Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Pardon me while I use our blog to rant.  It doesn't happen often, but apparently there was no amount of pounding the pavement (aka running) that was going to get this out of my head.  Lacking other healthy tools to cope with very bad corporate wellness practice, I'm turning to the blog to pound it out on the keyboard.  You should stop reading if you don't care about employee engagement, human capital, and ROI in corporate wellness.  Shamelessly, this blog is more for me than it is for you. 

Ok - disclaimer provided.  Here we go.

There's so much buzz around corporate wellness, it's dizzying.  Who can keep track of all the apps, gadgets, providers, platforms, and statistics in employee health promotion?!  We're too busy helping people make better choices to keep track of this stuff.  Thus, I join other organizations who provide me with updates in the industry periodically; it takes the burden off me feeling like I always have to be search, search, searching for what's up and coming.

It all started with an email.

So the other day I got an email, much like many other emails, in which a promotion around employee engagement was being peddled.  You get these emails, I know you do.  This one, in particular, was from a well-known clearinghouse of resources for corporate wellness professionals, and my hunch is that they have a HUGE reach across the US.  Provider organizations pay to be promoted by via email to the membership list for this "clearinghouse organization". 

Let me be clear - I'm not begrudging the organization who sent me the email, or the provider company who paid to reach my inbox. (Though I do feel a little sorry for both who may not know the painful truth about outbound marketing.) The marketing message in that email, however, is at best suspect, and at worst, completely misleading and disingenuous to the hard fought, small gain work that is employee health promotion. 

"Got Engagement" 

This was the focus of the marketing email - the vendor was offering their product/service and promoting that they had the key ingredient for employee engagement.  Maybe they do (it's kind of the silver bullet in corporate wellness...who knows, maybe this group has it all figured out).  But to promote it in a way that engagement from employees is something you go "get", that it's algebraic or formulary, that there is something you simply add to your corporate wellness strategy recipe, is completely off the mark.  You don't add a vendor, a worksite fitness center, a health coach, or change a policy about flex time and BAM!  Engagement! (Cue triumphant music.)

No, ladies and gentlemen, absolutely not.  The battle for employee engagement in corporate health promotion is won in relationships and over time, and with the evolution of trust and loyalty in the workplace.  Offering biometric screenings and cool online HRA that gives you a personal wellness score isn't enough.  An onsite fitness center isn't enough. (Believe me... for NIFS business, I wish it was!)  And you can't buy your way into the hearts of your employees with trinkets and trips, and other incentives.

If you want engagement in your workforce around your corporate wellness initiatives, you start with relationships.  You have to work at it by working with your workforce to understand them, their needs, their fears, their hopes.  You have to give a little, learn a little, and step out on that relationship-building edge a little. 

(I feel a sappy song coming on, so I'll wrap it up here.)

You want your workforce to engage?  Treat them like people, get your head out of the corporate wellness ROI clouds, and for crying out loud, quit referring to your workforce as "Human Capital".

Want to confess...I mean comment on this post?  Have an entirely different point of view?  Share it below.  Maybe it'll be the start of a beautiful relationship!

This blog was written by Mechelle Meadows. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

We’ve all learned that exercise can play an enormous role in lowering one’s stress level and boosting a person’s mood. Supervisors in the workforce are no different—regular exercise has been shown to help those in management roles more effectively cope with their stressors.

This article writes that, unfortunately, when supervisors become overwhelmed with workplace pressures, their direct subordinates are the ones who become victims of the supervisors’ venting, hostile behavior, or negative comments. Therefore, regular exercise routines can not only enhance the physical and mental health of the supervisors, but also the wellbeing of the employees working for them.

Another reason why supervisors, especially those in a company’s upper management, should exercise is to lead by example. When you talk to an average new employee about exercising at the worksite, one of their fears is that their boss might view them as slacking off or just looking for ways to get out of work. When supervisors make exercising in their corporate fitness centers a priority, it shows to their subordinates that taking time for one’s own health is important and acceptable, provided that work duties and deadlines are still being met.

On a larger scale, when upper management, including CEOs and vice presidents, make fitness a priority, it sets a healthy climate for the entire company.

If you are a supervisor of even one individual, consider how your healthy—or unhealthy—choices can impact those around you. Set the standard in your work environment by becoming a leader in health.

This blog was written by Jenna Pearson. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Ever wonder what and when you should be eating to optimize performance and energy levels? Numerous resources are available to the general public outlining food and dietary guidelines; however, many people remain unaware as to what types of foods are best to eat and when.

Whether working or working out, these guidelines will be useful in helping you plan meals and snacks to increase energy and sustainability.

Pre-exercise Meals

• Carbohydrate meals help fuel muscles and prevent depletion of glycogen stores. Glycogen is the body’s main form of stored carbohydrates; it is a main source of energy during work and exercise. You should choose complex carbohydrates like fruits and whole grains to help sustain energy levels for long-duration activities. Try to avoid high-sugar foods such as soda and candy, as these cause high peaks in blood sugar and tend to give you a quick burst of energy that soon fades away.
• Watch high-fat foods—they are hard to digest and may cause an upset stomach during high-intensity exercise. In comparison to carbohydrates, high-fat and high-protein meals take longer to digest and therefore require more energy for their breakdown.
• Try to have a meal with complex carbohydrates four hours prior to exercise and a small snack one or two hours before exercise.

Examples:

Whole-grain cereals, yogurt, whole-wheat pasta, fruit, whole-grain bagels, oatmeal, raisins, some energy bars (check that they are not too high in fat or protein).

Post-exercise Meals

• Your muscles need to recover after exercise, as this is when your metabolism is at its peak.
• Refueling should begin within 30 to 45 minutes after exercise to restore glycogen and repair muscle tissue.
• Carbohydrates and protein will enhance the process of rebuilding and repairing muscles.  

Examples:

String cheese and a piece of fruit, peanut butter and jelly on whole-grain bread, yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit, soup, nuts (raw, unsalted are best), whole-grain cereal with reduced-fat milk.

Remember to stay hydrated! Dehydration slows your metabolic rate by 2% and can also leave you feeling sluggish. Feel your best by drinking at least eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water daily!

This blog was written by Lisa Larkin. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

When starting a new exercise program, you may get sore. Muscle soreness comes from the breakdown of muscle fibers. But don’t let that drive you away from the corporate fitness center. Here are four good ways to ease the pain.

• Rest from lifting and go for a light walk. More than likely, you are sore from strength training or lifting weights. Your body may need a rest day from the weights, but go for a light walk to get some blood flow to the sore muscles. Sitting around could make the soreness worse.
• Take a hot bath. Soaking in a hot bath will help your circulation and soreness.
• Use foam rollers or massage. Rolling out your muscles on foam rollers will help to work the soreness out, although it may hurt a little at first, just like with massaging the muscles. Start out gently rubbing or rolling the muscles, and then as you work the soreness out you can target the muscles more aggressively.
• Stretch after you work out. Don’t skip the stretching component of fitness! Spend about 20 minutes stretching after your workouts.

 If you are just getting back into working out, always start out slow. If you start with long, intense workouts and then cannot move the next day due to such painful muscle soreness, you will be more likely to skip the next few days. Don’t skip days; just focus on areas of the body that are not sore.

Next time you overdo it in the corporate fitness center, remember these tips for relieving your pain and keeping up your workouts.

Body Mass Index (BMI) vs. Body Composition: These measurements are used in the healthcare and corporate fitness worlds to help identify risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. But which is best? Many experts reason that both tools can be useful in different circumstances.

BMI

BMI is calculated by dividing weight (kg) by height (m²). Although it takes into account only these two factors, it can generally identify levels of fatness in most people, and has more of a place when a simple, general assessment of a larger group is needed. Labels of “underweight,” “healthy,” “overweight,” and “obese” are used to describe BMI ranges.

The drawbacks of BMI are manifested in a couple of ways. Someone who possesses a great amount of muscle mass may be classified as overweight or obese, when in reality they are in superior shape. An unconditioned individual can be classified as being at a healthy weight when muscle mass is actually lacking. This is where measuring body composition is valuable.

Body Composition

Body composition separates fat mass from lean mass and provides a better assessment of an individual’s health status. The limitations of body composition are that it’s not quite as simple and may not be practical for use in assessments of large groups. The simplest means of measuring it are by scale, handheld device, or skinfold testing and include some margin of error. While most accurate, underwater weighing or air displacement can be complicated and time consuming.

When embarking on a fitness program, it’s a good idea to track your body composition to help you measure your progress. This will allow you to have a much better idea of how your body is changing for the better with the effects of resistance training and cardiovascular exercise.  

Evaluate how you can do better for your employees with fitness offerings at your worksite.  Check out these 4 tips to improve your services, click below.

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

The puzzle pieces of successful weight loss or maintenance are not limited to gym visits. They include healthy eating habits as well. Adopting a nutritious diet can seem daunting, so making small changes that add up is often an effective strategy.

Look into how you can incorporate some of the following tips into your own cooking and eating habits:

Cooking:

• Swap cream and whole milk for skim milk in your coffee and cereal.
• Substitute egg whites for whole eggs.
• Use applesauce in baked goods in place of oil.
• Choose lower-fat versions of yogurt and cheese.
• Use nonstick cooking spray instead of oil or butter.
• Trim the fat from meat, remove the skin, and prepare it through baking, grilling, or broiling instead of frying.
• Use spices to pump up flavor.

 Smart Choices:

• Eat whole grains instead of refined. They’re nutritious and will keep your stomach satisfied longer.
• Pile on the veggies in sandwiches instead of cheese, extra meat, and mayo.
• Use condiments like mustard, ketchup, vinaigrette, and hummus more often than mayo and high-fat creamy dressings.
• Create bulk on a salad with extra veggies―not bacon bits or cheese.

 Eating Out:

• Order a cup of soup prior to the meal. This will reduce your appetite.
• Split an entrée with a spouse or friend.
• Ask for dressings and condiments on the side.
• Order grilled or baked foods instead of those that are breaded or fried.
• Choose a baked potato or salad as a side dish.

 What other tips do you have that work for you?

This blog was written by Mara M. Winters, HFS. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Slow and steady. These are the two words that participants in the Pound Plunge, Richmond Wellness Center’s weight-loss contest, frequently hear from me as I coach them through eight weeks of total body transformation. To the dismay of many, weight loss is not an instant process. Many wish they could achieve their ideal weight in only a couple of days, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a one- to two-pound per week weight loss rate is successful and safe.

Can you lose more than two pounds a week? Yes, it is possible. Most often, in the beginning of a weight-loss program, you may see that it is easy to lose more weight. As you diet and exercise, your weight loss will slow down and you may hit a weight-loss plateau.

The Wrong Ways to Lose Weight Fast

But how do people rapidly shed pounds? We see celebrities do it all the time; however it takes extreme measures that are not recommended.  

• Starvation: There are many starvation diets that call for very low calorie intake. You may lose weight, but side effects of this type of dieting include emotional changes, slower metabolism, weight regain, and of course the uncomfortable feeling of being hungry all the time. Low-calorie diets are hard to stick to.
• Overtraining: You could spend eight hours a day working out. That would burn a huge amount of calories. However, most people cannot dedicate such a large amount of time to training. This type of workout regimen is hard to follow and can lead to overuse injuries, which don’t leave you feeling good, either.

Safe Weight-Loss Alternatives

Try lowering your calorie intake without starvation. With nutritional control plans such as Weight Watchers®, you can have a variety of foods and feel good, too.

The one- to two-pound a week weight loss rate allows for greater adherence to a weight-loss program. You are able to focus on manageable ongoing lifestyle changes through diet and exercise. Greater long-term success is seen with gradual weight loss.

Slow and steady may not be the most exciting method, but a wise turtle once said it always wins the race.

This blog was written by Mechelle Meadows. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

While exercising the brain is of great importance in retirement wellness centers to aid in preventing or reversing memory loss and dementia, it’s never too early to start actively increasing your “brain fitness.” Occasional memory loss happens to anyone, young or old. It often occurs in moments of fatigue, nervousness, or anxiety.

There are exercises you can do to increase memory and other cognitive skills. Just as you should incorporate variety and extra challenges into your physical exercise routines, you should do the same for your brain.

A few mental exercises suggested in this article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer are

• Learn one new word per day and find ways to work it into normal conversation.
• Learn a new language.
• Perform routine tasks in a different way.

Often in retirement or corporate fitness centers, we challenge clients by asking them to close their eyes or stand on only one foot while they do basic strength exercises, thus heightening their proprioceptive awareness and teaching better balance. Similarly, the article says that when you change up simple daily tasks, such as unlocking your front door with your eyes closed, you are activating more senses and key areas of the brain, keeping your mental function at its top level.

Make it your goal to add one mental exercise, such as a crossword puzzle, to your daily routine!

This blog was written by Penny Pohlmann, MS. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Many people feel that drinking diet sodas is a healthy alternative to regular sodas. While we may believe artificially sweetened beverages may help cut daily calorie intake and therefore minimize weight gain or aid in loss, there is evidence that they can put employee health in danger.

Some studies have suggested that diet colas are actually linked to weight gain. Another study claims that people who consume one diet cola each day may also have a significantly increased risk for cardiovascular events compared to those who do not drink sodas.

While the full story about what links diet soda to heart disease may not be fully revealed, you certainly aren’t missing out on any vitamins, minerals, or other health benefits by not consuming these beverages. Some experts suggest that minimizing these types of beverages and including more water in your day may not only cut risk for cardiovascular disease, but also provide health benefits.

Want to know what you can do to help your employees make better nutritional decisions that not only prevent significant health issues but also protect their health? A qualified corporate fitness management company can help you and your organization guide your employees toward daily activity and nutritious choices.

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Preparing for a summer vacation? Be sure to bring workout attire! Instead of letting your exercise routine take off several days as well, check out some of the following fitness ideas and embrace the opportunity to be rejuvenated both physically and mentally.

Outdoor Fitness

Want to take advantage of the great outdoors? Here are some ways to exercise outside while on vacation:

• Explore a new city on foot (or on two wheels): take a run, walk, or bike ride.
• Bring the entire family to sightsee.
• Have a beach nearby? A sunrise or sunset can set the stage for a great run. Incorporate pushups, lunges, squats, and core work in the sand.
• Beach volleyball and a Frisbee or football toss will appeal to kids.
• Seek out opportunities for surfing, paddle surfing, swimming, snorkeling, or scuba diving.
• Hiking, tennis, and hitting the links (sans cart!) will burn calories while you enjoy the sunshine.

 Gym Fitness on the Road

Not ready to give up your gym-junkie habits? Here are some ways to get in a fitness center workout:

• Most hotels will have a fitness center, although you may have to get a bit creative since the equipment selection can be limited.
• Swap the stairstepper for the real thing: climb the stairs at the hotel.
• No hotel gym? Check to see whether they offer passes to a local fitness center.

 Staying Fit in a Hotel Room

 Stuck in the room? You can still stay active:

• Bring a mat to practice yoga.
• Strength train with resistance bands or body-weight exercises (pushups, squats, tricep dips, etc.).
• Stationary exercises like jump rope, jumping jacks, burpees, and squat jumps will get your heart pumping.