Employee Wellness Programs: Focus on Exercise Initiatives

Benefits of Exercise 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 employees.

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 United States employeres help workers pay for gym memberships, according to an Associated Press report. Subsidizing gym memberships is just one way employers promote active lifestyles.

Popular Exercise Initiatives:

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