corporate fitness

According to the Mayo Clinic, starting a fitness program may be one of the best things an individual can do for their health. 

The latest Surgeon General’s report supports this as well.  In case you’ve lived in a cave for the past few years, you’ve already heard that regular physical activity reduces the danger of succumbing to heart disease, the leading cause of death in our country.  And for you CFO's out there, an active fitness participant can cost your organization up to $1,250 less in health care costs per year according to a 2008 study in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease. Wellness can also reverse the effects of hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers, as well as reduce hospital admission rates significantly for these same conditions. Numerous studies also confirm that exercise can not only prolong your employees’ lives, but can also stave off depression, anxiety, and other emotional issues. 

What might not be as obvious as the fact that exercise is good for you and your employees is that like all things, exercise should be done in moderation.  Nothing breeds success like success, and for those who need exercise the most this means starting out with a low to moderate level of physical activity. Walking is a great example of a level of activity that for most employees is a safe and simple platform for better health.

Whatever program for physical activity your company offers in their wellness palate, it should be based on both common sense and solid science.  A moderate exercise program is one that your employees will be able to enjoy and stay engaged in for a long healthy lifetime.   

We all know the high cost of absenteeism, prevalent when workplace morale is low and employees are unwell, unhappy, and call in sick. But what about the costs when they do come to work sick, depressed, or just plain don’t want to be there?  This extremely expensive phenomenon is called “presenteeism.”   

In my last post, I passed along tips from the APA for keeping your employees productive and resilient.  One of them was: “Don’t panic. Take a deep breath.  Don’t get swept up in doom-and-gloom hype. Stay calm, focused and realistic so you can consider all of your options carefully.”

What is resiliency, and why is it important to your corporate health and wellness program?  Merriam Webster defines “resilience” as:

1: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress

Nothing like an unsure economy and job market to keep your company off its game. You need employees at their best, especially in hard times. With that in mind, here are some wellness tips from the American Psychological Association:

Previously, I suggested that being a smart employer and making significant strides towards becoming a “healthy company” would protect your bottom line and reduce turnover and absenteeism.

We all face challenging economic times.  As a Smart Employer, you know throwing up your hands and taking the stance that stress is unavoidable in today’s working world is not going to get you employees that are the best they can be.  According to studies by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, stressful workplaces increase absenteeism and employee turnover.  A Smart Employer knows that striving to be a “Healthy Company” will benefit your bottom line.