About Us

Daniel A. Johnson is the Executive Director of the Wellness Council of Arizona, which coordinates wellness programs for over 200,000 Arizona employees. Dan served as a member of the Wellness Councils of America’s Board of Directors for three years. As a health promotion specialist, Dan has been quite successful in the area of motivating human change. He has owned and operated 20 athletic/fitness centers throughout the southwest. He has written, produced and appeared in over 100 radio and television campaigns promoting fitness and quality of life. Dan is active as a personal trainer maintaining work with cardiac recovery patients along with several advanced athletes.

Dan is the originator of “STRIVE” motivational programs, which focus on human dynamics and personal potential. “STRIVE” has been presented to major corporations such as IBM, Raytheon and Farah Clothing along with over 5,000 youth. Dan is a quest speaker at Canyon Ranch Health Resort presenting “Discovering the Gift that is You!” Dan has been a professional athlete having held national sponsorships as a racquetball player. Wilson Sporting Goods and Ektelon Racquet Sports were two of his sponsors. As part of Dan’s community involvement, he has worked with Senior Olympics, spoken with many civic groups, and has served as Training Chairman of the Explorer Boy Scouts of the Catalina Council.

Currently, Dan serves on the Southern Arizona Advisory Board for the American Diabetes Association, the Arizona Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Health along with the advisory board for the Arizona Department of Health Services’ “Healthy Arizona 2010″.

Ben’s Bellings
August 12,2006
Arizona Daily Star

The recipient of this week’s Ben’s Bell is Dan Johnson, executive director of the Wellness Council of Arizona.

Johnson was nominated by co-workers Danielle Moustakas and Kyrsten Carter. They described him as a truly kind person who’s helped countless people learn to live healthier lives by discussing lifestyle choices, physical activity, nutrition, stress reduction and other topics with them.

Johnson gives 250 talks a year through his job — and travels about 40,000 miles around the state for speaking engagements. The Wellness Council is a nonprofit organization that was founded 21 years ago and works with health-care providers, community leaders and businesses to improve the health of employees and their families. Johnson’s been there for 12 years.

“Dan is just an amazing person,” Moustakas said. “I can’t tell you how many people have come up and told me that he’s changed their lives.”

The health promotion specialist was wrapping up her job this week, preparing to move to New York City. The belling on Wednesday was a great way to say goodbye, she said. She listens to the Ben’s Bells feature on the radio every week and knew Johnson was a good candidate.

“The first time I heard it, I thought it was perfect for Dan,” she said.

The Ben’s Bells folks visited the council’s office Wednesday and surprised Johnson.

“I felt very special, but I also felt unworthy,” he said. “I’m just fortunate to have the job I have.”

As for his secret to being kind, Johnson said he has two mentors: his wife, Melinda, and daughter, Makenna, 8.

“I’m a better person because of both of them,” he said.

The Ben’s Bells project began in March 2003, one year after Ben Maré Packard died of croup, just before his third birthday. His family hopes it reminds people to be kind, to help ease one another’s pain.

The latest phase of the project began in September, weekly “bellings” for those among us who make our community a better, kinder place to live.

If you know people who deserve a Ben’s Bell, nominate them to be “Belled.” Go to www.929themountain.com/pages/jennie_itm.html and click on Ben’s Bellings. To learn more about the project, go to www.bensbells.org. Or help work on bells by dropping by the studio, 816 E. University, in Geronimo Plaza. It’s open Friday 4-7 and Saturday 10-3.

L. Anne Newell

Challenges, Programs & Contests

Wellness Council of Arizona Challenges, Programs & Contests

Challenge, program and contest initiatives are staged to encourage behavioral change. Contests and challenges can be individual efforts or offered as departmental or division contests.

LIFE Quest
Choose one lifestyle improvement area each month: fitness level, body weight, nutrition habits, stress management, smoking cessation, or health condition management. Set a goal with your health coach, meet for one progress update meeting per month. In addition to improved health, all who accomplish their monthly goal will be eligible for monthly drawings.

Corporate Play
Corporate Play is a fun event which offers health information and a stress reducing challenge. Basketball freethrow (nurf ball), golf putt, softball toss, hula hoop, obstacle course and other fun challenges are available. During the competition a health screening is offered such as blood pressure, body composition, grip strength, flexibility or peak breath flow. Participants receive information on how to improve their numbers related to the challenge of the day.

Take A Health Trip
All Aboard to: Aerobiquerque, NM – Learn more about (and do) cardiovascular fitness; Cholesterol Springs, CO – What’s good, what’s bad and how to control? Las Veggies, NV – How does fiber and more help you avoid diseases? Low Back, TX – Learn ergonomics, stretching and strengthening;
plus many other exciting locations! Teammates meet as teams twice monthly with their health coach to review activities log miles towards their destinations and team members earn travel vouchers to qualify for individual monthly drawings, as well as the potential to win the team grand prize!

Fit in 50
This challenge requires weekly fitness, nutrition and health coaching in order to meet a team and individual goal of improved fitness in 50 days. Five to ten-minute weekly educational presentations, weekly workout suggestions and motivational ideas for achieving goals are offered. Compete for t-shirts, healthy purchase gift certificates and your team’s chance to win a healthy team lunch and the right to display the “Fit in 50” trophy in your work area!

Fit in 90 Days
A 12– week program designed to help you get fit through cardio, interval training and to educate you about proper nutrition. The health coach’s goal is to organize a team and help coach you to “Get Fit”. Weekly educational lectures to help you eat healthy and control food portions, cardio, strength training, flexibility, circuit and interval workout suggestions, weekly calendars to organize your workouts and nutritional goals, motivational tips to help you get your mind excited about exercise and the tools you need to get in shape, lose body fat and weight are offered.

Maintain Don’t Gain
Most people gain 5 to 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and January 1st. Join this easy challenge and beat the odds while starting the New Year off great! Maintain your weight through the Holidays within 2 pounds, get 1 ticket into the drawing for prizes; lose 3 pounds or more, get 2 tickets. Weigh in the week prior to Thanksgiving; weigh out first week of January. Contact your health coach today to weigh in or watch for the scheduled weigh in dates to be announced.

Name the Program Contest
Can you think of a name for your wellness program? If your name is chosen, you win a prize!

HEADs uP Challenge
Health Enhancement And Disease Prevention. Learn how to prevent and better live with diseases such as depression, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and much more. Participate in workshops to be entered into the drawing for prizes.