Wellness Program Blog

Business Exercise Program – Group Effort

Companies are expected to be socially responsible in today’s world. It used to be workers had few amenities, because the company didn’t see any benefit to the company.

Times have changed drastically. Companies now be aware of that the health of its employee workforce is indicative of the health of the company itself. The company physical activity program was introduced to encourage active employee lifestyles, even while at work.

Half The Time

Stress is a huge factor in how we control a heavy workload. Stress impacts our physical and mental wellness. It even generates a chemical that is processed into fat by our bodies. A company physical activity program uses exercise and health information to teach workers how to stay physically fit.

When fit, the body and mind is much better able to control stress. Stress has a lot of side effects. It can cause inattention, sickness and high Blood Pressure (BP). These effects in turn cost the company a lot of money in absenteeism, poor productivity and higher medical care costs.

A company physical activity program makes fitness a priority in the company among its workers. In return, a physical activity program provides many rewards to the company.

• Improved productivity because of improvements in health
• Improved employee concentration due to minimization of stress effects
• General increased morale
• Diminished absenteeism

You usually hear people who are under a lot of stress say, “I do not know why I did that” when they make a mistake. The truth is they probably really do not be aware of that their concentration is misdirected because of stress.

I Want to Participate

A company physical activity program can take many forms.

• Exercise Program can be set up at the company’s facility and managed by an employee
• Business physical activity program  can have a company membership with a nearby fitness club
• Exercise Program can be under contract with a fitness professional who comes to the employer’s facility and coordinates the program, including employee assessments
• Exercise Program can be managed by an employee worksite using the services of a web based physical activity program

A company physical activity program can be modified in almost any way necessary to accommodate the company and its workers.

Usually, in any program, seminars are provided periodically also to inform workers of current health problems and trends. As a minimum, a company program normally will offer the following:

• Aerobics for cardiovascular conditioning
• Abdomen strength building
• General muscle toning
• Exercises for increased flexibility

More elaborate programs will offer employee classes, classes and gym equipment. Business programs can be adapted to any company and any budget.

Why Will This Work

We spend a lot of time at our job. It’s easy for workers to skip exercising, blaming it on lack of time. Using professional fitness services like those found here takes away the excuses that are costing the company money.

Business Fitness Programs – A Merger

Business fitness sounds like buzz words, but it has become an valuable concept in the work place. Workers in the company world are willing to work long and hard hours.

In exchange they expect the company to be willing to make accommodations. A company fitness plan is a all-inclusive program that mergers company and employee health needs.

Taking Stock

Companies have a social responsibility. They take care of the environment, donate money to worthy causes and take part in school programs. But for many employers, the social awareness begins with their very own workers.

The workers who are fit make better workers. Studies have shown that up to 75 percent of illness is related to lifestyle. So for a company physical activity program to work it must teach workers fitness as a all-inclusive lifelong plan. Since we spend at least 1/3 of our day at work, it only makes sense to make fitness available at the workplace.

• Screen for problems that could drive to big health problems in the future, such as Blood Pressure (BP) and glucose levels
• Train workers on diet
• Examine stress levels as a function of work
• Make exercise equipment or classes available
• Make adequate time for involvement in fitness programs
• Provide disease avoidance programs such as immunization
• Provide incentive programs for program participation

On A Mission

There are many ways a company can implement a company fitness plan. A professional company can be hired to write a complete fitness plan. Or a professional can advocate a company implement a plan the company developed. The professional assistance can be internet based, at the workplace, or at a fitness center.

When a professional fitness company is hired, workers are assessed based on their workload. Individual exercise plans are put into place and progress is monitored. Some employers hire a fitness professional to work directly with workers on an ongoing basis at the workplace.

Other employers pay for the services of a trainer at the nearest fitness center. To read what personal fitness can do for your company visit this page.

There are many options a company can choose from. Companies often establish fitness plans that comprise of employee families. By way of example, if the company purchased a company gym membership, families of workers are given use of the facilities also.

This promotes family unity in addition to fitness. Some employers pay for fitness plans in their entirety. Others only pay part and the employee pays the balance. There are elaborate plans that offer classes and group exercises and seminars. There are simpler plans that offer access to basic fitness facilities.

But no matter what form the company fitness plan takes, as a minimum, the program will instruct on nutrition and supply opportunity for exercises that tone, strengthen and improve flexibility. A company that takes care of its workers finds that the workers will take care of the company.

Participatory physical activity programs ought to include education on benefits of regular exercise and risks of a sedentary lifestyle, its impact on cardiovascular health and diseases, its relationship with weight management and stress management, and aerobic exercise options. Discussion and practice of safe principles of exercise – warm up, cool down, frequency, intensity, duration, flexibility and strength components. The program follows standard procedures by the American College Of Sports Medicine.

Safety precautions ought to include the following:

• Informed consent prior to implementing exercise with clear and complete written and verbal standard procedures of possible risk, purpose of exercise, exercise format to be followed, opportunity for questions, and a signed informed consent with date.
• A screening/assessment of participants to determine if medical care assessment is essential for exercise such as the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q, see forms).
• Measurements of Blood Pressure (BP) and resting heart rate are useful evaluation information to determine exercise readiness.
• Members who fail screening are medically referred and ought to get a written clearance from their physician to exercise.
• The basic content of an aerobic fitness program ought to include:

Warm up    5 – 10 minutes
Aerobic exercise    20 – 40 minutes
Cool down    5 – 10 minutes

Exercise instructors ought to have education and training in exercise physiology, physical education, physical therapy or comparable discipline, or possess a current certification by a nationally recognized sports medicine or exercise association, and be CPR certified.

Benefits of Fitness Initiatives

Exercise reduces weight, lowers risks of heart attack and stroke, helps to control blood pressure and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that exercise may also help reduce the occurrence of certain types of cancer. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently documented another major advantage: exercise improves the health of the nation’s medical care expenditures.3 According to the CDC, physically active individuals incur $865 less per year in medical costs than inactive individuals.

Dr. Michael Moore, vice president and chief medical director at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, maintains that exercise is the most effective tool in health maintenance. “If you could prescribe exercise in a pill, it would be the number-one prescribed treatment in the world,” he said. In step with Dr. Moore’s prescription, nearly one-third of U.S. companyes help staff members pay for gym memberships, according to an Associated Press report. Subsidizing gym memberships is just one way businesses promote active lifestyles.

Popular Fitness Initiatives:

1. Allow access to on- and off- worksite gyms and recreational activities before, during, and after work hours.
2. Offer and promote participation in after work recreation or leagues.
3. Offer cash incentives or decreased insurance costs for participation in physical activity and/or weight management or maintenance activities.
4. Offer shower and/or changing facilities onsite.
5. Offer outdoor exercise areas such as fields and trails for worker use.
6. Offer bicycle racks in safe, convenient, and accessible locations.
7. Offer onsite fitness opportunities, such as group classes or personal training.
8. Offer an onsite exercise facility.
9. Create initiatives that have strong social support systems and incentives, such as:
10. • Buddy or team physical activity goals
11. • Initiatives that involve workers and family
12. • Initiatives to promote physical activity, such as pedometer walking challenges
13. • Explore discounted or subsidized memberships at local health clubs, recreation centers, or YMCAs
14. Offer flexible work hours to allow for physical activity during the day.
15. Support physical activity breaks during the workday, such as stretching or walking.
16. Host walk-and-talk meetings.
17. Map out onsite trails or nearby walking routes and destinations.
18. Have staff members map out their own biking or walking route to and from work.
19. Post motivational signs at elevators and escalators to promote stair usage.
20. Offer exercise/physical fitness messages and information to staff members.
21. Offer or support recreation leagues and other physical activity events onsite or in the community.
22. Begin worker activity clubs such as walking or bicycling clubs.
23. Offer onsite child care facilities to facilitate physical activity.
24. Sponsor a bike to work day and reward staff members who participate.
25. Create a box and solicit fitness and health tips.

Strong and visible upper management support for the Corporate Health and Wellness Program encourages health and is essential to securing needed Corporate Health and Wellness Program resources (staff, time, and money) and implementing recommended changes.

1. Identify a Corporate Health and Wellness Program champion

            In a small organization, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Corporate Health and Wellness Program. In a larger organization, look for an executive with the authority to sway others in the highest levels of the organization regarding the Corporate Health and Wellness Program. The Corporate Health and Wellness Program champion need not be the fittest member of upper management. Rather, look for a Corporate Health and Wellness Program leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of workplace policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Corporate Health and Wellness Program champion at each site.

2. Find existing Corporate Health and Wellness Program allies

            There may already be a number of individuals within your organization who recognize the value of a Corporate Health and Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your organization; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, medical officers, and human resources when looking for a Corporate Health and Wellness Program ally. Capture their stated support for the Corporate Health and Wellness Program. Corporate Health and Wellness Program support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the workplace that will help to build a culture of wellness.

3. Build a business case for the Corporate Health and Wellness Program

            There is a reason that more and more companies are finding a way to promote the health of the employees via a Corporate Health and Wellness Program and policies: A Corporate Health and Wellness Program makes good business sense. workers with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower medical care costs than workers with less healthy behaviors.2,3  As a result it would be foolish not to have a Corporate Health and Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Corporate Health and Wellness Program use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your organization

            Every organization is different. Build upper management support for the Corporate Health and Wellness Program in the way that makes the most sense for your organization. Think about the following as you plan how to approach upper management for Corporate Health and Wellness Program support:

• What are the current priorities and pressures facing executives? How could a Corporate Health and Wellness Program and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do the leaders prefer to receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What kinds of Corporate Health and Wellness Program information are likely to sway decisions? Do they want data and Corporate Health and Wellness Program statistics specific to your organization, or are state or national data sufficient? Are the leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would the leaders see as a reliable messenger for this Corporate Health and Wellness Program information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions really get made in your organization? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you improve the odds that the Corporate Health and Wellness Program will become a reality.

5. Maintain Corporate Health and Wellness Program support once you have it

            Once you have appropriate Corporate Health and Wellness Program support, ensure that you keep it by regularly updating the leaders on the health of the employees and progress toward creating a culture that encourages health. Ask upper management how frequently they want to receive Corporate Health and Wellness Program progress reports.

Source Information:

            1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.

            2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. BC/BS of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.

            3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.

Many options for implementing a coporate fitness program as part of a corporate wellness program are available, from subsidizing gym memberships to setting up a walking program. There are just as many ways to provide incentives for your employees to participate.

The benefits are obvious – an improved health, alertness, and general well being, resulting in a reduction in the number of injuries, disability claims, and sick days. In effect, a fitness program will help your employees become a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce.

Corporate Fitness Program: First Things First

Ensure that participants are fit enough to safely take part. Take into account the age and body types of the people involved before choosing the elements of your program. As with undertaking any health regimen, a physical exam by a qualified health professional is advised.

There are different styles to consider: Aerobic, Strength, and Agility. A good program will incorporate elements of each.

Corporate Fitness Program: Some Options and Ideas

• If your office building has a lot of stairs or if you are on a lower floor, you might suggest walking up instead of taking the elevator.
• Try a “Walk to Work Day” for employees who live close enough.
• Provide handbooks for employees to find out more about the various options open to them.
• How about a lunch time group walk?
• Bring in a Personal Trainer to help devise a program for the group and/or individuals. They can also be brought in to measure progress.
• Subsidize memberships at a fitness club near the office.
• Group yoga is healthy, therapeutic, and team-building.
• Provide storage for bicycles and other equipment.
• Encourage regular physical activities: sponsor a company team or arrange regular activity nights.
• Allow flexible working hours to let personnel fit in exercise time before or after work.
• Install showers in the office.
• Bring in small exercise equipment that can be used throughout the day.
• Implement the Fitness Challenge, where the goals are to be the Most Improved, rather than to compete with each other.

Corporate Fitness Program: The Physical Activity Challenge

 30 minutes of physical activity three times a week can help set you on the path to improved health. Benefits include better self-esteem, reduced stress, increased relaxation, and slowing the aging process.

Reaching your thirty minutes of physical activity can be easier than you thought. 30 minutes does not have to be “30 consecutive minutes” – a minimum block of five minutes can be counted toward your daily total.

Fast ways to add minutes to your total:

• Park your car farther away from the office.
• Get off the bus a few stops early.
• If you live close enough, walk to work.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Organize or join a lunch-time group walk.
• Organize or join a company sports team.
• Exercise while watching TV.
• Walk or bike while doing your errands.
• Go dancing!