Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Smartphones and related devices are pretty versatile. They can remind you where you parked your car, help you locate the nearest drugstore, and provide you with the latest gardening tips. But did you also know that they could help your employees stay committed to their health and fitness goals?

Some of the most popular smartphone applications that are available (for purchase or for free) can help you design a fitness routine or report the calorie content of the jumbo java you’re eyeing. Here are a few apps your employees might find useful for staying on track and improving their health and fitness.

Do your employees need help designing a beneficial fitness routine?  

App: iFitness
Available for: iPhone, BlackBerry, iPod Touch
Price: $1.99

Ranked the number-one paid fitness application for iPhone, this application is like a personal trainer in your pocket. iFitness enables you to view up to 100 exercises (pictures and instructions included) by muscle group or select one of the 12 predesigned workouts to follow. Once you’ve mastered the preset routines, you can create your own. You also have the ability to track your progress by making notes; recording sets, reps, and weight lifted; and other achievements like weight and inches lost.

Help overweight employees take off those unwanted pounds.

App: Lose It!
Available for: iPhone and iPod Touch
Price: Free

This app is a calorie-tracking tool that uses a predetermined equation to establish what your daily calorie intake should be based on your target weight goal. The large database allows you to enter the foods you’ve eaten, including the portion size, and track your intake each day. Lose It! hasn’t forgotten about exercise, either. Enter an activity like playing Frisbee or mowing the lawn, and it is factored into your daily caloric allowance.

Chill Out: Help employees relax and de-stress.

App: iRelax Melodies Lite and iRelax Premium
Available for: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
Price: Lite—free; Premium—$3.99

iRelax Melodies is the self-titled “Sleep & Meditation & Yoga & Relaxation Helper.” Listen to one of four looping sounds on the Lite version designed to help you relax or sleep. Other features allow you to mix any of the sounds yourself for a personalized melody as well as a timer that ends the melody at the time you decide. Save and replay your favorite melodies anytime you need to escape. The premium edition includes 36 melodies as well as binaural beats known to help the brain reach a particular relaxation state.

Improve employee health one morsel at time.

App: Morsel
Available for: Apple devices, Android, and BlackBerry
Price: Free

Move toward a healthier lifestyle one daily, healthy suggestion at a time. This application from GE offers up simple daily tasks, or “morsels,” that everyone can do. “Morsel empowers you to take control of your well-being, one step at a time,” says the app description. Examples of the daily tasks include

• "Drink and refill a water bottle."
• "Don’t put extra salt on anything you eat today."
• "Walk backwards for 10 steps."

Help your employees stop smoking.

App: No Smoking
Available for: BlackBerry
Price: $9.99

Thinking about quitting smoking? This app may be for you. No Smoking is designed to slowly wean you off cigarettes by first learning your smoking pattern. The app records your smoking frequency and severity. Then, when you’re ready to quit, it really goes to work. The app uses the information it learns and tailors a smoking schedule that slowly decreases your smoking frequency, lowering your nicotine level over time until you’ve completely quit.

App: iQuit
Available for: Apple devices
Price: $1.99

Not only does this app keep track of the number of days it’s been since you quit smoking, it displays the extra life you’ve gained and the amount of money you’ve saved by not buying cigarettes. When you download this app to your iPhone, you’ll be able to see how your health has improved with stats like, “After 2-12 weeks, your circulation improves, making walking and running a lot easier.”

Does your company offer Weight Watchers for Employees?

App: Weight Watchers Mobile
Available for: Apple devices and BlackBerry
Price: Included with Weight Watchers fee

Weight Watchers Mobile makes searching and tracking point values (the units associated with the Weight Watchers weight-loss program) simple and convenient. This app can help you make selections that fit within your point budget when you’re eating out at a restaurant or picking up some groceries on your way home from work. Don’t forget about those activity points, either. When you’ve completed your two-mile walk, enter it in your activity log for easing tracking.

Other health-related apps your employees could use:

• MyCalmBeat for BlackBerry
• Office Yoga for iPhone
• Food Gauge for Apple devices and BlackBerry

If you follow employee wellness, you may have heard recently that wellness programs at worst are largely ineffective and tend not to be worth the investment, and at best take years to produce results. That commentary found in a Wall Street Journal Health Blog was the assessment on a report produced by the National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR), which was based on research conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change.

The basic premise was this: If you can’t do wellness right, you should probably stay out of the game. It’s expensive, it’s confusing, and ROI is questionable. It’s true that the best and most robust programs cost money and require a well-developed strategy along with clear and vocal leadership support. These things are not easily gained. It’s also true that ROI is extremely hard to capture in wellness programs. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not to be trusted.

There is, however, another way to look at employee health and wellness: Something really is better than nothing. In his book Zero Trends: Health as a Serious Economic Strategy, Dr. Dee Edington outlines the “Five Pillars of Health Management Strategy,” which are consistent with the NIHCR report. But he also points clearly and repeatedly to the value of stopping the current unhealthy trends—of not letting things get any worse.

Under the “don’t get any worse” banner, consider the potential value of a simple regular blood-pressure screening at the worksite. If one employee is flagged for high blood pressure during that screening, and he follows up accordingly with his doctor, your organization will bear some of the medical expense associated with his ongoing treatment of high blood pressure. You may have also just saved your organization a lot of money in catastrophic health care costs associated with chronically unmanaged high blood pressure. You’ve also created awareness for that employee that may lead to self-management efforts to improve his health.

Small businesses can enter the employee wellness program arena, and they don’t have to do it with the all the bells and whistles that the big businesses bring in, as evidenced by this Business News Daily report.

Where will you begin with employee wellness?

Employers are concerned with the ROI of corporate health wellness programs—and they should be. Why on earth would an organization put valuable resources toward strategies that don’t work for their business?

Are Brainstorming Meetings the Best Way to Foster Creativity?

If you're with me on the "don't throw money out the window" approach, let's take a quick look away from employee health and wellness. Let's focus instead on a corporate convention: the brainstorming meeting. Think conference room, Sharpies, flipcharts, and fresh fruit. (You do have fresh fruit at your meetings, right?!) In the brainstorming meeting, the company’s best thinkers pull together intellectually to flesh out ideas for the business's future. How much money does your company spend on brainstorming meetings in terms of staff time, office supplies, snacks, and overhead?

Turns out that corporate fitness programs might have a leg up on those Sharpies. According to a recent article in Newsweek, there are actually proven strategies for getting creative juices flowing, and traditional group brainstorming sessions aren’t on the list.

Exercise, it turns out, can be an effective brainstorming strategy. Up to 30 minutes of aerobic activity (like walking) can get those creative juices flowing. But there is one caveat: Exercise improves creativity only for people who are already fit.

Corporate Fitness Programs Have Many Benefits

Get your employees exercising now and it will save you money by helping control health care costs, decreasing absenteeism, improving productivity, and creating greater loyalty. In addition, your employees will be better thinkers who will keep your organization ahead of the pack.

How are you encouraging regular exercise in the workplace?

Recently I was going through membership forms at our corporate wellness center when I noticed that a high percentage of our clients live out of town. In fact, it’s not surprising to see that many of our members drive an hour or more to get to work each day.

Long Commutes Are Bad for Employee Health

If the thought of a two-hour round-trip commute doesn’t make you gag, you are one of the few. Besides the cost of gas and increased wear and tear on your vehicle, long commutes can actually lead to health problems. Extra time on the road can cause higher rates of obesity, increased stress, and decreased productivity.

How Can You Help Employees with Long Commutes?

So other than selling your home and moving closer to work, what’s a good way to combat the negative effects of a long commute? Corporate wellness programs that tackle all aspects of wellness! Corporate employee wellness is a priority for our staff; we regularly monitor our clients' blood pressure, cholesterol, and body composition.

Other ideas for making a commute more bearable and less stressful include

• Alter your route to take in better scenery.
• Listen to soothing music instead of talk radio.
• Practice deep-breathing exercises.
• Focus on being a courteous driver and avoid aggressive drivers.

How long is your commute? Share your story in the comments section.

Sometimes, it's just plain tough to get through a workout. There are times when I simply don’t feel like working out, or I get halfway through my run and hit the wall. When I find myself in a workout dilemma, I turn to imagery to get me through.

What Is Exercise Imagery?

There are three main types of exercise imagery:

• Energy: Energy imagery refers to imagining a situation or workout that felt great and provided you with energy. For example, imagine the best run you ever had, the smell of the fresh-cut grass, the sound of your repetitive breath, and the feeling of your feet hitting the pavement in a rhythmic motion. This can provide you with an improved mental state to push through and finish your workout.
• Appearance: Appearance imagery refers to imagining a slim, trim, and healthier you. When you just don’t feel like hitting the corporate fitness program boot-camp class, imagine yourself burning calories, gaining muscle definition, and looking great when you achieve your fitness goal. This can give you that extra push to attend the class or hit the onsite fitness center.
• Technique: Technique imagery refers to imagining yourself with proper form. For example, when performing a squat, imagine yourself sitting back in a chair with your chest up and your weight in your heels. This type of imagery can provide you with a mind-muscle connection to perform an exercise with proper form.

According to research by the University of Western Ontario, imagery can be a key element in sustaining an exercise program.

How I Use Exercise Imagery

I use imagery in nearly every workout. It keeps me focused and motivated. I’m currently training for a half marathon. During my runs, I picture myself passing spectators, hearing music, and crossing the finish line. All of these things help me to push myself and maintain my exercise regime.

Try implementing imagery in your workout routine.

Are there times where you find yourself saying "I can't" or putting yourself down? This negative self-talk is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you consistently tell yourself things like, "I can't do it," "I'll always be fat," and "I'm such a lazy slug," you are talking yourself out of improving and living a healthier life. You're setting yourself up to fail. It's true that everyone has failed at a new exercise program or eating plan. But that doesn't mean that you'll fail every time, or that you need to carry that guilt with you. You need to believe that you will succeed.

Turn Your Negative Self-Talk to Positive

It might sound corny, but pay attention to what you say to yourself. As a corporate fitness manager, I consistently hear people say they are fat, ugly, or horrible at an activity. What they really should be saying is how great it is that they are working out, moving their body, or trying a new activity. Focus on the positive.

Did you mess up and eat a greasy hamburger and fries for lunch? Don't beat yourself up about it. Rather, think of all the good things you've eaten in the past week. Assess why you felt you needed that hamburger and fries and devise a plan to be better prepared next time this craving arises. If you practice positive self-talk, over time it will become more the norm, and you'll be surprised at how good and successful you'll feel.

It's Okay to Stretch the Self-Talk Truth a Little

Beyond rethinking negative self-talk, I give myself positive talk even if it's not completely true. For example, when I'm really struggling or feeling the burn of a worksite fitness class, I just tell myself, "Isn't this fun? I love this workout! It's so much fun!" Even though I may not feel that 100 percent, it gives me the motivation and positive feelings I need to make it through the workout.

So nip that negative self-talk in the bud and start feeling good about you! As Stuart Smalley from SNL's "Daily Affirmations" would say, "I'm good enough; I'm smart enough; and doggonit, people like me!"

Your employees probably eat at least one meal at work every weekday. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that their break-time meal isn't geared for optimal employee health or productivity. You can help your employees keep that afternoon crash at bay by providing them wellness education and easily accessible healthy food selections. Consider these suggestions as part of a well-rounded employee health and wellness program.

Healthy Vending Machines

Chances are, your worksite already offers vending machines so your employees can grab a quick snack. However, did you know there are vending companies that specialize in healthy vending products? These specialized machines offer a variety of snacks that are low in sugar and fat such as pita chips, fruit bars, energy bars, dried fruit, and organic crackers and pretzels. Additionally, there are also specialty vending machines that offer refrigerated snacks. These machines offer products such as milk, fresh fruit, yogurt, and pre-cut veggies to employees looking for that afternoon pick-me-up.

Wellness Incentives in the Cafeteria

Drive home your support for employee wellness by subsidizing healthier choices in your cafeteria. Spotlight items such as salads, bottled water, baked chips, grilled chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers, fruit, and whole-grain wraps.

Healthy Prep Areas

Consider creating a lunch-prep area at work that encourages employees to eat well by bringing healthy foods to work. Provide a refrigerator so that employees can store fresh fruit and vegetables, leftovers, low-fat salad dressings, and deli meats to enjoy at mealtime.

Local and Healthy Food

Worksite wellness can be good for your community. Invite local vendors to provide a farmers' market at your worksite for a few hours once a week or once a month. This enables employees to purchase seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables on their lunch break. Not only does this show your company's support for eating a healthy diet; it also contributes to your local economy (not to mention the environmental benefits of eating locally produced food).

Encouraging a healthy diet is just one part of a well-rounded worksite wellness program; however, it can make a major contribution to employee health and productivity.

When it comes to exercising, sometimes the music selections are just as important as the physical activity. I am a self-professed music junkie, so I may be biased. But nothing ruins a workout quite like an iPod dying, a CD skipping, or just plain bad music.

Music Helps with Tempo and Motivation

In the pursuit of my Exercise Science degree, one of my college courses dealt with exercise leadership. We learned how to plan a group fitness class and manage all the dynamics that went into it, music included. We learned what tempos are best for warm-ups, which beats are motivating for the bulk of the exercise, and which styles of songs are conducive for cool-down periods.

Now, after having hands-on experience teaching group fitness in a corporate fitness center, I see how important music choices truly are. Specifically in cycling classes, instructors often lead drills to the beat of the song. Instructors will say phrases like, “One pedal per beat,” as a way of keeping cyclists at the right tempo. When it comes time for a steep hill climb or a round of sprints, nothing can be as powerful as hearing the pulsing beat of your favorite song.

Resources for Making Playlists Easily

With that said, here are a few resources, mostly online, that make music playlists easy. You can use these in corporate fitness programs as well as for your own workouts.

• Music For Cycling: This website includes playlists for cycling, and also actual bike workouts to go along with them. Some of the playlists are themed, such as “Around the World” or “Halloween Playlist,” making for fun, easy ways to motivate your corporate fitness members.
• WorkoutMusic.com: Here you can purchase mp3 files of full albums geared toward certain styles of workouts—for example, running or strength training. You can download shorter albums that are great for a quick abs class, or longer playlists for extended activities like running.
• Magazine playlists (Fitness and Shape): Shape magazine offers a monthly 30-minute playlist. The writer suggests a mix of newer pop songs as well as classic sing-alongs. Fitness magazine publishes a yearly feature in January, listing the best music for cycling, running, walking, weight training, and yoga.
• iTunes: The iTunes music store can also be a good resource for ideas. You can search for a certain song, and often there will be a cardio remix version that makes the song more upbeat than the original. iTunes also suggests Perfect Playlists: Workout, which you can preview and download all of its songs for $9.99.  

Here’s some good news: You do not have to meet your sales quota to be considered among the elite at your worksite wellness center. All you have to do is start breaking a sweat.

According to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers analyzed the American Time Use survey and concluded that only 1 in 20 Americans engages in vigorous exercise on any given day. That’s right, a paltry 5% of us are working hard enough to actually sweat when we work out.

Why is this important to employee health as well as corporate health?

The way to sustained weight loss is through a healthy diet and prolonged cardiovascular exercise (45 to 60 minutes) at least five days per week. If you want members of your workforce to reach healthier body weights, you have to (among other things) create an environment that supports and provides opportunities for your employees to work out hard enough to sweat. You need to build a corporate health culture that supports breaking a sweat in your worksite fitness center.

What if businesses publicly rewarded the sweaty elite alongside the sales leaders? After all, employees who can help you control healthcare costs do as much for the bottom line as those who meet their sales quotas.

Group exercise classes are known for their high-energy environments and uplifting tunes. However, employees can gain numerous other benefits, especially if your organization provides on-site group exercise classes. And because people spend more time at work than ever before, it only makes sense to offer worksite wellness programs and onsite group exercise as a benefit to employees.

Stress Reduction and Accountability Increases

One of the benefits of worksite group exercise classes is reduced daily stress. In a world where 12-plus hours of work are shoved into an eight-hour workday, any reduction in stress is a huge help. Not only is stress reduced, but accountability and success rates increase. Who wants to miss a worksite group exercise class when the instructor and your colleagues will know you skipped out?

Mood and Morale Improvement

Not only can worksite exercise programs positively contribute to employee’s weight-loss success, but group programming can improve the mood at the office when employees are pressed to perform and produce. A well-run worksite group exercise class will allow for the sociability that employees may not otherwise receive throughout the day. Classes can also build on an element of friendly competition where participants will work harder in a group than they would push themselves on their own.

Reduced Liability

Last but not least among the benefits of group exercise is an increase in participant safety and organizational liability. Classes that are taught by a certified instructor drastically decrease the likelihood of employee injury and minimize liability for the employer.

Your employer may not offer a corporate wellness program or a corporate fitness center now. But when they realize all of the benefits for their associates and the company, I’m sure they won’t be too far behind the fitness train.