• Obama still wants to reform health care, retirement savings
• Are one-year policies best practice?
• State, local employers cut health benefits
• News You Can Use: Smartphone technology may be wisest wellness approach
• The benefit that’s got your back
• Fan us on Facebook
• Singles strike back for their benefits
• Supplemental heart attack and stroke coverage continues to evolve
• Overheard: Workers ‘continue to grow increasingly unhappy’
• Health insurers feel the recessionary sting
• Exercise Corner: Not motivated to move? Get competitive!
• Recipe Corner: Brandy Flamed Peppercorn Steak

In Wednesday’s State of the Union address, President Obama outlined a policy agenda that will continue to make employers, especially sponsors of health insurance and retirement plans, vital to the nation’s economic recovery.

The address last night, which mentioned the recent COBRA extension, mainly tackled government initiatives aimed at creating more jobs and boosting the economy.
But on health care reform, President Obama said: “The approach we’ve taken [to health care reform] would protect every American from the worst practices of the insurance industry. It would give small businesses and uninsured Americans a chance to choose an affordable health care plan in a competitive market. It would require every insurance plan to cover preventive care.”

The president also mentioned government efforts to help more Americans save for retirement. The administration hopes to make “it easier to save for retirement by giving access to every worker a retirement account and expanding the tax credit for those who start a nest egg,” he said.
The White House recently proposed the creation of a new employer-sponsored retirement account: the “automatic workplace IRA.” The new IRAs are designed for employers that do not currently offer a retirement savings plan. Under the plans, which would be voluntary, employees would be automatically enrolled in a direct-deposit IRA unless the employee opts out. Contributions would be matched by the Saver’s Tax Credit for eligible families.

“President Obama wisely spoke about the critical need to save current jobs and create new ones,” says James Klein, president of the American Benefits Council, who believes that personal financial security equates to national financial security, which means “personal financial security for health and retirement protection begins in the workplace.”

The president’s vision “for economic recovery, health care reform and retirement security speaks to the essential role employers play as sponsors of health and retirement plans for millions of Americans,” Klein notes. “Employers want to continue doing our part as the source of health coverage and retirement income. Now it’s up to the White House and Congress to do their part to pursue sound policy on a bi-partisan basis.”

Commenting on President Obama’s address last night, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R-Va.) said: "Good government policy should spur economic growth, and strengthen the private sector's ability to create new jobs. We must enact policies that promote entrepreneurship and innovation, so America can better compete with the world. What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class."

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 28, 2010

They dominate the market now, but it's time to evaluate the lasting value of such short-term investments.

Our current private health insurance market is dominated by one-year health insurance policies - not 10-year, 20-year or lifetime policies. Do these short-term policies offer carriers and providers the right financial incentives to improve the health of our population?

Our question starts with this assumption: Providers structure their treatments around their financial incentives. This means that a system that pays more for inpatient care than for outpatient care will probably have more hospitalizations; a system that rewards specialists more lucratively than primary care physicians will generate an excess of specialists.

Our current short-term health care financing system pays for discrete medical interventions; providers are essentially paid piecemeal for their work. The more procedures they perform, the more they get paid. As a result, we have more medical interventions per capita in this country than elsewhere - and as a result, we have the highest health care costs per capita in the world.
Carriers, under pressure to keep short-term costs down, aim to reduce the number of interventions. They often balk at paying much for wellness visits, apparently figuring that a healthy subscriber does not need these services.

But here's the fundamental problem with this incentive system: Some 70% or more of our health care costs go to chronic disease treatment. Chronic diseases are long-term problems that do not necessarily respond well to discrete medical interventions or short-term financial incentives. Thus, our billing and financial incentive systems are poorly aligned with our population's medical conditions.

By contrast, the U.S. Veterans Administration's health care system, which generates better outcomes at lower costs per patient, has a lifetime relationship with its enrollees. It has incentives for investing in prevention and effective chronic disease treatments. "If you know you're going to have your patients for five years, 10 years, 15 years or life, there are both good economic and health reasons" for making certain decisions, according to Dr. Kenneth Kizer, former VA Undersecretary for Health. For example:

* You would choose a drug formulary with lower long-term costs and better long-term patient results, even if the short-term costs were higher.

* You would invest more money up front in a first-class hospital IT system, knowing that you will have a high return on investment over the long term, though not necessarily the short term.

* You would invest more money in hospital safety programs, knowing that the long-term payback is very good.
* You would treat chronically ill patients differently, with a long-term focus instead of today's short-term focus.

* You would provide better preventive health programs, forestalling the need for many expensive interventions.

Long-term - or lifetime - financial incentives could dramatically improve treatment protocols and reduce costs. These would compel providers to invest in better IT systems, take a long-term focus on disease management, and provide better preventive care.

The VA system provides an example of how long-term incentives can lead to an efficient, effective health care delivery system. The VA has developed perhaps the world's best medical IT and safety systems, generated better outcomes than private hospitals, and controlled costs more effectively than our national market-based health care system.

The lesson? A health care system designed around appropriate long-term incentives will almost certainly outperform a health care system using only short-term incentives. It would likely produce better results at lower costs. The evidence for this, based on the VA experience, is quite clear.

So the question we started with has changed. It's no longer "Can we reform health care with one-year insurance policies?" but rather, "Do our politicians and policymakers understand that we cannot do that?"

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 1, 2010

HR/benefits professionals in the public sector acknowledge that big deficits in state and local budgets have led to scaling back on health care benefits, reports the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

The center conducted an online survey of hiring managers and directors, which showed that nearly half of respondents reported that their governments revamped health care benefits due to budget constraints.

Balancing state and local budgets has meant that municipalities increased employee contributions to health plans (69%); reduced some benefits available in the plans (23%); and decreased employer contributions to those plans (10%).
Still, state and local governments continue to bridge the gap between their revenues and expenditures by turning to hiring freezes, pay freezes and furloughs. Yet according to the survey, 39% of respondents noted that the furloughs failed to produce the savings that had been anticipated.

“Local and state governments face fiscal constraints for at least two more years, but they also face major talent challenges,” says Elizabeth K. Kellar, president and CEO, Center for State and Local Government Excellence. “They must tighten their belts while keeping an eye on their aging workforce. Making sure they have the right people in place to provide critical services is just as important as balancing the budget,” she adds.

Members from the International Public Management Association for Human Resources and the National Association of State Personnel Executives completed the online survey. Of the 396 members who completed the survey, 78% work for local government; 14% for state government; 3% for federal government; and 5.4% for a non-government sector.

Other findings from the survey, which was conducted in November and December 2009, include:

• Among the 21% whose governments have changed their retirement plans, 73% say the changes have not affected current workers and 60% say the changes have not affected new hires.
• Nearly 46% of the survey’s respondents report that retirement-eligible employees are postponing their retirements.

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 27, 2010

From booking flights to buying flowers, tax filing tips to TV favorites – there’s an app for that. Smartphone technology is quickly reaching a tipping point, now that users can get tunes, TV and text messages (simultaneously) on their cellphones.

Benefits service-providers are getting in on the act as well – several life insurers, health insurers, wellness and work-life benefits providers boast smartphone applications.
While cash still is the clear winner among wellness incentives, I think employers should consider changing, or at least expanding, the way wellness information is delivered. An article in the December 2009 EBN reported the growth in online and smartphone technologies employers are adding to wellness efforts.

In just in the month since the article was published, I’ve received five press releases offering new smartphone apps for wellness – the latest from icyou, a provider of health-related videos. The company’s new iPhone app, lets users download videos on healthful diets and recipes, health care reform and specific medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease and pregnancy. In addition, users can view individuals talking about their health-related journeys and health care experts sharing the latest health news and insights.

At the whopping price of $0 (that’s free, people), it’s a pretty cost-effective tool to add to your wellness kit, no?

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 26, 2010

To support cost-sharing measures around health care expenditures, more large employers are offering workers claims advocacy services as part of their benefit package, reports the HR consulting firm Mercer.

New research on employer-sponsored health plans shows that 53% of employers with 500 or more workers reported that they provide health claims support as an employee benefit, up from 47% in 2008.

Employers continue to require workers to foot more of the costs to their medical bills. Mercer reports that, from 2004 to 2009, the average individual deductible for in-network services in a preferred provider organization jumped from $686 to $1,096. In addition, nearly 70% of U.S. employers will shift more health benefit costs to employees in 2010 by increasing premiums and/or by raising deductibles, copays/coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums.

Claims support services may help mitigate some employee criticism associated with shifting more health care costs onto workers. “One of the many benefits of a health care claims advocacy service is that it provides a balance to this requirement for increased responsibility with additional support when employees need it the most, explains Sander Domaszewicz, a principal in Mercer’s health and benefits consulting business and national health consumerism leader. “[The service] sends an empowering message that an employee doesn’t have to completely ‘go it alone’ when navigating the health care system,” he adds.

The claims advocacy service, which entails health plan experts assisting participants with claims disputes and research, is still an emerging trend, compared to other health services in employer-sponsored health plans. For example, according to the 2009 research, health risk assessments (73%) and disease management programs (71%) topped the list of health services offered in health plans sponsored by larger employers.

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 13, 2010

Did you know that Employee Benefit News has a Facebook page? Join now and we’ll directly alert you of upcoming web seminars and conference events. Feel free to post links to articles you find interesting and collaborate with fellow members on our wall.

Also, join our LinkedIn group to follow our most popular stories, updated daily. You can also propose topics or discuss current ones with your peers on our discussion board. It’s also a nice way to spice up your LinkedIn profile.

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 13, 2010

One is the loneliest number, but that doesn’t mean that working singles should get zero benefits, argues a new policy brief on marital status discrimination. The brief also sketches definite advantages from offering more benefits to a broader spectrum of the workforce.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 95.9 million Americans 18 years of age and older were unmarried in 2008. This group comprises over 40% of the U.S. workforce. As their numbers grow, many are banding together in singles advocacy groups to ensure fair treatment in employee benefit policies and practices.

Despite a growing singles population, marital status discrimination is pervasive in corporate America, asserts the Sloan Work and Family Research Network in a new policy brief entitled Marital Status Discrimination: Are Family-Friendly Policies Meeting the Needs of Unmarried Workers? This new resource recounts the policies and issues that affect unmarried workers in the workforce while offering suggestions to employers who wish to even the playing field.

“This policy brief on marital status discrimination is not meant to polarize workers who are married or unmarried, gay or straight, single or cohabitating. The real issue is whether or not one’s marital status should be considered when making workforce decisions. Our aim in this brief is to assist policy makers in making informed decisions that best support all their constituents,” states Mary Curlew, MSW, policy assistant at the Sloan Network and author of the policy brief.

Marital discrimination in the workplace
The brief presents several findings that imply discrepancies between married and unmarried employees. Companies tend to pay married men more and offer them promotions more often than single men, even when accounting for work performance and seniority.

Employers are often able to subsidize health benefits for spouses and sometimes domestic partners, while providing no additional compensation for unmarried or single employees. Written work-family policies are often directed toward married employees with children. For example, dependent care allowances and parental leave are directed specifically to married employees with children and are often not available to low-income single mothers. In addition, flexible work schedules are more often offered to employees from dual-earner families with children.

Further, unmarried workers and single employees without children are expected to travel more for work; these employees also perceive that they have to work at times that are not expected for working parents. What’s more, parents are more likely to receive time off from work than nonparents.

Analysts suggest it might be in your company’s interest to broaden work-life programs to offer their benefits to a larger population, such as unmarried employees. For instance, research cited in the brief suggests that this tactic can reduce turnover, increase job satisfaction and productivity, and attract a more diverse applicant pool.

Expanding offerings can decrease benefit cost through flexible benefits (i.e., benefits that are tailored to each employee’s need). Offering flexible benefits can save businesses money because employees are offered a defined contribution (i.e., a set expenditure to be spent on benefits) rather than a defined benefit (benefit packages are guaranteed, regardless of cost).

Outreach can also increase employees’ perception of fairness, thereby preventing discrimination lawsuits based on marital status. Some states already prohibit marital status discrimination in employment, which are detailed in the brief. The brief goes on to suggest reform from legislators including expanding dependent health care coverage not only to domestic partners, making leave benefits and sick days more accessible to single workers by expanding these benefits to low-wage workers and encouraging work arrangements such as flexible work schedules and telework for more employees.

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 8, 2010

Demand for heart attack, stroke and other critical illness coverage will continue to build with or without health care reform, carriers and brokers agree.

Advances in medical technology and the high quality of medical care that Americans enjoy mean that more people are surviving illnesses like heart attack, stroke and cancer.

The result: Today's employees are much more likely to suffer a critical illness than they are to die.

Unfortunately, surviving heart attack, cancer or stroke comes with a price - a high one. Life insurance doesn't help, and today's deductibles and copays mean out-of-pocket and unreimbursed medical expenses.

Add other expenses and lost income to the mix - disability insurance at two-thirds former pay, the lost income of a spouse who suddenly becomes a primary caregiver, or child care expenses necessitated by the survivor's recovery or caregiver's new role, for example - and many people are left between a rock and a financial hard place. The impact can be catastrophic: About 1.5 million Americans declared bankruptcy last year, 60% because of unpaid medical bills.

Enter coverage for the "big three" critical illnesses: heart attack, stroke and cancer. When provided as a supplemental voluntary benefit in the worksite market, CI has proven to be a financial lifesaver for countless employees.

Market-driven evolution
Supplemental insurance for heart attack and stroke were the first CI-type products, launched years ago. As this market niche evolved, cancer was added, followed by many other illnesses. Over time, heart attack and stroke coverage has been subsumed into a larger, more comprehensive product.

"Carriers have been focusing on expanding critical illness coverage," notes Fred Wiechmann, manager of voluntary products at Unum. "Today most carriers have made the transition to CI, which covers a more comprehensive list of conditions. In our market, most carriers offer a CI product that covers between six and 12 conditions."

Unum entered the market in the 1990s with cancer-only coverage, and added heart attack and stroke, along with a few other conditions, in their next product launch. In the early 2000s, Unum launched individual-based products covering about six conditions, but heart attack, stroke and cancer continued to be the drivers in the market - which remains true today, even as the products have grown broader. Unum's newest CI product covers 12 illnesses, according to Wiechmann: heart attack, major organ failure, occupational HIV, benign brain tumor, blindness, kidney failure, coronary bypass surgery, stroke, coma, permanent paralysis, cancer and carcinoma.

A supplemental CI product developed by Trustmark covers 10 illnesses, and has a modular structure. Customers can choose coverage for all 10 conditions, cancer-only, or everything but cancer. Trustmark "wants as many people as possible to have access to critical illness insurance, and to make sure that we deliver CI solutions with the flexibility needed to align and fit with each client's total benefit package," says Janet Buzil, the firm's 2nd V.P. of marketing.

People who have had a heart attack are no more likely to get cancer than anyone else, she points out. "So if you have heart disease, you can still get lump-sum coverage for cancer. This doesn't work the other way, however - if you've had cancer, you are more likely to get one of those other diseases."

The modular approach also creates a selling opportunity. "There are a lot of groups out there that have an old-fashioned cancer plan in force. With the everything-but-cancer module we can go into those groups and build coverage around their cancer plan, instead of covering the same disease twice and making policyholders pay for benefits they already have," Buzil notes. Cancer makes up about half of the claims under the Trustmark product, according to Buzil.

In Trustmark's products, coverage is available in $5,000 increments, up to $100,000. This allows clients to base their choice on either a coverage amount or on what they think they can afford. "Part of our underwriting and how we price the product is that the employees have to cover themselves; once they do that, they can add children or a spouse or both," says Buzil.

Most elections tend to fall in the $10,000-$20,000 range, brokers attest. At Alpha Benefits Group in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., the typical election "falls between $5,000 and $20,000 for individual voluntary coverage and between $10,000 and $30,000 for group coverage," according to Michael Kapustin, a senior VP at Alpha. "However, we give up something with group plans," Kapustin notes: "Group plans often are less sturdy - the coverage tends to have limited portability, and the premiums may go up over time."

Unum recently tweaked its CI product, and now covers children at no extra cost. "Our list of covered conditions has expanded not only for employees, but for children as well. We've developed a list of specific childhood conditions, such as Down syndrome and cystic fibrosis, to provide coverage for the whole family," according to Wiechmann.

Unum offers a wellness benefit as well. "We'll pay a $75 benefit to encourage employees to seek routine screens that can prevent some of these conditions from developing," he notes. "We feel that this will help the employer have a discussion with its employees about reducing their health care costs through preventive care."

The value proposition
What about making the sale? First of all, Unum's Wiechmann recommends, start with a conversation about the employee's medical plan and financial situation: Who's the primary wage earner? What are their long-term financial goals? What's their out-of-pocket and deductible? What people don't necessarily realize, he says, is that a critical illness entails so much more than a $500 deductible or a $1,500 out-of-pocket maximum - it's all about the additional costs that arise. "So selling the product makes the most sense when you package it with the medical plan and talk about the impact of a major illness on a family's finances.

Most people know someone who has had a major illness like a heart attack; they know how it affected them and their family. How are they coping with the financial impact of surviving and recovering? Those are the issues that connect with people - who do you know and how did it affect them?

"Once they understand the financial toll of a critical illness event, not only for them but for the entire family, CI makes sense. Having a discussion about financial protection for the future can engage younger employees as well. The plan is designed to remain at their original issue age rate class. Plus, the full benefit is available as a lump sum payment upon diagnosis. And lastly, the coverage is portable, so if you leave your current employer, the coverage goes with you," Wiechmann notes.

Trustmark's Buzil also emphasizes the income-replacement angle. "Even if you have good medical insurance," she says, "you may want your spouse to stay home with you to help provide care. So CI then becomes family income replacement. Or if you're the main child care provider and you need someone else to watch your children while you're recovering - the whole idea is to get peace of mind so that you can recover knowing that you don't have to concern yourself as much with your financials."

Expenses for travel to distant medical facilities, college tuition, retirement plan contributions and mortgage payments are also cited as important factors by Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance. Slome cites one major obstacle holding back the growth of CI insurance: a good foundation of awareness among consumers.

Getting over this hump is one of the main goals of his organization. "Once consumers become more educated, sales will follow," Slome believes.

Slome also sees parallels between where CI is today and where long-term care insurance was in the early 1990s, when most people thought of LTC as "nursing home insurance."

What does the future hold?
Brokers and carriers alike see a continuing demand for CI insurance with or without health care reform. "There will still be deductibles and coinsurance that employee will be vulnerable to, and expenses are still going to be incurred that aren't picked up by health and disability insurance," says Mile Kapustin of Alpha Benefits. "If the government actually squeezes out a lot of health care brokers, I think there is going to be a flood of brokers into voluntary benefits in general, not just CI."


The AACII's Slome agrees: "The advent of 'ObamaCare' will drive an increase in supplemental insurance, as people look to fill in the gaps that will be created," he believes. "We saw this happen in Canada. CI is perfectly positioned for this." EBA

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 1, 2010

A lot of working Americans are channeling the Stones these days, telling The Conference Board that they can’t get no satisfaction. According to the org’s latest survey, 55% of Americans – across all incomes and age brackets – are unsatisfied with their jobs.

Worse, a less scientific but just as startling MSNBC.com poll finds nearly a third of respondents (32%) say they are “not satisfied [with their job] and want a new one.” A quick scroll of the comments uncovers gems like this: “I work for a small firm owned by vapid narcissists with no regard for the aspirations of those who make their opulent lifestyle possible,” and “The only satisfaction I have is that I have a job and a place to go everyday.”

"While one in 10 Americans is now unemployed, their working compatriots of all ages and incomes continue to grow increasingly unhappy," says TCB’s Lynn Franco. "Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend."

We interrupt this blog post to bring you a GIANT RED FLAG. According to Franco, job satisfaction has been falling for 20 years – even when the economy has been good. Which unfortunately means, it’s not the economy. It’s you, or at least your company.

Yikes.
And as if she were reading my mind, Franco says: "The downward trend in job satisfaction could spell trouble for the overall engagement of U.S. employees and ultimately employee productivity.”

The drop in job satisfaction between 1987 and 2009 covers all categories in the survey, from interest in work (down 18.9 percentage points) to job security (down 17.5 percentage points) and crosses all four of the key drivers of employee engagement: job design, organizational health, managerial quality and extrinsic rewards.

Double yikes.
And here’s the yikes hat trick: TCB reports 22% of respondents said they don’t expect to be in their current job in a year.

So, pros, you’ve got some work to do – and fast. I know we’re all worried about the bottom line, and mandates and proposed changes to health care and wellness programs likely won’t help. But if more than a fifth of the workforce is looking to head for the exit – taking their talents and expertise with them – it won’t much matter what mandates you have to follow.

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 5, 2010

Health insurers are not immune from an ailing economy. The industry’s net income fell by 12.4% ($8.2 billion) during the third quarter of 2009, reports Highline Data, a Massachusetts-based provider of financial information.

Analyzing third quarter financial results of health insurers filed with the National Association of
Insurance Commissioners, researchers at Highline Date found that more than a third of health insurance firms reported underwriting losses.

The big health insurers, however, continue to outperform their smaller brethren, according to the research. Nearly 35% of the industry’s net income arose from the top 1% of companies with the largest assets.

The research also reveals that health benefit payments jumped by 6.9%, totaling $332 billion as of Sept. 30, while underwriting costs experienced a five-year compound annual growth rate of 9.5%, outpacing total revenue, which showed a five-year compound annual growth rate of 9.2%. Some business experts explain that health insurance companies face enormous pressure to keep underwriting costs at a low, despite escalating medical costs.

Highline Data’s experts also report that return on average equity continued to drop, hitting a six-year low of 11.2%. Still, health insurance companies earned gains in total assets, member months and capital and surplus during the third quarter of 2009.

“While the public perception is that health companies are recording record profits, the reality they face is clearly a reduction in profit margins, which reached a four-year low of 2.4%,” explains Laurie Dallaire, vice president and director of Highline Data. “Even before the anticipated impact of pending health reform legislation, the industry will continue to see depressed margins as companies strive to control premiums and benefits costs,” she adds.

Source: Employee Benefit News, January 6, 2010

It is tough to stay motivated to exercise week after week. Even if you love to work out, it is easy to get stuck in a rut, lose steam or fall behind on your fitness goals.

One of the best ways to re-energize yourself and amp up your motivation is to trigger your competitive spirit. You might be scared by the thought of competition, but don't worry. Adding a competitive element to your workout routine doesn't mean you have to be a world-class athlete or have an aggressive spirit to win. And you'll be amazed at how effective it can be in helping you get results, regardless of your fitness level or athletic ability.

Here are some easy ways to build competition into your program:

* Train for a race. Sign up for a local or regional event that is coming up in the months ahead. Whether it is a 5K, 10K, cycling event, swimming competition or triathlon, having something to train for will definitely keep you more focused. You don't have to train to win, just train to finish. To make it more fun, pick an event that is out of town from where you live, and do it with a friend. You can make the event part of a weekend getaway that you can also use to reward yourself for your hard work in preparing for the event. Almost every race includes people who are just doing it for fun, and you will likely be surrounded by all ability levels. This will ensure that you can be motivated by others who are at your pace. And the feeling of accomplishment when you finish is second to none.

* Challenge a friend. Buddy up with someone and hold each other accountable for your own individual goals. Then set a date in time when you both should accomplish the goal or create a way to decide a "winner." For example, you could challenge each other to walk 1 mile a day for 30 days and celebrate together when you both hit the goal. Or, challenge each other to see who can do the most minutes on the elliptical trainer for the next two weeks and whoever "loses" buys the other person lunch. The minute you create a challenge (even if the focus is not to win, but to reach a goal together), it becomes immediately more motivating to stick to it. You won't believe how much more accountable you will be when you know someone else is right on your heels!

* Track your progress. Figure out ways to measure your current activities or add new workouts that are easily measurable. Then challenge yourself to match or beat those measurements each time you work out. For example, if you love to do weights, challenge yourself to do more reps or slightly more weight for each muscle group the next time you workout. Try making the increased weight easy to do within a period of time (say 3 weeks) so you know you actually got stronger. Or, if you enjoy working out on the stair-stepper machine, try to beat your total floors climbed by one floor each time you use the machine. Once you have a reference point for how much effort, time or intensity you are currently putting in, you will find yourself motivated to not fall behind and you will likely even find yourself striving to beat your best. Boost your motivation by keeping a simple log with a chart that will allow you to see your improvements and dips.

* Join a league or club. Find a local sport league or exercise club to join that will allow you to share, compare and compete with other people who enjoy the same activities as you. For example, join a swim club at your local pool or community center and get tips from other swimmers while staying motivated to keep up with your "teammates" and your collective goals. You will quickly find that you subconsciously challenge yourself to get better and you can motivate the others in your group as well. Once you have other people to compare yourself with, it is tough to slack off. You'll be missed when you don't show up to "practice," and that accountability and bit of competition to be consistent will keep you in high gear, even during your tough weeks. Remember, you can join a league that meets only once a week. Even a small commitment to a team of other people will keep you engaged and motivated.

Source: http://fitlist.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/05/641043.aspx

Ingredients
3 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
2 (8 ounce) beef top sirloin steaks
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
3 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon white sugar (optional)

Directions
1. Press crushed peppercorns into both sides of each steak. Sprinkle with lemon pepper, and salt.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic and wine, and cook for 1 minute. Arrange steaks in pan, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes per side, or until desired doneness. Reduce heat to low.
3. Pour brandy onto steaks, and carefully light with a match. Let the flames burn off. Sprinkle green onion and shallot around the steaks, and circle the steaks with cream. Cook, stirring sauce, until hot. Transfer steaks to plates. Stir sugar into sauce, and then spoon over meat.

Source: allrecipes.com