Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

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

Do your corporate wellness clients know how many calories they are eating when they go out for lunch? A new law from the FDA will start requiring restaurants to post calorie listings and provide more detailed nutritional information upon request.

New Law Makes Calorie Information Easier to Find

While you can already find many restaurants’ caloric content online through a simple search, making this information more visible inside restaurants or on menus is a reasonable thing to ask. You don’t go into a restaurant and order a meal without knowing the price, so why blindly order an item that might exceed your entire calorie budget for the day?

Extending Calorie Count Transparency to Corporate Cafeterias

Let’s take this one step further for worksite health promotion. Many corporations have an onsite cafeteria whose management most likely has access to the nutritional content of their offerings.

At my site, we have partnered with our cafeteria vendor to advertise the calorie breakdown of its staple items as well as daily specials. This information is displayed visually in the cafeteria via posters and brochures and is also available online. Further, our cafeteria vendor has a “sticker system” where color-coded stickers mark the items that are low-fat, low-calorie, and low-carb.

Keep in mind as you set out to partner with a cafeteria vendor or a restaurant that they are businesses and therefore must make a profit .While their managers may be open to introducing healthier selections, they will keep their top-selling items, whether they have 200 calories or 1,200.

Here is where you can suggest to your corporate wellness clients the concept of moderation on their lunch break. Indulging every now and then is okay, but staying informed is the key to sustainable health.

This blog was written by Bethany Garrity. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

All too often, those of us working in corporate fitness find ourselves catering to the 15 percent of employees who would work out anyway—whether or not we, the stellar management staff, were onsite to assist and train them. That often leads me to ponder how we might creatively capture the attention of the other 85 percent.

Gimmicks and Creative Employee Health Promotions

I think the answer to that question depends significantly on the demographic and the corporate culture in which we’re working. But by and large, it seems that gimmicks (sadly) go a long way, as does making fitness fun. Those who might dabble in offerings at their worksite fitness center (a.k.a. fence sitters) could be nudged into regular participation with a desirable prize (a.k.a. money) or if we fitness professionals (a.k.a. magicians) could convince them it was fun.

I can say with confidence that NIFS staff member continue to generate unique, creative, and inviting opportunities for their audiences all over the country. Their enthusiasm for reaching that 85 percent never seems to wane. They are the experts!

Why Is It So Hard to Motivate Employees to Be Healthy?

I am left to wonder, though, what is it about human beings that makes changing behavior (particularly health behavior) so hard? We’re capable of being tricked into choosing better health, but we seldom do it without a nudge (intrinsic or extrinsic).

If you’re working to improve employee health (in a corporate fitness center, or from the human resources office), what works for your audience?

This blog was written by Bethany Garrity. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

According to Playreport, an international project focused on children, families and play, children in a recent study overwhelmingly preferred to play with their parents versus watching TV or getting on the Internet. Sadly, 25 percent of parents interviewed reported feeling too stressed to play with their children. Further, 45 percent of parents don't feel like they have enough time to play with their kids.

Maybe parents have forgotten how to play. Maybe our work-life balance is so poor that we work too hard, sleep too little, or sit too long to remember what it's like to have fun playing games. Or maybe we just need a little reminder.

Remember recess? What if your employees engaged in occasional recess at work? What if you took the concept of worksite wellness or corporate fitness programs to a whole new level and invited everyone to get crazy with a game of kickball in the parking lot. What if you hosted a Wii tournament in the cafeteria? Even better, what if you had a hula-hoop challenge or a treadmill marathon to raise money for a corporate-sponsored charity?

Maybe, just maybe, if employees remembered how to have fun being active, they could engage more at work and at home.

Have you incorporated play at work yet?  What are you waiting for?

This blog was written by Samantha Whiteside. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Supersize portions. Hydrogenated and over-processed foods. Lack of activity and responsibility. Decreased nutrient-rich foods in school systems. All of these reasons and more have led America to be the most obese country in the world.

The Risks and Consequences of Obesity

Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. Obesity a risk factor for not just heart disease and high blood pressure, but also for osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol and triglycerides, respiratory problems, cancer, sleep apnea, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and a decrease in life expectancy.

How much of a drain is this epidemic on our society? Obesity kills approximately 300,000 people in the United States every year and we spend $117 billion annually on obesity-related healthcare.

Do I have your attention yet?

Tips for Living a Healthier Life

Wonder what you can do to lead a healthier life? Here are a few tips to take you into 2011 and beyond:

• Get more active—every day.
• Focus your diet on fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat dairy.
• Participate in corporate wellness programs.
• Sign up for a gym; or if your company has a worksite fitness center, begin using it.
• Take part in employee health fairs, classes, and health promotion trainings.
• Stay educated. If your employer has onsite wellness staff, use them as your go-to resource.
• Reduce your daily stress. Take advantage of worksite stress-management classes.

Obesity is no longer a silent epidemic. Obesity is screaming, shaking both fists, and asking everyone to step up to the plate and make a change.

After all, how much value is really in a value meal?

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

While more Americans gain access to healthcare in the next decade, and more senior citizens are eligible for Medicare, one-third of physicians will be due for retirement. Experts predict this will create a shortage of medical doctors. This is alarming news, if it comes to fruition. Now is the time to stress preventive care in corporate wellness programs.

Schedule Health Screenings

Preventive care includes scheduling all regular screenings specific to your age and gender; for example, mammography, colonoscopy, and dental checks. People should schedule as many of these screenings as can fit into one doctor appointment, assuming they fall under the physician’s scope of qualifications. They shouldn't wait until they discover something irregular to make that doctor visit because it may become increasingly hard to secure timely appointments.

Practice Self-Care

In taking preventive measures, there is also a component of self-care that requires no physician. Remind your corporate fitness center participants that exercise and nutrition are perhaps the two biggest methods of self-care.

After you exercise, the immune system is elevated for 24 hours, says the American Council on Exercise. A workout regimen including impact and weight-bearing activities enhances bone health, reducing the need for osteoporosis treatments.

The most well-known fact is that exercise improves all the body’s workings related to the heart, decreasing the chance of cardiovascular disease.

Proper nutrition, including vitamins and minerals, is related to a decreased risk of developing almost all forms of cancer. Also, don’t discount self-exams. While a physician has a better-trained eye for abnormalities, regular self-exams including breast self-exams, skin cancer self-exams, and more can supplement the annual doctor’s assessment.

Make Preventive Health a Priority

Teach your employees to make their own health a priority. Using corporate wellness programs to prevent rather than cure is less costly to the company and the individual.

This blog was written by Kara Gootee. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Many employees say they do not have time in their day for exercise, or they forgot their workout clothes. Don’t let excuses stand in the way of your corporate wellness program. Implement a quick walk at work to encourage worksite wellness and get employees up and moving.

The Benefits of an Exercise Break

Recent studies show that more breaks and less sitting results in smaller waist sizes and a decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes. A quick 20-minute break is a great way to refresh the mind, catch some fresh air, and get the body moving.

How to Add Walking to Your Corporate Wellness Program

Starting a walking program is easy. Designate a time and location, and get moving. Many employees may enjoy getting out for an afternoon break for a quick walk around a parking lot, or a trip around the block. Encouragement and participation from management will help get the ball rolling.

If Your Wellness Program Already Includes Walking

Here are some ways to spruce up your walking program:

• Specify a day: Get Movin’ Monday, Walk Wednesday, etc.
• Give out walking group t-shirts to create camaraderie.
• Provide healthy snacks following a walk.
• Track steps taken with pedometers.
• Sign up for local area events and walk together.

The benefits of walking outweigh the excuses. Encourage worksite wellness not only for a healthier workforce, but for a happy work environment.

This blog was written by Kara Gootee. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

With the new year, many individuals make resolutions that quickly fall by the wayside. Statistics show that 75% of people keep chugging after the first week, and motivation starts decreasing. Start the year off right by rewarding employees for working toward a healthier lifestyle.

Offer Corporate Wellness Incentives

Corporate wellness programming is on the rise, and while company results vary, the return on investment is encouraging. Rewarding employees with the simplest prizes can help keep them on track to maintaining a healthier lifestyle, which in turn reduces health care costs and increases productivity for your company.

Ways to Reward Healthy Employees

Here are some ways to reward employees:

• Small tokens: Everyone loves free stuff. Try items such as key chains, mouse pads, and water bottles.
• Gift cards: Large amounts aren’t necessary. Who wouldn’t like having a $5–$10 gift card to Subway or Starbucks?
• Point systems: By developing point systems for reaching wellness goals, employees can earn points throughout the year to be put toward larger prize items, or even toward a flexible benefits account.

Rewarding is easy. Everyone likes to know that their hard work is being noticed. Treat your employees for being healthy by encouraging worksite wellness.

In what ways are you recognizing employee efforts to become healthy?

Water is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food. In other words, it’s essential to life. But does everybody require the same amount of water? You always read that we need to drink eight glasses of water a day. So I did a little more research to figure out under what circumstances you would need more than that.

According to corporate fitness program consultants, you should drink more water when you

• Are on a high-protein or high-fiber diet
• Have an illness that causes vomiting or diarrhea
• Are more physically active
• Are exposed to hot weather conditions

Many worksite wellness centers have handouts for more information on how much water you personally need based on several circumstances. The Mayo Clinic's website also offers some helpful guidelines.

Most people choose beverages that dehydrate them instead of drinking water. Coffee, tea, alcohol, soda, and other sugary drinks are all examples of beverages that dehydrate your body. Not only do sugary drinks cause dehydration, but they also cause you to pack on the pounds. Then you will need to spend your lunchtime going for walks or in the corporate fitness center trying to work off the extra weight.

Water is a great natural resource and it’s involved in all bodily functions, so drink up! Try to drink more water on a daily basis starting today.

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?