Posts from — April 2009

Company Physical Activity Program – Group Effort

Employers 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 profit to the company.

Times have changed drastically. Corporations now know that the health of its employee workforce is indicative of the health of the corporation itself. The corporation exercise program was introduced to encourage healthy employee lifestyles, even while on the job.

Half The Time

Stress is a huge factor in how we handle a heavy workload. Stress impacts our physical and mental wellbeing. It even produces a chemical that is processed into fat by our bodies. A company fitness program uses exercise and health information to train staff members how to stay physically healthy.

When fit, the body and mind is much better able to handle stress. Stress has much side effects. It can cause inattention, sickness and high Blood Pressure. These effects in turn cost the organization much money in absenteeism, poor productiveness and higher medical care costs.

A organization fitness program makes fitness a priority in the organization among its employees. In return, a fitness program provides many rewards to the organization.

• Greater productiveness because of progresss in health
• Increased employee concentration due to minimization of stress effects
• General improved morale
• Lowered absenteeism

You commonly 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 know that their concentration is misdirected because of stress.

I Want to Participate

A business fitness program can take many forms.

• Physical Activity Program can be set up at the employer’s facility and managed by an employee
• Organization physical activity program  can have a corporation membership with a nearby health club
• Fitness Program can be under contract with a fitness professional who comes to the employer’s facility and coordinates the program, including employee evaluations
• Fitness Program can be managed by an employee onsite using the services of a web based exercise program

A organization fitness program can be modified in almost any way necessary to accommodate the organization and its staff members.

Usually, in any program, seminars are offered periodically also to inform workers of current health topics and trends. As a minimum, a corporation program normally will provide the following:

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

More elaborate programs will provide employee classes, sessions and fitness center equipment. Company programs can be adapted to any company and any budget.

Why Will This Work

We spend an abundance of time at our job. It’s easy for employees to skip working out, blaming it on lack of time. Using professional fitness services like those found here takes away the excuses that are costing the employer money.

Employer Physical Activity Programs and Wellness – A Clear Message

Business culture varies from company to company. Some companies are strict and formal while others are more laid back. But one thing most have learned is that the health of their employees affects the health of the company itself.

Because of this, many organizations have started employer health and Workplace Wellness Programs. By doing so, the company’s owners send a clear message to their staff members that health is a priority and must be taken seriously.

Just by the fact that the business is willing to spend money to implement and maintain a Employee Health Promotion Program indicates by itself that fitness equates to dollars and Employee Health Promotion Program equates to active staff members.

No Smoking

A corporate fitness and Employee Wellness Program can be as simple as a ‘no smoking’ policy to a menu of health and fitness services. Usually, the programs fall right in the middle. There are many fitness centers that provide Employee Wellness Programs. A employer has a variety of choices when it comes to deciding on how to deliver a Wellness plan.

• Hire an outside fitness expert to deliver an employee program to an existing facility
• Utilize a professional in the original design of a new facility
• Design a Employee Wellness Program manager responsible for coordinating the organization fitness program
• Use an web-based fitness expert as a consultant

The first step in starting any company fitness and Worksite Health Promotion Program is to evaluate the condition of the workers. The kind of work a company does will lead the focus of the program.

For example, a warehouse operation may be interested in beginning employee strength to avert back and neck injuries. A building of office workers with sedentary jobs will need aerobic conditioning. A employer program is customized to meet the needs of its workers.

Online fitness trainers are professionals at designing programs for all sized groups. They can adapt exercises and diets to any circumstance. They can also save a organization money by beginning a plan that is streamlined yet effective.

Result Oriented

A corporation fitness and Worksite Health Promotion Program has direct adavantages, not just for the staff members, but for the corporation as well.

• Declined Medical Care claims as employee health improves
• Reduced cases of obesity
• Reduced use of sick time
• Workers able to deal with stress better
• Stronger employees less likely to be injured

It is not unusual to discover a gym in an office building anymore. Easy access to workout equipment and a fitness professional encourages employees to follow a program. By using an professional, a employer can provide something for everyone – pregnant women, older employees, walkers, active adults, mothers, overweight people, fathers and others.

Corporation Physical Activity Programs – A Merger

Company fitness sounds like buzz words, but it has become an valuable concept in the work place. Employees in the organization world are willing to work long and tough hours.

In exchange they expect the corporation to be willing to make accommodations. A corporation fitness plan is a complete program that mergers corporation and employee health needs.

Taking Stock

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

The employees who are fit make better employees. Research studies have shown that up to 75% of illness is related to lifestyle. So for a corporation physical activity program to work it must educate employees fitness as a comprehensive lifelong plan. Since we spend at least 1/3 of our day on the job, it only makes sense to make fitness available at the worksite.

• Test for concerns that could guide to big health problems in the future, such as Blood Pressure (BP) and glucose levels
• Train workers on nutrition
• Analyze stress levels as a function of employment
• Make exercise equipment or seminars available
• Provide adequate time for involvement in exercise program
• Provide disease prevention programs such as immunization
• Offer incentive programs for program participation

On A Mission

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

When a professional fitness company is hired, staff members are evaluated based on their workload. Individual exercise plans are put into place and progress is monitored. Some employers hire a certified fitness trainer to work directly with staff members on an ongoing basis at the worksite.

Other corporations pay for the services of a trainer at the nearest health club. To read what personal fitness can do for your business visit this page.

There are many choices a corporation can choose among. Organizations frequently establish fitness plans that cover employee families. By way of example, if the corporation purchased a corporation health club membership, families of workers are given use of the facilities also.

This promotes family unity in addition to fitness. Some organizations 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 corporation fitness plan takes, as a minimum, the program will instruct on nutrition and support opportunity for exercises that tone, strengthen and improve flexibility. A corporation that takes care of its workers finds that the workers will take care of the corporation.

Growing a Business Exercise Team From Nine-To-Five

People spend an abundance of time at their place of employment, and work environments are full of stress. Downsizing, mergers, more work specifications and extended hours take their toll on employee health.

It can be measured in rising absenteeism and more health costs. It is time to reverse the trend. Growing a corporation exercise group could be the perfect solution. Motivating each other to start a exercise program will reap big outcomes for the employees and the corporation.

Working Overtime

It is easy to find excuses to skip exercising. One of them is always ‘not sufficient time’. But 2 walks for 15 minutes each has the same health benefit as 1 walk for 30 minutes. This fact makes building company exercise team programs easy.

Most corporations hire a fitness professional. The fitness professional can develop a plan the company can manage itself or let the fitness professional start and monitor. Either way, there are lots of ways for staff members to exercise during the day.

• Take walks outside during breaks or lunch
• Go to sponsored exercise courses at an in-house health club or a local health club before or after work
• Climb stairs rather than taking the elevators, calculating the number of stairs each week
• Do stretching exercises every hour to remain refreshed and alert

But it works even better when teamwork is added to the mix. A company is as good as its employees. Every company operates on the concept of good teamwork to fulfill its mission and provide great customer service. What better way to begin that process than by building a company exercise team?

The rapport that is created among staff members exercising together will carry over into the worksite itself. It is a well-known fact that group exercise promote cooperation and exercise offers the perfect common activity.

All humans need to exercise to maintain fitness. With a organization exercise program, the organization can convey its belief in team spirit, cooperative goals and strategy development.

A local personal trainer can be hired to come workplace or the company can hire a web-based trainer. Either way, tracing the progress of each employee’s fitness level as they take part in the exercise group projects will encourage participation.

Moonlighting

There are a myriad of types of physical activity programs that can be offered to benefit a worksite.

• A mixture of aerobics exercises followed by strength movements
• Circuit training at the fitness center
• Tai Chi Ch’uan for relaxation and stress control
• Step classes
• Body sculpting
• A series of progressive exercise classes offering steady fitness improvement
• Specialty courses for people over 55 or for pregnant women

On this page you can find a personal trainer who can show how building a organization exercise team programs works.

A company will discover that once workers begin to feel fit, the fitness program will carry over into their personal life. Now that is healthy moonlighting!

Companies are expected to be responsible in every way. They protect the environment, contribute to local area projects and pay taxes. They also are concerned about the health of their workers.

One of the benefits of wellness programs is they give workers every opportunity to enhance their quality of life both at their place of employment and after their place of employment.

Wellness is not just about doing a few exercises. It is a complete service-oriented program that considers nutrition, overall fitness and job fitness.

Advantages of Workplace Health Promotion Programs

The Advantages of Worksite Health Promotion Programs form a long list.

• Improvedemployee work rate
• Improvedemployee concentration
• Greater morale
• Reduced absenteeism

The benefits of wellness programs cannot be belittled. With one-on-one consultation and group programs, staff members learn to manage stress in a positive way.

This not only helps with life at work, it helps with customer service and the quality of life with friends and family. Everyone who works has had those days when the job goes home with you because of the burden stress has on physical and mental wellness.

Stress generates a chemical that boosts fat production in bodies.

A wellness program allows workers to deal with stress in such a manner they 1. reduce stress caused ailments and 2. don’t carry the stress of work with them throughout non-work activities.

The advantages of a wellness program are the result of the use of exercise and nutrition goal setting to teach employees how to stay personally healthy.

It is much easier for the body to control stress when the whole body is in-shape. staff members who are not healthy directly cost the company much money in absenteeism, enhanced healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Employee relations can also be affected as a result of employees who feel daily stress of employment.

Advantages of Worksite Wellness Programs – Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Advantages of wellness programs are both tangible and intangible.

• Existing chronic ailments are addressed to prohibit further physical deterioration
• Preventive Corporate Health Promotion Programs keep medical care costs lower over time
• Workers experience increased energy which enhances productivity
• Unhealthy snacking in the workplace is addressed
• Ergonomics are studied to decrease employee injury potential
• Employee flexibility is increased
• Self-image of employees is increased
• Employee cooperation developed through physical activity programs
• Resolutions to health and fitness topics are offered

The advantages of employer physical activity programs cover on-Site and off-site services customized to match employer goals. Even if a program is in place, it can be changed or expanded to meet the needs of the employer and its workers.

Periodic evaluations, health education, health management and health consulting services are some of the many advantages of wellness programs monitored by Workplace Wellness Program professionals. Among the many options available, a corporation program normally will provide the following as a minimum.

• Physical Exercise
• Core muscle building
• Muscle strengthening
• Improved flexibility
• Dietary examination and changes

Wellness programs vary depending on the size of the employer, location to fitness equipment and budget. But no matter what shape the Worksite Health Promotion Program takes, the Advantages of Worksite Health Promotion Programs will enhance central employee satisfaction. This reaps big benefits for the employer.

Help your workers be the very best they can be mentally and personally, by realizing the Advantages of Company Wellness Programs.

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Life on Loan -Rewards of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

It is simple for staff members to ignore the facts about their health when they are involved in just getting the job done. One of the primary benefits of Company Wellness Programs is they bring health to the forefront of employer awareness.

Obesity is a primary problem and getting worse every day. But it is just one problem among many. Employee health maintenance has become so expensive that it is the fastest rising component of many corporate budgets.

An effective Corporate Health Promotion Program can slow down the rate of increase and help staff members realize they have a responsibility to themselves and their families to care for their own Health Promotion. Each individual is given a gift of life and it is imperative that life be cared for carefully.

Advantages of Worksite Health Promotion Programs

The benefits of wellness programs cover the following:

• Improved awareness of detrimental behaviors such as smoking
• Decline in employee obesity and subsequent problems
• Convenience of programs for organization and employees
• Tracing of employee physical activity program results
• Availability of a fitness consultant

Staff Members are assessed one-on-one at the corporation or where there is corporation membership. Professional Company Wellness Program instructors create a custom fitted plan that insures the employee will have a exercise program that meets their current physical condition and lifestyle.

One of the major reasons that exercise program fail is because people set unrealistic expectations. They are always ‘in debt’ to their program, unable to meet the requirements. A company personal trainer can stimulate each person set realizable objective and design a program that is progressive.

The advantages of wellness programs are well documented in reports and can be seen in reduced healthcare costs and higher work rate.

Benefits of Company Wellness Programs

Sometimes a high interest rate can be a good thing for a organization – like when there is high employee interest in a Employee Wellness Program.

The benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs apply to the employer and the workers.

• Fewermedical care claims as employee health advances
• Reduced cases of obesity
• Fewer cholesterol rates
• Greater cardiovascular health
• Fewer incidences of high Blood Pressure (BP)
• Fewer use of sick leave
• Better stress management
• Active employees are less likely to be injured
• Reduced disability claims

Today, you can generally find a health & wellness room at the office for employee convenience. That is an indication of the level of effectiveness of a exercise program.

The advantages of wellness programs cover avoidance of common medical care conditions that once were considered rare.

The increase in employee health nets the organization a cut back in healthcare costs and that savings flows directly to the bottom line of the financial report. There are really no negatives to a Wellness program.

The advantages of wellness programs are so outstanding; it is hard to understand why any corporation would choose not to put together a fitness plan for their workers. Look online and see for yourself the world of opportunity to improve the health of your workers and your corporation.

Information to evaluate your program comes from regularly collected evaluation and follow-up data of your program that look at process and outcomes of your program.

The Worker Health Program has available a computerized case-management system which includes queries that allow simple assessment of process and outcome results at any point in time.

Process Assessment

Process evaluation looks at the  Company Wellness Program’s impact as seen at various points in time.

Information that is gathered from the various forms that wellness workers fill out ought to supply you with the following:

• How many employees were screened?
• How many workers who were referred to a doctor went?
• How many staff members who expressed interest in health improvement programs went?
• How many workers who were referred to health improvement programs went?
• How many workers who went to health improvement programs completed them?
• How many employees are in follow-up caseload?

You can use this sort of process evaluation to evaluate and learn about the health of your program.

Outcome Assessment

A central intention of the program is to improve the health of employees. Information on how to judge how well your program is meeting this intention is called “outcome assessment” because you are evaluating the end results or outcome of your program.

In wellness programs, objectives are measured by specific (outcomes) behavior changes and reductions in health risk levels. Have workers lowered their Blood Pressure? Have they lost weight? Are they working out more? Is alcohol consumption at a safe level? For example these are the types of questions you can ask to learn if you are reaching your objectives:

• For staff members with elevated Blood Pressure (BP) (140 / 90 or higher or on medication) at screening, what percentage have it under control (below 140 / 90) a year later?
• What is the change in average Blood Pressure (BP) levels among all staff members with elevated Blood Pressure (BP) 1 year after screening? Two years later?
• For staff members with high blood cholesterol levels (above 240) at screening, what percentage has reduced their cholesterol to borderline-high levels (200-239)?
• For workers with borderline-high blood cholesterol levels, what percentages have reduced their cholesterol to the desirable range (below 200)?
• What is the modification in average cholesterol levels among all staff members with high and borderline-high blood cholesterol levels 1 year after evaluation? Two years later?
• For staff members who were overweight at evaluation, what percentage have lost 20 pounds or more a year later? Ten pounds or more? What is the average weight loss?
• For staff members who were smokers at screening, what percentages have quit smoking? For at least a year?
• For workers whose level of alcohol consumption put them at-risk at assessment, what percentage have quit drinking alcohol? Are consuming alcohol at levels considered safe by CDC standard procedures? Have reduced their drinking, but are still at-risk?
• For employees, what percentages are working out at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes?
• If fitness levels were measured, what percentages have improved fitness?

Set a regular time such as every 6 months to look at which staff members your program is reaching and how effective it is at helping them reduce their health risks. Use this information to make new decisions about how to direct your program efforts. Then make the modification you need to improve your program.

Some may feel that evaluation is an extravagance; it is not. Assessment is a significant part of a wellness program. You will need to be aware of what is working and what is not. Decision-makers who fund the program need to be updated on the performance of the program. Assessment will provide you with significant data to maintain and expand the program and convince management to continue to support the program.

Counselors must follow up on staff members at least every 6 months throughout the career of the employee at the worksite. The goals of follow-up are to:

• Involve employees who have health risks in treatment and risk reduction programs.
• Involve all employees in health improvement programs and worksite-wide wellness activities.
• Support staff members in carrying out the risk reduction or health improvement activities they have chosen.
• Help staff members comply with their treatment regimens.
• Prevent relapse.
• Prevent workers from dropping out.
• Help staff members maintain behavior changes.

Follow-up can be conducted in person, by phone, mail, and via computer if the technology is available. Most preferable is an in-person contact. Computer programs which can do case load management are available to help counselors track information and perform follow-up.

Priorities for Follow-Up

People with multiple health risks must be at the top of the list. People in key positions such as union leaders or department heads with health risks must also be contacted early so that they learn what the program is about and can share the information with others.

People who need a health care assessment for elevated Blood Pressure or blood lipids must also be targeted early. Many workers will have seen their doctors as a result of the evaluation, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks can be followed up annually.

A follow-up counseling session can take 20 to 45 minutes. At minimum, follow-up must include those who were told to seek medical evaluation for high Blood Pressure readings, high cholesterol readings, or borderline high blood cholesterol readings with 2 or more other risk factors.

It may include those who were identified as at-risk for one or more of the other major risk factors: at-risk levels of alcohol consumption, being overweight, and having low HDL.

Follow-Up With Physicians

A letter (see forms) should be sent to the physician or clinic of each employee who has elevated Blood Pressure, elevated cholesterol, or is under a physician’s care.

The letter should explain the program and should include the employee’s relevant, current health measurements.

Along with the letter, send a self-addressed return envelope. Follow-up with the physician must be repeated every 6 months until it is demonstrated that the employee is under satisfactory control.

Contacting the physician is important for three reasons:

• The doctors receive employees’ health measurements taken at the workplace.
• You receive the Blood Pressure and cholesterol readings the doctor takes and information on the treatment the doctor prescribes. Many times the employee does not have this information or does not remember it. The information can be used when counseling the employee.
• Follow-up encourages physicians to pay closer attention to heart disease risk factors among their patients.

The menu approach offers staff members a range of options to support lifestyle changes. It allows people to choose the kind of help that suits their schedules and preferences.

The four basic types of programs include:
• Classes
• Minigroups
• Guided self help
• Individual counseling

Classes

Classes (8 or more) can be an effective means of providing education and social backing for behavior modification. The length of a class can vary depending on topic requirements. It is not sufficient to offer only classes at a workplace.

Many employees are under time constraints with after work commitments and although they may be interested they simply cannot participate because of their schedules.

workers may be very eager to start a program but because of lack of participants to meet class quotas, the program is canceled. Many national corporations such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Weight Watchers, etc. offer classes; you ought to have little trouble in identifying a provider for class type programs.

You may want to contact your local hospital, health department, or YMCA for possible options. For selecting a vendor to provide a program you may want to review the section on program structure.

Minigroups

When there is not sufficient interest to set up a class, those who are interested in a given health topic can be formed into a minigroup (2 to 7).

The minigroup can cover the same content as a class but do so in a less formal manner. Presentation of information and discussion is the primary format of the minigroup.

Guided Self-Help

Most workers do not want formal help in making health changes; they prefer to do it on their own. In guided self-help, the wellness counselors provide backing, materials, and encouragement.

Meeting times can be arranged and contact can be made either in person, by phone, or computer. Materials can be made available at the workplace, or mailed to the individual. Some worksites now make information available via intranets or the Internet.

Individual Counseling

One of the most successful ways to help individuals change and improve their health status is counseling (or coaching) on a one-on-one basis.

In published studies, wellness programs which incorporated individual counseling as part of the program process achieved significantly higher participation rates and achieved greater risk reduction/risk elimination than standard group programs. Research studies have determined that individual counseling is both cost effective and cost beneficial.

A wellness counselor should be trained in screening techniques, for in certain situations, they may be required to both screen people and counsel them. They should know how to do the following:

• Review employee health risks
• Contact workers who have health risks.
• Counsel workers on a one-on-one basis, helping them set goals/objectives, solve concerns, and get professional help when they need it.
• Help employees follow their treatment recommendations and make lifestyle and health behavior changes.
• Recruit staff members into health improvement programs, such as weight loss and tobacco cessation.
• Work with employees on a one-on-one basis using guided self-help.
• Conduct classes and minigroups if necessary.
• Work with Employee Health Promotion Program Committee participants to plan and conduct worksite-wide wellness activities.

Wellness counselors are health generalists; they must have basic knowledge about a wide range of health subject matters and health risks.

Counselors must be able to talk with staff members about their medical issues and the treatments prescribed by their doctors. They should have a great overview of nutrition, exercise physiology, pathophysiology of disease, pharmacology, psychology, and behavior modification skills.

The educational program must include approaches to stress awareness/reduction at the environmental level and at the individual level.

Social, physical, and corporation stressors must be explained and methods to ease or elevate stressors must be presented. At the individual level how changes in attitudes and behaviors help one to cope with stressors; learning techniques to minimize stress response, such as meditation, relaxation response, and exercise.

Content of the program should offer the following:
• Identifying sources of stress
• Relationship of stress to health
• How the individual experiences stress, personal, family, work
• Solutions for coping and managing stress
• Techniques for lowering stress
• Value of stress, both harmful and beneficial
• Practical steps of incorporating stress reduction into lifestyle

Personnel conducting stress management programs must have training in psychology, behavioral sciences, or related disciplines such as mental health professionals, counselors, health educators, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Training in a reputable program on how to instruct the stress management course including group process skills is a must.

A diet education program should include a nutritional needs assessment, education counseling, and referral as necessary.

Educational sessions and materials must include the following information:

• The relationship of nutrition and chronic diseases
• Improving eating patterns
• Relationship of diet and proper weight maintenance
• Exercise
• Stress
• Blood Pressure (BP)
• Cholesterol
• Diabetes and other chronic diseases.
• Nutritionally accurate information regarding the relationship of health to diet, including cholesterol, fats, fiber, alcohol, carbohydrates, salt, sugar, and vitamin/mineral supplementation.

Methods for identifying healthier foods and incorporating low-calorie, high nutrient foods into eating habits. Guidelines for bettering eating habits must be based on or consistent with national recommendations such as The Food Guide Pyramid.

Instructor should be a registered dietitian, registered nurse, or have a baccalaureate degree or higher in health education with training in diet. If an allied health professional instructs the program, a consultation and review of the program design by a registered dietitian is recommended.