Corporate Wellness Blog » Health and Wellness

Corporate Wellness Blog : Employee Health Promotion Programs: Physical Activity for Busy People

Corporate Wellness — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:34:51 +0000

We all know that physical activity is an important part of health and wellness. But at times it’s difficult to find time for physical activity. Lack of time is the leading barrier that people say prevents them from participating in physical activity on a regular basis.

The good news is that even short sessions of physical activity help your health. Research has shown that 10-minute sessions that add up to between 30 and 60 minutes a day can produce significant health advantages.

Also, there are numerous ways busy people can use to be more active. These strategies include:

• multi-tasking
• being active at work
• being active with loved ones
• scheduling exercise into daily life

Different strategies work for different people. Being familiar with the different strategies is key to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Read on to check out strategies you are able to try. With sufficient responsibility, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1: Multi-tasking

The first strategy you have the potential to try is multi-tasking. This means doing things you already do, but in a more physically active way. This way you get done what you need to get done and you get physical exercise at the same time.

For example, you’re already travelling to work and other places. Instead of taking the car or the bus every time, try using active methods of transportation like biking, rollerblading, walking and skateboarding.

If you can’t use active transportation for a whole trip, try to be active for at least part of the trip. If you’re taking the bus, for example, get off a few blocks early and walk the remainder of the way.

Active transportation benefits your body by increasing your activity level, and it also benefits your neighborhood and the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road.

You have the potential to also get physical activity while doing chores.

When you’re working around the house, try to be creative and look for the active choice. For example, if you’re cleaning the crack between the fridge and the counter, why not move the fridge so you are able to clean the area better and build your strength at the same time?

For outdoor work, opt for the old-fashioned way of doing things, as they’re usually more active. For example, use a snow shovel rather than a snow blower.

Strategy #2: Be Active at Work

Many American citizens spend 8 hours a day or more working at a sedentary job. Here are a few simple ways to keep your body moving during work. The physical activity will revitalize you and help you be more beneficial.

When you’re working at your desk, try sitting on a balance ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and core a workout.

Take active breaks at least once per day. During your coffee break, try doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk. You might learn that walking up and down the stairs a few times does a better job of rejuvenating you than the java jolt.

Speaking of the stairs, take them instead of the elevator whenever you can. The stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Create walking meetings at work. Getting outside and having meetings in a less formal setting is a great way to be active, makes the workday more fun and encourages creative ideas for work projects.

Strategy #3: Be Active With Your Loved Ones

Do physical activity with your family, friends, neighbours and pets. With this strategy, you and your loved ones are doing some great multi-tasking together: enjoying quality time with each other and getting some of the physical activity that you all need to be healthy.

Go for walks, swims or bike rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your little ones to the park, play with them rather than just watching them play.

Many community facilities offer classes that keep you and your little ones active at the same time. Research these classes and take one or two.

You can even be active when you’re watching your kids do activities without you. For example, if your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands a few times. If you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4: Have Physical Activity into Your Day

Schedule your physical exercise directly into your daytimer. Set a specific time and place for working out. Make your physical exercise appointments a priority, just as valuable as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your physical activity appointments, you might want to make appointments that involve other individuals: such as by meeting with a personal trainer, taking physical activity class or jogging with a friend.

If you’re not sure how many appointments to make or what you should be doing during your appointments, try consulting with a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you advance a physical exercise plan and schedule.

The bottom line: see what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to others about how they keep active and what strategies they use. Be creative and patient while you learn what strategies work best for you. And be aware that your “best strategy” may change from time to time.

With enough effort, you will discover what works for you. Then, run with it!

Corporate Wellness Blog : Employee Wellness Programs: How Company Policies Can Help Staff Members to Be Active

Corporate Wellness — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:34:51 +0000

• Commit to workplace physical activity in policy statements and commit funding to physical activity drives.
• Clearly communicating the advantages of being physically active during work reinforces the company’s commitment to supporting all employees be active. Use gatherings, bulletin boards, newsletters and e-mail to reach as many employees as possible at least once a year.
• Provide flex time for physical activity. Invite employees who actively commute to work or exercise at lunch to make up any missed time later in the day.
• Consider allowing workers to work part time, so that they can participate in physical activity.
• Include a physical activity account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counselling or instruction.
• Offer interest-free loans for staff members to buy bicycles or great walking shoes/runners.
• Conduct periodic employee interest surveys of employee physical activity preferences, and offer a variety of options to suit those interests and needs.
• Hire qualified individuals to lead stretch breaks or physical activity programs or classes. For help in finding accredited fitness leaders, visit Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit.
• Recognize workers who take part in physical exercise. Survey workers first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through corporation newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.
• Offer child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.
• Avoid scheduling meetings over lunch.
• Promote active breaks rather than coffee breaks.
• Have active fundraisers instead of bingos. By way of example, employees might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bike for 24 hours.
• Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday person to choose an activity. Options might include a session with a yoga instructor or an evening ski trip.
• Promote a casual dress day. One study found that employees who dress casually were more physically active.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Worksite Health Promotion Programs: How Your Organization Can Help staff members to Be Active

Corporate Wellness — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:34:51 +0000

• Make sure that your building’s stairways are clean, attractive and safe, and post signs encouraging employees to use the stairs.
• Develop a wellness newsletter or intranet.
• Encourage the Activity Tracker and bolster workers to track their physical activity every week.
• Be creative, and make the most of the workspace you have. By way of example, mark off a safe walking path inside or around the building. You might also set up a training circuit, highlighting features of the workplace such as stairs.
• Provide physical activity opportunities at different times to accommodate night-, shift-, and part-time workers.
• For staff members in remote or satellite offices, offer equal access to key initiatives via the intranet. Adapt challenges to suit their environment and take advantage of local facilities and resources.
• Make physical activity available to employees with special needs. Adapt information and activities for any employee who are visually impaired or physically disabled as well as for people who speak English as a second language.
• Educate staff members about physical exercise using information from reputable sources such as the Alberta Centre for Active Living.
• Offer facilities that invite workplace physical exercise. Possibilities include bike racks, exercise room, change rooms with lockers and showers, and safe and attractive grounds for walking.
• Have walking meetings.
• Promote staff members to walk to co-workers’ offices rather than e-mailing or phoning.
• Set up a stretching room. This low-cost plan requires only a room, stretching mats, stability balls and medicine balls. Put up posters that show stretches and exercises.
• Offer incentives and rewards such as shoe bags, ball caps, T-shirts or water bottles to reward employee participation.
• Hand out pedometers for three months, so that employees can find out how many steps they usually take and how much exercise they need to add to get basic health benefits.
• Create space for employees to plant and maintain a flowerbed or garden at the workplace. Use any resulting produce for gatherings and potluck lunches or donate it to charity.
• Establish a workplace health and wellbeing fair.
• Hire a qualified fitness specialist to create and manage an worksite fitness facility.
• Supply workers with active wear that displays the organization logo.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Company Wellness Programs: Physical Activity With Co-workers

Corporate Wellness — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:34:50 +0000

• Design a launch event to foster excitement about upcoming activities and to set up a social climate that establishes being active as the norm.
• Establish and reward monthly or bi-monthly business events that are fun and active, e.g., picnics with physical games, employee tournaments and dragon boat racing. Urge families to join in by including all-ages events such as relay races, soccer matches, bocce ball and baseball games.
• Implement a swim club at a local pool. Invite groups of employees to swim the distance of a nearby lake. Convert kilometres to lengths and reward employees who complete the swim. Set up a challenge between employees and managers to see who covers the greatest distance.
• Post a sign-up board where employee can join a group or find a buddy to participate in activities of interest.
• Design a company badminton tournament that lasts several months, with each employee playing once a week. Post the results as the tournament progresses.
• Design an office Olympics, World Cup, Wimbledon or Masters Games. Invite teams to compete in several activities over a month. Reward everyone who participates.
• Develop a point system in which one minute of exercise equals one point. Set a target, and post a chart where all employees are able to track their points. Reward the first group to reach that target.
• Create a stair climb challenge. Display a chart at the top of the stairwell, and advocate workers to track the number of flights of stairs they climb each workday. Set up teams, and award a prize to the first group to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest.
• Post and promote a sign-up board for lunchtime walking groups.
• Create a walk “across America” Choose a route, discover how many steps it would take to walk that distance and challenge workers to do it. Give or loan pedometers to workers, and ask them to record the number of steps they take. Or, if you cannot afford pedometers, track the minutes walked. Set up a challenge between workers and managers to see who can walk across America first.
• Develop a walk to work club. Acknowledge workers who either walk to work or walk to public transit.
• Have a volunteer group leader guide weekly lunchtime power walks.
• Create a million-step challenge. Form groups, challenge each group to walk a combined total of a million steps and reward the winner. Departments or sites might compete with each other and with upper management.
• Challenge workers to walk 10,000 steps a day. Buy pedometers for all participating workers or, if you can’t afford that, make pedometers available at a reduced rate. Provide tips for increasing daily steps, and reward workers who succeed.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Building a Workplace Health Promotion Program

Corporate Wellness — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:34:50 +0000

There is no single correct way to approach wellness programs but successful programs share common success factors. These include commitment from management, employee involvement, adequate resources, and a health policy that goes hand in hand with the organization’s mission, vision and values.

Worksite Wellness Program: A Range of Approaches

Although the objective is to eventually have a long-term, comprehensive wellness program, some businesses prefer to begin with a single program at a basic level. By way of example, the first steps could be as simple as offering lunch-hour sessions on first aid or healthy eating; or they could launch a pilot project to learn how interested staff members are to ensure staff members needs are being met before taking on anything more ambitious. This approach supports a chance to show the effect on staff members and the workplace so upper management will be more willing to consider a larger and more far-reaching plan.

Other businesses plan a variety of initiatives to meet the needs of the different types of people that make up their workforce. And some decide to foster a sound company case, complete with a health strategy, before beginning any sort of program. Employers want to make sure that a new program is fully integrated with their overall company vision and mission.

Workplace Wellness Program: Success Factors

Whether your corporation chooses to think big from the outset or to begin with something smaller, always keep in mind the following key success factors:

• reinforcement and participation from management;
• employee participation in organizing;
• programs that meet employee needs;
• a realistic budget; and
• continuous review.

In sports, a game plan is a series of steps that a group must follow to accomplish its goal of winning. Most winning teams plan to win. Businesses also need game plans, even if they do not call them by that name.

Good planning will help to ensure that your wellness program happens the way you want it to, and that expenditures are able to be identified in advance and kept within budget. Good planning prevents small issues from becoming bigger.

Steps in Creating a Workplace Health Promotion Program

Get senior staff reinforcement. You may need to cultivate a business case to convince managers that the wellness program is a business strategy-that employee health and job satisfaction affects their productivity. workers need to see evidence that senior staff believes in and is committed to employee health.

Establish a planning committee. Members can include representatives from employee groups as well as from human resources(HR), health and safety, and communications.

Gather information. To prove that your Employee Wellness Program is constructive, establish a benchmark before the program begins. You may wish to look at employee satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug expenditures or WCB expenses. Evaluate what workplace facilities are available to support workers to make healthy choices such as showers and change areas or a secure place to store a bicycle. Evaluate employee needs through a survey or questionnaire, suggestion box or focus group. Communicate the outcome.

Organize the plan to reflect the information gathered. Include program objectives, activities and how you are going to measure whether your objectives were met. Keep the plan flexible. You may have to change direction in response to employee feedback or changes in the company’s structure.

Get management approval. Support for employee time and a budget are necessitated.

Put activities in place. Provide a variety of activities that establish awareness, expand knowledge, foster skills, and support social interaction. (Activities might include walking clubs, participation in national campaigns such as Worksite Health Promotion Programs Week, SummerActive, WinterActive, corporate challenge, golf days, and newsletters that support information about community resources.) Workplaces are able to also make it easier for staff members to make healthy choices by providing flextime to allow staff members to fit activity in when it is convenient or by subsidizing programs in cooperation with community or private fitness facilities. A policy on catering for meetings can make sure that healthy foods are available.

Evaluate the plan. Share your successes with others, learn from your mistakes and modify activities.

A wellness program doesn’t have to be complicated or a huge expenditure. Just do it. Get support from management, bring a few committed people together to generate some ideas and get started.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Creating Supportive Environments

Corporate Wellness — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:34:49 +0000

How does it feel to walk into your worksite? Do people look happy? Is the place illuminated and cheerful? Do you feel welcome, wanted and energized? Or do you feel a gloom descend upon you, and count the hours until you are able to leave?
The importance of the workplace environment on the health and wellness of staff members is huge. First there is the physical look, feel, smell, and sounds of the place. Then you’re affected by the policies, like whether others are allowed to smoke around you. As time passes, more subtle factors begin to affect you. Do your attempts to live a healthier lifestyle get recognized at work, or are they sabotaged? Are your managers inspiring you by being healthy role models? Do you get regular opportunities to learn healthier behaviors?
In a supportive environment, workers feel that the employer they work for supplies them with encouragement, opportunity, and rewards for healthy lifestyles. And the spirit that results is highly contagious. Workers who feel cared are naturally more loyal and constructive.
The following ideas will help you transform your workplace environment into one that truly supports the wellness of your staff members and corporation.

Employee Health Promotion Program Ideas for Creating Supportive Environments

Wellness Friendly Facilities

When you enter a workplace, do you feel comfortable? Could you be happy working there? Is there sufficient light and clean air? Are there pleasant work areas, places to eat decent food, take a walk before lunch? Close your eyes. How does it smell? Sound? Do the staff members have sufficient space?
• Vending machines with healthy meal choices like low-fat milk, fruits, sugar-free and caffeine-free beverages and low-calorie snacks
• Workout area, walking paths, playing fields, basketball hoop, or other exercise opportunities workplace or nearby
• Cafeteria offers healthy foods including a salad bar with low-fat dressing
• Natural light is used whenever possible; all lighting is appropriate and adequate
• Heating and ventilation is adjustable, comfortable and healthful
• No cigarette machines, ashtrays, or smoking areas workplace
• Noise levels are safe and conducive to concentration
• Work station furniture conforms to ergometric standards
• Safety hazards have been eliminated
• Lockers and showers are available for employees who work out before work or during breaks
• Stairs are clean and well lit, convenient and pleasant to use
Familiarity can make it hard to evaluate a workplace. People get used to hectic conditions and forget that conditions ever bothered them. It may provce useful to ask people who are unfamiliar with your workplace to walk through with you. Professional consultants can also assist.

Proactive Wellness Policies

One clear way to impact behavior is through policies and procedures. If nurses aren’t permitted to work more than twelve hours in a row, there will be fewer medication errors. If parents are given flextime to manage their children’s needs, they’ll be less stressed. If staff members can apply unused sick days to planned vacation time, they’ll save them up rather than calling in sick to use them all.

Supportive corporate policies may include:

• Seat Belt use required in corporation vehicles
• Alcohol and drug policies are appropriate to the industry
• Emergency procedures are developed, known, and practiced
• Flexible work schedules allow workers to exercise, attend children’s school conferences, etc.
• Tobacco-free policy is enforced
• Excessive overtime is discouraged
• Membership at fitness facility is partially reimbursed
• Shift staff members are scheduled to allow adequate rest
• Healthcare Costs coverage rewards great health
• Absenteeism policy rewards staff members who don’t use sick days
• EAP available to help employees with chemical dependencies, depression, family issues
• Meaningful consequences are given for unsafe, unhealthy, prohibited behavior. Your organization may have a policy against alcohol use during work hours, but if everyone looks the other way when someone comes back from lunch reeking of beer, the culture is one that permits drinking at lunch-and one in which written policies can be safely ignored. Prohibited behaviors must be confronted promptly. Otherwise your policies remain mere lip service instead of springboards to health.

Consistent Recognition And Rewards For Success

Attention, praise, and rewards are given for wellness achievements.
You are able to show you value the Company Wellness Programs by celebrating your programs and those who have made lifestyle improvements in company newsletters, on bulletin boards, and at yearly banquets, meetings, and celebrations. Incentives are a direct way to show appreciation, too.
Wellness mentors are sought and applauded, too. Staff Members who support others’ efforts to better their health are noticed and appreciated. Peer modeling and mentoring classes can promote those who enjoy assisting others to step forward into a new role.

Managers Model And Support Healthy Behavior

Nothing might say “We bolster you to exercise often” better than a manager going on a bike ride during the lunch hour–or your supervisor sitting next to you in a weight management class. Wellness activities encourage relaxed interaction between people from different departments and at different echelons in the chain of command. That promotes relaxed communication and a feeling of solidarity that is pure gold.
Managers can also provide support for employees who are working on bettering their health. It doesn’t take anything fancy-just a “great job” or “nice to see you at the fitness center” can put a glow on the cheeks of most of us.
Managers have the potential to also help by allowing employees the flexibility to attend wellness events.

Ongoing Employee Wellness Programs

It’s significant to give staff members the sense that the wellness program is a permanent and significant part of the organization, not a organization fad. That can begin as soon as a new employee is hired.
New workers are oriented to the wellness program as one of the employee benefits. Information about the program must be presented by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable person who invites the new employee to participate.
The staff members are familiar with the ongoing wellness programs.
The wellness programs and wellness coordinator are well known in the company. Opportunities to take part are abundant and it’s simple to sign up.
A wide variety of awareness classes are available. There are subject matters of interest for everyone.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Motivational Corporate Health Promotion Program Events

Corporate Wellness — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:34:49 +0000

These are fun and easy events that have the potential to be done within your corporation to motivate healthy behaviors during a contest or during other times. The intention is to bolster employee participation. Some examples:
• Design a sub-committee of enthusiastic workers who will help encourage the exercise program by offering ideas, ideas and encouragement to fellow workers.
• Establish monthly mailbox brochures to promote a contest or support fitness-related education/encouragement information.
• Send a periodic voicemail on each member’s phone with encouraging wellness messages.
• Provide regular cumulative health progress reports.
• Offer reduced fat or heart-healthy lunch selections weekly in your cafeteria or have employees bring a healthy snack to share, with a recipe book compiled at the culmination of the contest or specified time period (such as a National Nutrition Month in March).
• Distribute employee gifts (pedometers or other novelty item related to some aspect of your contest theme) as registration kicks off.
• Allocate for employees “Fitness 15-Minute Walk Breaks;” organization time to walk, physical activity, etc. If appropriate, you might use a space not currently used to set up a treadmill, elliptical, bicycle, some free weights and meditation music.
• Have a T-shirt design contest.
• Create posters to map contest (or fitness) progress and to serve as reminder of your goals/objectives:
   • Use push pins or other identifiers for each individual to display in the office showing how they have progressed – employees have the potential to get very creative with this and design pins that reflect their personalities.
   • Use a bar graph to compare progress.
   • Use a “thermometer” type graphic and illustrate progress – consider a different, fitness-related graphic all together and color it in as you progress.
• Provide aerobic dance or walking videos in your conference or break rooms.
• Compile a list of organized activities in the area that offer opportunities to get staff members exercising by participating as a team (below are just a few):
   • Race For The Cure
   • March of Dimes Walk America event
   • Juvenile Diabetes Research
   • Foundation Walk to Cure
   • American Heart Association’s Heart Walk
   • American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life
   • American Lung Association’s Lung Run
   • Local marathons or special general area walks or runs
• Designate or catch a health-and-fitness workshop or retreat.
• Have a soup-and-salad luncheon followed by a hula-hoop contest!
• Use the mall as an alternate walking location during inclement weather.
• Designate “Move it Mondays” – allow workers to take an extra ten minutes during lunch for exercise.
• Designate “Tasty Tuesdays” – provide workers with low-calorie treats/snacks.
• Designate “Walking Wednesdays”- allow workers to take an extra 10 minutes at lunch to walk, or “Wacky Wednesdays” that allow workers to explore new exercises.
• Designate “Thirsty Thursdays” – make healthy smoothies or juice drinks for staff members.
• Create “Fresh Fruit Fridays” for employee – offer seasonal produce treats.
• Send weekly physical activity tips to staff members via the most effective communications vehicle in your workplace.
• Partner with another employer representative for local media events coordinated through your advertising or communication department.
• Urge departmental teams to challenge each other (examples: Customer Service, Marketing, Health Support).
• Create walking clubs with executive/supervisory leadership.
• Seek out local aerobic opportunities or classes through churches, community groups, college, YMCA, etc.
• Contact several local area fitness centers and ask if they can or will offer group discounts for exercise programs, waive enrollment fees, or set up a 12-week program as opposed to signing an extended contract.
• Have a Frozen Yogurt Social – “Reap the Benefits of Fitness.”
• Map out a walking track around the building including the number of laps needed for one mile.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Healthy Emails / Wellness Emails

Corporate Wellness — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:34:48 +0000

These are concise informational “Health Tips” in an e-mail format on many different health-related subject matters. You are able to appoint someone within your organization to find specific subject matters on the Internet from sites that are in the public domain or subject matters can be purchased from businesses. Some qualified sources include:
• Hope Health
• Sound Ideas, Inc.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Institutes of Health

These e-mails can be sent daily, weekly or monthly. Our experience indicates weekly is the best frequency.

If the majority of your staff members do not have e-mail, consider offering the information to them through:
• Bulletin boards
• Check stuffers
• Mailbox stuffers
• Newsletters

SAMPLE #1 Job Site Wellness E-mail Messages

From: Worksite Wellness Program
To: Wellness Team
Subject: Layering for Exercise

One way to help ensure enjoyment of a winter walk (or run) is to make sure you’re dressed properly for the weather. And the secret to that, for a winter workout, is to dress in layers.
Layer 1 — Avoid 100 percent cotton in the first layer, next to your skin. Cotton holds moisture. Wear underwear made from manmade fabrics to wick perspiration away from skin.
Layer 2 — A zippered sweatshirt and sweatpants will keep you warm. Just open the zipper if you get too warm.
Layer 3 — If needed, over the sweatsuit, you can add a waterproof and windproof jacket. If it’s very cold, you may want to wear a jacket made with goose down.
Hands — Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.
Feet — Wear socks made from wool or manmade fabrics that keep your feet dry and warm. Avoid 100 percent cotton socks. Don’t wear sneakers or boots that fit too tightly … this will restrict blood flow and your feet will end up feeling colder.
Head — About 40% of your body’s heat is lost through your head. Wear a hat and cover your ears.
Lips — Don’t forget lip balm containing sunscreen … even in winter!

SAMPLE #2 Worksite Wellness E-mail Messages

From: Company Health Promotion Program
To: Wellness Team
Subject: Energy Boosts

Need an energy boost? Here are some ideas for tapping into your own energy sources — and most require little effort.
• Get an extra hour of sleep. No surprise here — it is able to make a large difference in your energy level the next day.
• Eat less more often. Have little, balanced meals or snacks throughout your day for a steady supply of fuel and energy. Make note of which foods seem to boost your energy level.
• Drink plenty of water. Dehydration leads to to fatigue, which you can offset by drinking water throughout the day.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both can contribute to dehydration and fatigue. They also tend to disrupt sleep patterns.

Corporate Wellness Blog : Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs

Corporate Wellness — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:34:48 +0000

Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs are learning sessions planned and organized by you to meet specific goals and objectives. Decide on a topic and find a speaker. Choose a site for the “Lunch and Learn” session, usually a lunchroom or break room. Depending on your budget and objectives, workers have the potential to brown bag the lunch or you could offer the meal. Meetings have the potential to be mandatory or elective, your choice.
Experience tells us the most success will be experienced if these Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs are elective and if the company provides lunch.
Goals for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Sessions

Education on a specific health problem. You may want to choose one of your group’s top diagnoses. Examples are:
• Diabetes – diabetes prevention and care by a certified diabetic educator
• Cardiovascular disease – cardiovascular health (individual counseling sessions with a nutritionist)
• High Blood Pressure (BP)
• High cholesterol
• Flu and pneumonia
• Breast cancer – breast health or breast self-exam sessions have the potential to be taught by a trained instructor

Education on health care insurance benefits:
• Diabetes – what are the covered benefits, where to purchase diabetic supplies, support groups for employees with diabetes.
• Worksite Health Promotion Program Benefits
• Well baby/child care.

Education on the effect of enrolling in your health plan or local health department’s health education programs or disease management programs. Example programs:
• Diabetes
• Respiratory
• Low-Back Pain
• Cardiovascular
• Tobacco use

Community Resource Speakers for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs
• Local health plan office
• Local heart association
• Local cancer society
• Pharmacies – many pharmacists are available to speak on pharmacy-related concerns.
• Prescription Drug Companies – countless corporations have standard presentations developed for employers that are provided no cost of charge to use at your own direction. Some examples are:
   • Know Your Numbers (elevated cholesterol) – Pfizer
   • Respiratory Wellness (flu and pneumonia) – Pfizer
   • Men’s and Women’s Health – Pfizer
• Local gyms/personal trainers/YMCA – are able to discuss walking safety, benefits of walking, swimming and aerobics.
• Yoga and/or Pilates instructors
• Running, cycling club representatives
• Local hospital nutritionists
• Stamp Out Smoking – Tobacco Coalition representatives

Topics for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs

• Bicycling – benefits and opportunities for cycling
• Nutrition and health (Heart Healthy lunch for all attendees)
• Cardiovascular health
• Women’s health problems
• How to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke
• National Employee Fitness Day within the office setting – Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness representatives can encourage event
• Exercise tolerance and healthy heart problems
• Initiating an exercise program – include the significance of seeing the doctor before beginning of any new exercise program
• Self-defense
• Domestic violence
• Safety in general
• Exercise safety
• Walking/running benefits and safety tips Tobacco dangers and avoidance

Corporate Wellness Blog : Job Site Wellness Ideas

Corporate Wellness — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:34:47 +0000

Conducting an Employee Fitness Challenge at your workplace is a fun and exciting way to raise awareness among workers about the significance of beginning and sustaining an exercise program. It is a concentrated effort in which to engage them in physical activity for a specific time period that, hopefully, will help them start a healthy habit that will last a lifetime.
Still, it is significant to take part in wellness all year. This section supports a accross the board list of Workplace Health Promotion Program ideas that have been implemented within wellness programs.
All ideas presented in this section have been thriving for one or both of the entities. Each exercise/idea can be used as a stand-alone event, even if you don’t conduct a fitness contest, or can be held in conjunction with your Employee Fitness Contest.
You may want to choose some of the ideas you believe will work for your employees or come up with others and start your plan to establish a better state of health.