NS program between February and June 2020 achieved consistent and clinically-meaningful weight loss across all demographics, as well as drastic improvements in their mental wellbeing, mood, energy levels, resiliency and overall quality of life.

While the pandemic has caused heightened levels of stress and anxiety for many, NS’ clinically-proven program has armed its participants with the necessary tools to successfully navigate the negative side effects of dealing with the pandemic. In fact, results signal that even during one of the most difficult and taxing times in modern history, NS participants have thrived, developing skillsets to remain resilient and better manage any potential threats to their overall physical and mental wellbeing.

In recent months, 76% of Americans said they’ve gained weight—with some reporting as much as 16 pounds – during quarantine, yet NS data shows that its active participants seemed to be the exception to the rule. Totaling close to 200,000+ pounds between February and June of this year, participants have achieved significant weight loss, with women averaging 8.9 pounds and men averaging 13.1 pounds mid-way through the program. In addition, as a result of NS, participants have developed skills beyond willpower to improve their overall mental health and wellbeing – which is critical in today’s new normal – reporting that:

• 70.1% increased their physical activity;
• 60.3% gained overall confidence;
• 58.0% improved their mood;
• 63.1% increased their energy levels;
• 33.5% improved their quality of sleep.

“As we continue to navigate this difficult and strenuous time, it’s critical that people are equipped with the proper tools necessary to cope with new, heightened levels of stress and anxiety,” said Tim Church, MD, MPH, PhD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, Naturally Slim. “Our unique approach to behavioral skill building is not only eliminating certain negative side effects of social isolation and uncertainty around the virus, but it’s also helping people better manage all aspects of their health, including their sleep, physical activity, self-care regimens and community connections. NS is committed to paving long-lasting, healthier futures for our participants, not only during these unprecedented times, but always, and it’s clear that with timely support and our easy-to-access team of clinical experts, our program is proven to be successful.”

As employers are increasingly searching for digital solutions to help their employees manage new challenges presented from COVID-19, many are also searching for ways to reduce costs and improve their bottom lines. NS is helping its clients do just that. By teaching people how to cope with adversity and develop the necessary skills to maintain mental and physical health – even during a national pandemic – NS is driving significant clinical improvements and leading to potential monumental cost savings for employers. Published studies and NS data show, on average, an organization could save $410 per participant in future healthcare-related costs for those who started the NS program between February and June. Based on that time period alone, NS clients could see a collective net savings of more than $5.6 million in future healthcare-related costs as a result of the weight lost by their employees.

“Now, more than ever, it’s really important that we’re investing in the right programs that show measurable results for the right people,” said Gen Barron, Senior Manager of Global Wellbeing, Medtronic. “And with NS, we saw great clinical outcomes – even during COVID – but the written comments and feedback we received spoke much louder than the weight loss numbers. It’s the stories and testimonials that really help to motivate others, drive positive outcomes for our wellbeing programs, and help keep our culture thriving.”

Following the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, NS introduced new, easy-to-use digital resources for employers to share with their workforce to help manage rising levels of uncertainty, anxiety, and stress to encourage consistent progress and break poor self-care habits. Designed to cover a wide range of critical topics such as stress and anxiety management, healthy sleep habits, staying physically active without access to a gym, creating structure while working from home, and more, NS’ growing suite of clinical-based curriculum and resources includes:

• Employer + Plan Sponsor Toolkit: Complete with an array of resources to provide guidance for employees on maintaining health habits, materials include educational blog posts, videos, whitepapers and more;
• Mind, Meet Body: A weekly, real-talk blogcast series where NS experts focus on timely topics and provide clinical insight to help users approach new life challenges;
• 90 Seconds with NS Experts: Timely soundbites from company experts, including clinicians and certified health coaches, with tips to navigate life’s ups and downs;
• NSTown: NS’ online social network that helps participants build strong communities and support systems.

Both clients and their employees have seen significant results from working with NS, and some top testimonials include:

• “Our mission is to connect and positively impact the world by solving logistics challenges, and this pandemic is probably one of the biggest logistics challenges we’ve ever faced. We have that same perspective when we help our own employees and use a people-first data driven approach to understand what our employees want and need to keep them healthy. We know that we can’t make anyone healthier, but we can empower employees to be better stewards of their health, and we rely on our partners like NS to help us do that.” — Rich Krutsch, VP People Services, Arc Best
• “It was game time for us and we relied on NS to help. It speaks to how sustainable the curriculum is. Even in uncertain times, we got the health outcomes we were looking for.” – Sara Correnti, Manager, Health and Welfare Member Wellness Products, Concordia Plan Services
• “Unlike everybody else around me gaining the ‘COVID weight,’ I’ll call it, I have been losing. I would have probably been 30 pounds heavier by now if it wasn’t for Naturally Slim. […] Not only has Naturally Slim helped me lose the weight and be more active, and gain some confidence, I’m wearing shorts and I haven’t done that in 20 years.” – Brooke Totton, NS participant
• “I just wanted to say how much I benefit from the Mind Over Matter videos. […] I feel they will have historic value as they document our psychological journey through the pandemic. This message this week was a window into the struggles that your staff is experiencing as they continue to balance their lives and move us all forward. You are a lifeline to me and to many others. […] I consider your organization a vital need.” – Nancy Wills, NS participant
• “I lost 15 pounds over the quarantine. When it began, I knew I needed to be careful as I’m an emotional eater and these are stressful times. I decided to be diligent about following the NS principles and while stuck at home I lost the 10 pounds I’d let creep back on over the last few years, plus another five that I’d never lost before. Feeling great!” – Bryan McCullough, NS participant
• “Naturally Slim […] has given me the skills, not only to change my life, but to maintain the life I want to live.” – Rhonda Simpson, NS participant

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits or how to get your company involved with Naturally Slim today, visit: https://www.naturallyslim.com/contact.

About Naturally Slim (NS)

NS is a digital behavior change program that focuses on improving the physical and mental health of employees and plan members across America. Although the name does not convey it, NS is much more than a weight loss program. With NS, participants learn the skills needed to sustain clinically meaningful weight loss, lower stress, sleep better, and move more—all without the hefty price tag of traditional health coach-centric programs. Simply put, NS is the single most cost-effective way for plan sponsors to reduce obesity-related disease and foster resilience in populations, helping employers and health plans do the most good for the most people. You can learn more at www.naturallyslim.com.

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Disclaimer: On May 13 2021, Naturally Slim rebranded to Wondr Health. At the time of this release, the company name was Naturally Slim.