Waitrose and John Lewis launches digital workshops on well being
Waitrose, John Lewis and Vitality work with Olympic heroes to improve customer health and wellbeing when the locks go away
Waitrose, John Lewis and health and life insurers vitality starts a series of free virtual workshops on health and well-being, exclusively for members of myWaitrose and myJohn Lewis. The program is designed to address some of the unwanted “side effects” of the block, including poor posture due to prolonged work at home, trouble sleeping, or unhealthy eating habits.
As of this week, retailers are invited to book a series of free live courses, including lectures by Waitrose internal nutritionists on healthier food choices and meal planning. Sessions on the importance of sleep and top tips for creating the perfect bedroom environment with John Lewis bed buyers; Family fitness classes with Vitality sports experts, including Olympic swimmer Lizzie Simmonds and modern Olympic pentathlete Samantha Murray; Activating cardio sessions carried out by Vitality's own clinicians and trainers; and posture principles, including a session with Olympic Lord Seb Coe and a vitality physiotherapist.
Classes are held every Wednesday throughout June.
"Lockdown will have affected us all in different ways, whether it's long hours working on an unsuitable chair in our bedrooms, unhealthy snacking, poor sleep or lack of exercise, and the effects on our mental health," commented Peter Cross, partner and Director of Customer Experience at Waitrose and John Lewis.
“We are very happy to make our contribution and have created a wide range of content with some of the country's superstars and our own experts to look at well-being from different angles. We hope there is something here for everyone, no matter how small. "
Lizzie Simmonds from Vitality, Olympic gold medalist in swimming, said: “Our health and well-being as well as that of our family has never felt as important as it is now. The biggest challenge many people face when trying to become more active is knowing how to start or how to fit movement into their lives.
“We designed these workshops so that there was something for everyone, from children to adults, with more traditional exercise classes to costume activity classes in the garden. The main goal of Vitality is to make people healthier and to improve and protect their lives. I am delighted to be part of their partnership with Waitrose and John Lewis and to participate in these workshops to inspire many more people to take action. "
The workshops will be underpinned by the Waitrose and Vitality partnership announced earlier this year. Both VitalityHealth and VitalityLife members can access cashbacks of up to 25% – or up to 40% for members with life and health insurance – in the supermarket's Good Health range in Waitrose stores and on their website.
The amount of cashback available correlates directly with the physical activity that a member performed in the previous month. Members receive points every time they take part in the vitality program. A linked activity tracking device provides points for physical activities such as walking, running, cycling, or swimming.
Waitrose customers can now also get in-store healthy tips, recipes and advice from the supermarket's Waitrose Health magazine (free for myWaitrose members or £ 3).
Waitrose and John Lewis have introduced a number of other virtual services in the past few weeks, including advisory services for kindergartens, households and styling.
