Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

Are your fitness and wellness programs reaching your residents, but now you’re wondering how to take your community’s reputation to the next level by demonstrating an even bigger commitment to a healthy, active lifestyle campus-wide? Perhaps it’s time to incorporate a staff component into some of your resident fitness and wellness initiatives! There are several benefits of employees participating in challenges or broader wellness initiatives with residents in your community settings, here are the top 5!

• Improved Health and Wellness: Regular physical activity is not only beneficial for your residents, but for everyone! By participating in resident fitness and wellness challenges employees too can maintain a healthy weight, reduce their risk of disease, improve their strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular health, and improve their overall health and well-being. By participating alongside residents, they’re also more likely to stick to their goals as they become role models, supporters, and more accountable.
• Team Building: You want a strong collaborative team leading of employees leading the way at your community, right? By including employees into fitness and wellness challenges and encouraging them to work together towards a common goal, you’ll be fostering team building, collaborative programming, communication, and a sense of community which can be beneficial for them in all aspects of their lives, including at work.
• Enhanced Job Satisfaction: When employees can participate in activities which promote better well-being, they’re likely to experience increased energy levels, decreased stress, improved mood and greater job satisfaction. Increased job satisfaction and morale can lead to greater productivity, and increased employee retention!
• Positive Impact of Resident Experience: Participating in a challenge alongside one another can foster positive relationships between employees and residents. This provides them with the ability to build rapport with each other and leads to better communication, and enhanced employee-resident interactions. When your residents see that the employees are engaged and committed to healthy habits through participation more residents may be inclined to join in as well, which can improve their health and fitness outcomes and enhance their overall quality of life.
• Positive Reputation and Retention: By demonstrating a commitment to employee health and well-being, while continuing to promote vibrant lifestyle options for your residents, you will be more apt to attract and retain not only residents, but also a top performing team!

If you wish to have a productive workplace environment and retain top talent, we urge you to open some aspect of your community-wide wellness initiatives to your employees.

What Makes Cycle So Great?

Ready to switch up your cardiovascular fitness routine? Give indoor cycling a shot. A cycle class has the capability to give you an intense workout while keeping the impact on your joints at a minimum. The group environment of a cycle class allows you to feed off the energy in classroom and the instructor, while motivating your fellow participants.             

Indoor cycle is a great workout for all fitness levels. Each participant can determine their own desired difficulty based on the instructor’s cues.

For Your First Cycle Class

If it has been a while or your first time in a cycle class, arrive 10-15 minutes early to get assistance from the instructor setting up your bike. The instructor will be able to tell you how to adjust your bike and what cue the form so you can be set up for success before class has started.

During the class, the instructor will remind of this proper form we must maintain even during challenging portions of the ride. Along with this, you will be guided on how challenging the ride should be and what you are looking to achieve during the ride. This gives a teamwork feel to your indoor cycling ride, while pushing to be better during each segment of the class.

Hydrate! Make sure you bring plenty of water to cycle classes. Even with the use of fans, indoor cycling gets sweaty. Don’t be afraid to use active recovery portions of the ride to take a moment to drink some water and wipe of the sweat. You are working hard; you deserve a breather!

You should wear something that you feel comfortable in for cycle class. Due to the intensity of the workout, it tends to be a sweaty one. Wear a top that is made of a sweat wicking fabric. Tank tops can be great for temperature control and comfort. For bottoms, workout tights/leggings, biker shorts, or athletic shorts can all be suitable options. If the bottoms are comfortable and not loose enough to get caught on the indoor bike, you are good to go. Normal gym shoes are fine for cycle class, and you can strap into the cage pedals. If you attend cycle classes, more regularly, bike shoes that clip into the pedals are also an option.

What do you enjoy most about cycle classes? Share in the comments! 

THE BRAIN: the most important organ in our body, is often the most forgotten when we think of training. Why does the brain always seem to slip through the cracks? We can’t stop talking about BMI, body fat percentage, heart rate reserve, and all these other buzz words in the fitness industry. Now you’re probably thinking “but isn’t exercise good for the brain?” and you’d be right but there is more to it than that. We aren’t specifically targeting our brain, we’re focused on our muscles, our heart and the brain is just getting a splash of the love it deserves. That’s something I’d like to change! And we can do that in the gym and at home.

Brain health according to the CDC is the ability to perform all mental processes of cognition, including the ability to learn and judge, use language, and remember. How do we go about preventing cognitive loss?

There are several different factors that go into our brain health such as blood flow, age, learning/engagement, inflammation, and sleep.

• Blood flow is how well our blood moves throughout our body, suppling the different muscles and organ with the necessary nutrients and oxygen, as well as clearing away waste. So, if blood flow is restricted to any area (not just our brain) its bad news for us. Several things restrict blood flow in our body, things like caffeine, nicotine, heart disease, obesity, and hypertension to name a few. Regular exercise (30 minutes a day, 3 times a week) will help knock down a number of these risk factors right off the bat. But there’s still more we can do. We can limit our caffeine and nicotine intake; we can change our diet to include more heart healthy foods. Remember it take diet AND exercise to reach our health goals.
• Our brain diminishes as we age, it grows old just like the rest of our body. We all know things don’t work as well when we get older, but that doesn’t mean we just have to accept it. One simple way to combat cognitive impairment as we age is to take a multi-vitamin. A study over a 3-year period, and including 2000 people, found that a daily multi-vitamin showed measurable improvement in cognitive function compared to those who took the placebo.
• When you stop learning, your brain starts dying. Your brain functions on the same principles of atrophy that any other muscle in your body does “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” You wouldn’t expect your bench to get better if you never work your chest, would you? Well, your brain works the same way, it just needs slightly different exercises. Activities like reading, doing a jigsaw puzzle, playing chess, learning a new language and knitting/crocheting are all examples of hobbies you can do to stimulate your brain and keep it fresh.
• Inflammation anywhere on our body is a pain, it can cause soreness, swelling and a whole host of other problems. But inflammation in our brain can lead to brain shrinkage, and when it comes to our brain, size matters. This inflammation can also lead to brain fog, memory loss, and mental fatigue because it shuts down energy production in our brain cells. One way to prevent inflammation from becoming a problem in the first place is fish oil (or omega-3 fatty acids). Fish oil is proven to help reduce inflammation in the body as well as the brain along with its heart benefits. Foods and spices like turmeric, garlic, ginger, and leafy green vegetables are also known to help reduce inflammation.
• Lastly the one no one gets enough of, sleep. Like any good exercise program, you can’t ignore the recovery. Its important that after a long stimulating day of work, school or just hanging out we give out brains time to rest and recuperate. If we don’t get enough sleep it can lead to declines in our memory and critical thinking skills. It can also put us at a higher risk of mental illnesses, like depression. We need to make sure we get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Exercise is very beneficial to both our body and our brain. But it is important to remember that it isn’t the end all, be all of brain health. There’s always more we can do by looking at our diet or just trying to read 30 minutes a day instead of watching tv. So, crack open a book or bust out a puzzle and count that as you work out for the day.

The holidays are fast approaching and as we strive to help our corporate fitness members Maintain and Not Gain this season. Follow these tips and strategies to avoid tipping the scale or adding a notch to the belt over the next few weeks.

1. Eat slowly - By eating slowly, you are giving the receptors in the stomach and intestines time to sense the expansion that occurs from your food entering and passing through your digestive track. It also gives your body time to release hormones that communicate with your brain that tell you that you’re full. The faster you eat, the easier it is to miss these communication signals which results in over-eating. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register the feeling of being full.
2. Replace sugary beverages with water - Drink a glass of water before your meal. This will help you consume fewer calories and leave you feeling fuller. Drinking water before eating can help “prime” receptors in your stomach to send satiety signals to your brain before you take a bite. Symptoms of hunger and dehydration are similar, so you may overeat due to thirst if not properly hydrated.
3. Eat until satisfied, not stuffed - During the holidays, this is much easier said than done. Avoiding the “food coma” feeling goes a long way though. If you eat until you are satisfied, you can avoid the cycle of overeating then napping right afterwards. If you eat until you are satisfied, you will still have the energy to go for a walk or play with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews.
4. Avoid distractions - When we watch TV or answer emails while eating, it causes us to tune out our body’s signals and scarf down whatever is in front of us. Being distracted leads people to consume more calories at that meal as well as later in the day compared to those who pays attention to their food while eating.
5. Choose fiber filled foods - Foods that are rich in fiber, such as beans, vegetables, oats, and fruit, can help keep you feel satisfied longer and reduce the urge to overeat. A breakfast that is fiber-rich such as oatmeal leaves you feeling fuller leading to a smaller lunch portion.
6. Eat protein rich foods - Protein can help you feel full throughout the day and curb your desire to overeat. Studies show that eating a high protein breakfast reduces hunger and snacking later in the day. It also tends to lower the levels of ghrelin, which is the hormone that stimulates hunger.
7. Decrease stress - Chronic stress increases levels of cortisol, which is a hormone that increases appetite. “Stress eating” is real. Studies have shown that being stressed can lead to overeating and weight gain.

As you head into the holidays we hope you will consider these strategies to avoid over eating. What tip(s) have you found most useful to you during the endless holiday meals and treats?

While many have come to appreciate the convenience of working at home, the impact it can create on a sense of routine is far-reaching. When you head into the office for the day, it can be easier to honor that me-time in your schedule to squeeze in a group fitness class or work out in the onsite fitness center. When you are working from home, the distractions of the dishes in the sink, laundry in the dryer, and kids trying to complete homework can compete for those precious spare minutes of downtime you have between meetings and work obligations.

The work-at-home culture of COVID-19 has shown us just how much employees value and miss the onsite fitness centers provided to them by their employers. It’s convenient, easily accessible, and a great way to maintain consistency in an exercise routine with qualified staffing support at their fingertips.

Top 3 Remote Corporate Fitness Requests

Luckily for NIFS’ corporate clients, our staff are staying connected to their members and creatively supporting their health and fitness needs remotely with NIFS HealthYou virtual programming. Here are the top three requests we are hearing from our members right now on what they need to stay active and well while working from home.

• Fitness center alternatives: Without access to the onsite fitness center, employees are asking our staff for flexible exercise plans to help them maintain their strength and fitness levels utilizing the equipment and resources they have available at home. Routines using dumbbells, resistance bands, and bodyweight movements are a great starting point. More creative options using kettlebells and TRX, and shifting exercise outdoors for walking, running, and cycling routines have also been in demand.
• Accountability: The onsite fitness center and qualified fitness staffing truly are a guiding light of accountability for employees. It’s a regular visual reminder to show up for themselves and to participate in the healthy culture of their workplace. Without the fitness center, staying consistent can be a challenge for many, and we are hearing just how much employees value the weekly one-on-one appointments they are scheduling with our staff to check in on their routine and progress to stay on track.
• Motivating programming: Employees have always loved our group fitness programs, and they are tuning in regularly to our live fitness classes offered throughout the day by our amazing staff across the country as well as utilizing our library of recorded fitness classes. In addition, fitness challenges, educational Healthy Lifestyle sessions by NIFS’ Registered Dietitian, and wellness programs are keeping the resources and motivation well within reach for the members we serve.

While employees greatly miss the onsite fitness centers, the fitness specialists from NIFS are helping to fill these needs for the employees of our corporate clients. NIFS’ HealthYou service model has long been supporting wellness programming for employers without onsite fitness centers and for remote workers. Employees have access to our amazing staff and a variety of resources including a HealthYou portal and NIFS exercise programming software to remain connected to the resources they need.

It’s Actually a Good Time to Launch a New Corporate Fitness Program

It may feel like an unusual time to launch a corporate fitness program for your employees, but the need is there. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation call on NIFS HealthYou services to support your employees while they work remotely today and see how our model can adapt as you bring employees back to the office in the months ahead.

This blog was written by Emily Davenport. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Corporate fitness centers are pretty low on the totem pole for most organizations. And that's how they end up just "existing" with the rest of the benefit items; they're on the list of nice things to have, but there's nothing about the corporate fitness program itself that tells leadership it's really thriving or performing well for the employees. If that resonates with you and what you're seeing in your worksite fitness program, it might be time to change things up.

Here are three signs that indicate it's time to take a fresh look at what's possible in your corporate fitness program.

#1: If You Haven't Seen Your Fitness Center Staff Out and About...

...its time to check in on how the staff are serving all of the employees (not just the corporate fitness center members). While it's likely that your fitness center staff are well degreed and credentialed for exercise, they also probably have some skills for promoting other areas of health. If they're not leaving the fitness center to provide additional worksite wellness programming, it's possible they were told that their domain is the fitness center and they should not be doing other health-related programming in the building. That's an easy one to correct; have the conversation with them and see what they can start offering across your campus to support employee health.

One of the beyond-the-fitness-center initiatives our staff members provide allows the employees to put up a signal at their desks that they'd like a quick consultation with the fitness staff. In one case, it was fun stress balls that were the signal; in another case, it was little green army men. Employees picked them up at a promotional table along with a flyer describing the at-your-desk exercise service. Then at designated times, NIFS staff walked the work areas looking for employees who had left out their signals. They provided brief consultations and exercise/stretch recommendations for employees at their desks, and they dropped off a membership application for the fitness center. In just one offering of this program, our staff interacted with an average of 40 new employees each week and picked up 15 new fitness center members directly from their consultation conversations with employees at their desks.

#2: If You're Not Getting Monthly Updates on How the Fitness Center and Related Programs Are Performing...

...it's time to at least ask for the data to see what the fitness management provider can produce. If the vendor isn't in the practice of tracking at least monthly visit and participation data, you may want to rethink the partnership because it will be a steep hurdle to get them thinking about data collection if that isn't already part of their business model. In truth, you should be able to count on at least two types of data from your corporate fitness center:

• Monthly fitness center numbers: Total visits, unique users, frequent users (we track 5 or more and 8 or more visits per month), along with appointment volume and group fitness participation.
• Program outcome data: Executive summary–style reporting that shows key outcomes from the initiative along with a program overview and plans for improvement in the next offering.

#3: If No One Has Really Raved in a While About the Staff or the Fitness Center Programs...

...it might be a good time to confirm how strong of a relationship the staff members have with your employees. We believe the foundation of our successful corporate fitness center partnerships is relationships. While it can take a while to build strong connections, once established, you should expect to hear periodically from your employees about how the fitness center staff are doing great work, helping to motivate them to do more than they would on their own, etc. If you're not getting those kinds of comments, your corporate fitness program might be in a rut and it's time to breathe some new life into what's possible for your employees' health through an exercise program.

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Ready to dig a little deeper into what's possible for your corporate fitness center?  You're in luck - we have a whole guide on the topic designed to walk you through three key opportunities to build a more successful program.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there on what is and is not good for you. The science changes all the time; unfortunately, changes in health information can sometimes depend on who’s funding the provider. So it can be hard to trust the latest press release “proving” the next best strategy for preventing disease and living longer. Despite the confusing messaging, there are a few constants on health you can count on:

• Tobacco use is bad for you.
• Moving your body is good for you.

I don’t want to get into a discussion of which is more important to employee health; there are too many complicating and personal factors to establish such a case. Instead, I’ll focus on physical activity because I think it represents a substantial area of opportunity for employers when considering options that fit into the “doing wellness for (or even with) employees” mantra.

Plenty of employers offer some kind of option for exercise at work, whether that be with group exercise classes onsite, workouts in a full-blown corporate fitness center, or walking trails on the property. In most cases those amenities/offerings are a use-at-your-own-risk proposition. There’s very little leadership support or communication about how to get involved, so only those employees who feel most strongly about pursuing regular exercise actually have the motivation to engage. And then employers wonder why participation is so low.

So here we are at this weird crossroads where employers try a few fitness-based options at the worksite for employees, very few employees enjoy the benefits of those programs, and employers are frustrated. What’s a company to do?

To be fair, we can’t expect everyone to want to exercise. Employers should have realistic expectations about how many people they can draw into these offerings. If you’re looking for ways to tip the scales that make a work-sponsored group fitness class look a little more attractive to your workforce, consider the idea of compensated workout time. Here’s why this is worth your attention:

• It’s no secret that time, or lack of it, is a primary barrier for your employees participating in regular physical activity. Couple the lack of time with the idea that your employees spend about nine hours per day at the office, and you have yourself a significant potential audience.
• However, if the workplace culture or departmental mantra is about working harder, producing more, and keeping butts in the seats, then the convenience of a workplace fitness option is a moot point.
• Alternatively, if we can pay them for 45 minutes of working out three days per week, now we might be onto something that sends a true message about how important the employer feels it is for employees to make healthy choices. And before you read this and exclaim, “We already do that…it’s called a lunch break,” what I’m advocating is 45 minutes beyond the lunch break. For an employee making $25/hour who works out, walks, or takes a group exercise class three days per week during this compensated time, it costs the company about $2,800 a year ($25/hr x 75% of an hour x 3d/wk x 50wk/yr).

Maybe you can’t afford compensated exercise time for your employees. But before you discount it outright, do what my mom always encourages me to do with a big decision. Make a pro/con list. Consider all the health benefits of engaging in regular physical activity compared to the lost work time on your bottom line. Weigh the positive of increased employee loyalty and creativity against the straight dollar cost. Understand the value of really supporting your employees’ quest for better health versus only paying it lip service. If the tick marks in your pro column outweigh those in the con column, you just might have your answer.

Need tips to get your employees moving more?  Download our whitepaper to help you get started with adding exercise to your worksite wellness program.

What’s better than chips and guacamole? Tacos and guacamole? Fajitas and guacamole? Or guacamole and a serving of guacamole with a little dish of guacamole on the side? Point is guacamole is amazing and what better way to celebrate the awesomeness of guacamole than Cinco de Mayo. If you plan on indulging in as much guacamole as I do this Cinco de Mayo then maybe a plyometric workout beforehand will keep your conscience at bay when asking your waiter/waitress for that third serving of guac. Here are my 5 favorite plyometric exercises for Cinco de Mayo:

5 – Squat Jumps

5 – Power Push-Ups

5 – Split Lunge Jumps

5 – Heavy Med Ball Slams

5 – Burpees

*Repeat these 5 times through, if you aren’t sure of how to execute these exercises here is a rundown for you:

Squat Jumps – Start with feet shoulder width apart. Lower body into a squat by bending at hips with your back straight, pushing your glutes back while looking forward.  Allow your arms to naturally swing back and with a quick pause at the bottom, push through your feet into a jumping motion. Swing your arms to straight up in the air, fully extending over your head. When landing, squat back to the lowered position and repeat.

Power Push-Ups – Start in push-up position with arms shoulder width apart. Keeping body straight, perform a push-up. On the way up, in an explosive motion, push your body up so your hands come off the ground. Resistance can be decreased by having knees on the ground.

Split Lunge Jumps – Stand with one foot forward and other foot back with knees bent slightly. Dip body down by bending legs lowering yourself toward the ground. Immediately jump upward quickly switching legs and landing with feet in opposite positions. Keep torso upright and hips straight forward. Repeat sequence with opposite leg movement.

Heavy Med Ball Slams – Hold a medicine ball with both hands and stand with feet at shoulder width apart. Raise the ball above your head fully extending arms overhead. Reverse the motion, slamming the ball into the ground directly in front of you as hard as you can. Receive the ball with both hands on the bounce and repeat the movement.

Burpees – Start standing with feet hip width apart. Squat down placing hands shoulder width apart on the floor. Jump both feet back into a push-up position. Perform a push up and immediately jump feet back into the squat position. Jump up from the squat position extending arms straight up. Land back on the ground and repeat.  For an easier version, eliminate the push up, you can also step your feet out and back to eliminate the explosive movements.

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Most of us spend the majority of our lives working and commuting to work. In our spare time we also enjoy activities such as reading, watching television, and spending time with our loved ones. What do most of these activities have in common throughout our lifetime? Sitting!

The Toll Sitting Takes on Your Health

A large portion of life as an employee requires extended periods of time seated in a chair, driving to work, and spending time with loved ones sitting at the dining room table. As we age, being in the seated position can have negative effects on our posture, which will also have a negative effect on our health.

As human beings we are structured to walk, run, and swim (if you learned) to accomplish tasks on a daily basis. We used to hunt, forage, farm our own food, and use our own feet when traveling from one location to another. This strengthened the muscles we needed when growing up and maintained our muscles as we aged. In our modern society, most professional careers have become sedentary and require less physical activity to get the job done.

Aging Well with Better Posture

One of the most apparent characteristics our body shows as we age is our posture. We remember the days in our youth when we stood tall, our shoulders were back, and we were probably a few inches taller. As we age, we and our loved ones begin to notice a change in posture in most individuals who had a sedentary profession. Even though some individuals remained active with a sedentary profession, other might not have taken the right steps to ensure good posture during the senior years, when it matters most.

The old saying is practice makes perfect; the new saying is perfect practice makes perfect! Even as many of us stay active, we are not performing the right exercises to maintain posture. Older individuals must perform the correct exercises to improve and maintain a healthy posture.

Tips for Improving Posture

Here are three tips for improving posture that you can use right away.

• Stretch often, and stretch the right muscles! Muscles that become tight from working most desk jobs and commuting in vehicles are our chest muscles, neck muscles, and leg muscles. Being hunched over for several hours a day contributes to muscle tightness in these areas. Bringing your arms out to the side and stretching your chest four to five times a day can stretch the affected chest muscle. Learning how to stretch the leg muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) in both the seated and standing position will give you more flexibility and prevent poor posture as you age. Neck muscles become tight from staring at computer screens, sitting at desks and carrying stress from demanding jobs. Learn stretches that loosen the neck and take the weight off of your shoulders.
• Stand up every 30 minutes throughout the workday. Many of us get focused on our work and forget to stay active throughout the day. Standing up will stretch tight muscles, increase blood circulation, and give you a mental break before continuing the rest of your work.
• Strengthen the muscles that improve and maintain your posture. Muscles that support an upright posture need to be activated and stimulated to maintain their strength and endurance throughout a lifetime. Many of these muscles are weak and inactive during working hours, which can lead to being inactive for lifetime. Strength training exercises focusing on posture include TheraBand rows, hip extensions, and lateral shoulder raises, which have been shown to maintain correct posture in senior populations.

Looking for a simple program you can implement that will help your employees move more and improve their posture?  Download our ebook at the link below.

As you kick off the New Year in your workplace, you will probably overhear many of your employees talking about being healthier this year, and their New Year’s resolutions. Eating better, participating in more physical activity, stressing less, establishing a better work-life balance… the list goes on. If your workforce is like the majority of people who have the best intentions of improving their health this year, many will be unsuccessful once work and life get back in the way.

The good news is that healthy habits can be created and maintained in the workplace with a little help from leadership (and who doesn’t want healthy employees?). Here are some ideas that you can incorporate at your workplace to help your employees stick to their health resolutions and show your support for employee health.

Allow employees to schedule time for physical activity throughout the day.

Studies show workers who are able to participate in activity throughout the workday are more productive, so this is a win-win for you and the employee! Making it known to your workforce that you support a break to exercise can go a long way toward changing the health culture in your workplace. If there is no access to a fitness center or group fitness classes in your facility, this year could be the time to explore some options that best fit your workplace needs.

Have healthy snacks available.

If you have the budget to purchase healthy snacks for your employees, great! Have a few common areas stocked with healthy options made available to employees. If you are relying on your vending machine, look to ensure that you have a good variety of healthy choices clearly labeled and available.

Provide opportunities to better manage stress.

Work comes with stressors that can trigger negative thoughts and health habits among your employees. This can be as simple as allowing employees to step away from their desk to go for a short walk or allowing them to take a few minutes to watch a cat video to get a good laugh. Other options that come with a price tag but would be very popular include having a massage therapist provide ten-minute chair massages every few months, or a yoga instructor one or two days a week to provide your employees with an opportunity to unwind.

Allow for a power nap.

Who would have thought that we had it right back in preschool? Many are sleep deprived and it is impacting the quality of work that is delivered and increasing chances for other health risks. Allowing your employees to take a 20-minute power nap can result in a more productive day with fewer mistakes than a day with no nap.

Identify your health champions and put them to work!

They will love that you thought of them, and they have been secretly or openly plotting how they could make this happen and probably have great ideas to share. Let your nutrition nut run with the task of having healthy snacks readily available around the office, and let your fitness guru seek out a few fitness opportunities that can be taken advantage of in the conference room (if you do not have an onsite fitness center). They will also be great about rallying the employees to get on board with the new efforts.

Looking to help your employees have the resources they need to be healthy?  Click below to download our whitepaper for tips to add exercise to your wellness program.