Posts from — September 2010

Just how does exercise fit into a full-time employee’s busy schedule? Often, it doesn’t.

One possible solution to this challenge is to make physical activity a part of the work day. Clearly, being active at work is beneficial for workforce.

But companys also benefit from having fit, energetic and healthy personnel who are more productive.

The challenges

Your job takes up a lot of your time. In addition to the hours you spend actually working, there’s the time required to get to and from work and take lunch and rest breaks during the work day.

In the end, there are a not many hours left over for the rest of your life. This work life imbalance is namely true for Alberta, where statistics show that we work exceptionally hard.

Many jobs today are sedentary, and many Americans drive to work.  The pressures of work may also cause us to eat lunch at our desks and skip breaks.

Then, after work or on the weekends we juggle household chores, family responsibilities and social engagements.

Health Promotion Programs –  Get started on a worksite fitness program

Management plays a key role in building a culture that promotes health.  The leaders at your workplace influence the various policies and the informal or formal practices, and these policies and practices affect your attitude towards healthful active living.

Begin by talking to your boss about the advantages of a healthy active worksite.  The best way to ensure the success of a worksite fitness program is to have the executive management on side and cheering you on.

Ask your boss to consider taking these actions -

o  Send a memo or message about the importance of health and healthful living that encourages staff to take an active break each day.

o  Give for flexible work hours that help staff to be more physically active. for  instance, they might need to take a longer lunch break to attend an exercise class, making up the time by coming to work early or staying late.

o  Make available a meeting room or other suitable office space for noon-hour yoga or exercise classes, and hire a teacher to lead them, or use videos.

If your boss agrees to support a worksite fitness program, do not forget to say thanks.

You do not need an onsite gym

Only very big companies can afford on-site fitness facilities such as exercise equipment or squash courts. Still, most businesss can take other low cost steps to support workforce who wish to become more active.

For example -

o  Arrange for discounted fees for workers at a health and fitness center, recreation centeror YMCA facility.

o  Install showers and a place to hang a towel. (Be sure the showers are cleaned regularly and that women who use them will feel secure.)

o  Install bicycle racks or a locked enclosure that is safe, conveniently located and well lighted.

o  Hold walking meetings and set up lunch-hour walking groups

o  Make workforce cognizant of safe and pleasant walking routes near the worksite, in addition to nearby facilities that offer exercise plans (like walking, swimming, running, yoga, stretching).

o  Hire a qualified instructor to teach staff about health, fitness and how to become more active.

Any size and type of workplace can support workers who wish to be physically active. It is highly desirable to get senior level management on side.

Even if your boss is not supportive, you can still find ways to get moving more. Be certain to set up activities for groups and person, and encourage your coworkers to join in.

We all know that physical activity is an important part of health and well-being. But sometimes it is hard to find time for physical activity.

Lack of time is the number one barrier that people  say avoids them from participating in exercise on a regular basis.

The good news is that even short sessions of exercise 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 benefits.

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

o  multi-tasking

o  being active at work

o  being active with loved ones

o  scheduling activity 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 review strategies you can try. With enough commitment, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1 –  Multi-tasking

The first strategy you can attempt 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 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, attempt to be active for at least part of the trip. If you are riding the bus, for instance, get off several blocks early and walk the rest of the way.

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

You can also get physical activity while doing housework and chores.

When you’re working around home, attempt to be creative and look for the active option. 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 are generally more active. for  instance, use a snow shovel rather than a snow blower.

Strategy #2 –  be Active at Work

Many American Citizens spend eight hours a day or more working at a sedentary job. Here are several simple ways to keep your body moving during the workday.

The physical activity will revitalize you and help you be more productive.

When you are working at your desk, attempt sitting on a stability ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and abs a workout.

Take active breaks at least once a day. During your coffee break, attempt doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk.

You could find 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 in lieu of the elevator whenever you can.  The stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Organize walking meetings at work. Getting outside and having meetings in a less formal setting is a excellent 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 bicycle rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your children to the park, play with them instead of just watching them play.

A lot of community facilities offer courses that keep you and your kids active at the same time. Research these courses and take one or two.

You can even be active when you are watching your children do activities without you. for example, if your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands several times.

If you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4 –  Schedule Exercise into Your Day

Schedule your physical activity directly into your daytimer. Be sure to set a specific time and place for exercising. Make your physical activity appointments a priority, just as important as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your physical activity appointments, you may want to make appointments that involve other individuals  - like by meeting with a fitness trainer, taking an exercise class or jogging with a friend.

When you are not sure how many appointments to make or what you must be doing during your appointments, attempt consulting with a fitness trainer. A fitness trainer can help you create a physical activity plan and schedule.

The bottom line –  determine what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to other individuals  about how they keep active and what strategies they use.

Be creative and patient while you figure out 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!

o  Commit to workplace physical activity in policy statements and commit funding to physical activity initiatives.

o  Clearly communicating the benefits of being physically active during the workday reinforces the organization’s commitment to assisting all staff be active.

Use meetings, bulletin boards, newsletters and e-mail to reach as many staff as possible at least once a year.

o  Offer flex time for physical activity. Invite workers who actively commute to work or exercise during lunchtime to make up any missed time later in the day.

o  Allow staff to work part time, so that they can take part in exercise.

o  Include a physical activity account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counselling or instruction.

o  Give interest-free loans for workers to buy bikes or good walking shoes/runners.

o  Conduct periodic surveys of staff physical activity preferences, and offer a variety of options to suit those interests and needs.

o  Hire licensed individuals  to lead stretch breaks or physical activity programs or classes. for help in locating accredited fitness leaders, visit Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit.

o  Recognize employees who participate in exercise. Survey employees first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through company newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.

o  Provide child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.

o  Avoid scheduling meetings over lunch.

o  Be certain to encourage active breaks instead of coffee breaks.

o  Have active fundraisers rather than bingos. for example, personnel might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bicycle for 24 hours.

o  Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday individuals to select an activity. Choices could include a session with a yoga teacher or an evening ski trip.

o  Promote a casual dress day. One study found that employees who dress casually were more physically active.

o  Make sure that your building’s stairwells are clean, attractive and safe, and post signs stimulating staff to use the stairs.

o  Establish a wellness newsletter or intranet.

o  Promote the Activity Tracker and encourage personnel to track their physical activity every week.

o  be creative, and make the most of the workspace you have. for  instance, mark off a safe walking path inside or around the building.

You may also set up a training circuit, highlighting features of the worksite such as stairs.

o  Offer exercise opportunities at different times to accommodate night-, shift-, and part-time employees.

o  For workforce in remote or satellite offices, offer equal access to key health promotion programs via the intranet. Adapt challenges to suit their environment and take benefit of local facilities and resources.

o  Make exercise available to personnel with special needs. Adapt information and activities for any staff who are visually impaired or physically disabled as well as for people  who speak English as a second language.

o  Educate workforce about physical activity using information from reputable sources such as the Alberta Center for Active Living.

o  Make available facilities that invite on-site physical activity. Possibilities include bike racks, an exercise room, change rooms with lockers and showers, and safe and attractive grounds for walking.

o  Hold walking meetings.

o  Make certain to encourage staff to walk to colleagues’ offices instead of e-mailing or phoning.

o  Make sure to set up a stretching room. This low-cost program requires only a room, stretching mats, stability balls and medicine balls. Put up posters that show stretches and exercises.

o  Give incentives such as shoe bags, ball caps, T-shirts or water bottles to reward staff participation.

o  Loan out pedometers for three months, so that staff can find out how many steps they normally take and how much activity they need to add to get basic health benefits.

o  Make space for personnel to plant and maintain a flowerbed or garden at the workplace. Use any resulting produce for meetings and potluck lunches or donate it to charity.

o  Plan a workplace wellness fair.

o  Hire a licensed fitness expert to design and manage an onsite fitness facility.

o  Supply staff with active wear that shows off the company logo.

o  Organize a launch event to develop excitement about upcoming activities and to develop a social climate that establishes being active as the norm.

o  Organize and promote monthly or bi-monthly company events that are fun and active, e.g., picnics with physical games, staff tournaments and dragon boat racing.

Make certain to encourage families to join in by including all-ages events such as relay races, soccer matches, bocce ball and baseball games.

o  Begin a swim club at a local pool. Invite groups of personnel to swim the distance of a nearby lake. Convert kilometres to lengths and reward personnel who complete the swim.

Make certain to set up a challenge between employees and managers to see who covers the greatest distance.

o  Post a sign-up board where staff can join a group or find a buddy to participate in activities of interest.

o  Arrange a company badminton tournament that lasts a few months, with each worker playing once a week. Post the results as the tournament progresses.

o  Organize an office Olympics, World Cup, Wimbledon or Masters Games. Invite teams to compete in several activities over a month. Reward everybody who participates.

o  Develop a point system in which one minute of activity equals one point. Be certain to set a target, and post a chart where all personnel can track their points. Reward the first group to reach that target.

o  Co-ordinate a stair climb challenge. Post a chart at the top of the stairwell, and encourage workforce to track the number of flights of stairs they climb each workday.

Be certain to set up teams, and award a prize to the first team to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest.

o  Post and promote a sign-up board for lunchtime walking groups.

o  Organize a walk “across the U.S. ” Pick a route, figure out how many steps it’d take to walk that distance and challenge staff members to do it.

Provide or loan pedometers to personnel, and ask them to record the number of steps they take. Or, when you cannot afford pedometers, track the minutes walked. Be certain to set up a challenge between personnel and managers to see who can walk across the U.S.  first.

o  Co-ordinate a walk to work club. Acknowledge staff who either walk to work or walk to public transit.

o  Have a volunteer group leader guide weekly lunchtime power walks.

o  Coordinate 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 could compete with each other and with management.

o  Challenge workforce to walk 10,000 steps a day. Buy pedometers for all participating workforce or, if you can’t afford that, make pedometers available at a decreased rate.

Provide tips for increasing daily steps, and reward employees who succeed.

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

Health Promotion Program –  A Range of Approaches

Despite the fact that the goal is to eventually have a long-term, extensive wellness program, some corporations prefer to start with a single program at a basic level.

For example, the first steps could be as simple as offering lunch-hour sessions on first aid or healthful eating; or they could launch a pilot project to find out how interested staff are to ensure staff needs are being met before taking on anything more ambitious.

This approach provides a chance to show the impact on workforce and the worksite so upper-level management are going to be more willing to consider a larger and more far-reaching strategy.

Other companies plan a variety of health promotion programs to meet the needs of the different types of individuals  that make up their workforce.  And some decide to develop a sound corporation case, complete with a health strategy, before attempting any type of health promotion program.

Companies want to ensure that a new wellness program is fully integrated with their overall company vision and mission.

Health Promotion Program –  Success Factors

Whether your corporation chooses to think large from the outset or to start with something smaller, always keep in mindthe following key success factors -

o  support and participation from management;

o  worker involvement in planning;

o  health promotion programs that meet worker needs;

o  A realistic budget; and

o  continuous review.

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

Good planning will help to ensure that your health promotion program happens the way you want it to, and that costs can be identified in advance and kept within budget. Good planning avoids small problems from becoming bigger.

Steps in Planning a Wellness Program

Obtain senior level management support. You might need to create a organization case to convince managers that the wellness program is a organization strategyâ.”that staff member health and job satisfaction affects their productivity. Staff Members need to see evidence that senior level management believes in and is committed to staff member health.

Establish a planning committee. Members can include representatives from worker groups in addition to from HR, safety and health, and communications.

Collect information.  To prove that your health promotion program is beneficial, establish a benchmark before the health promotion program starts. You may wish to look at staff member satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug costs or WCB expenditures.

Assess what worksite facilities are available to support staff members to make healthful choices like showers and change areas or a secure place to store a bicycle. Assess employee needs through a recent survey or questionnaire, suggestion box or focus group. Communicate the results.

Create the plan to reflect the information collected. Include wellness program objectives, activities and how you are going to measure whether your objectives were met.

Keep the plan flexible. You could have to change direction in response to staff member feedback or changes in the company’s structure.

Get senior level management approval. Support for staff time and a budget are needed.

Put activities in place. Provide a variety of activities that develop awareness, increase knowledge, develop skills, and provide social interaction.

Activities could include walking clubs, participation in national campaigns like Employee Wellness Week, SummerActive, WinterActive, corporate challenge, golf days, and newsletters that provide information about community resources.

Worksites can also make it easier for employees to make healthful choices by providing flextime to allow employees to fit activity in when it is convenient or by subsidizing health promotion programs in cooperation with community or private fitness facilities. A policy on catering for meetings can ensure that healthful foods are offered.

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

A health promotion program does not have to be complicated or a enormous investment. Just do it. Get support from management, bring a few committed individuals  together to generate some ideas and get began.

Exactly how does it feel to walk into your worksite? Do people  look happy? is the place well lit and cheerful? Do you feel welcome, wanted and energized? Or do you feel a gloom come over you, and count the hours until you can leave?

The influence of the worksite environment on the wellness of staff members is profound. First there’s the physical look, feel, smell, and sounds of the place. Then you are affected by the policies, like whether others are permitted to smoke around you.

After awhile, more subtle factors start to affect you. Do your attempts to adopt a healthier lifestyle get recognized at work, or are they sabotaged? Are your managers inspiring you by being healthful role models? Do you get regular opportunities to learn healthier behavior?

In a supportive environment, personnel feel that the corporation they work for provides them with encouragement, opportunity, and rewards for healthful life choices.

And the spirit that results is highly contagious. Employees who feel cared are naturally more loyal and productive.

The following ideas will help you transform your workplace environment into one that truly supports the wellness of your workforce and organization.

Wellness Program Ideas for Creating Supportive Environments

Wellness Friendly Facilities

When you enter a workplace, do you feel comfortable? Could you be glad working there? is there enough light and clean air? Are there pleasant work areas, places to eat decent food, take a walk before lunch? Close your eyes. Just how does it smell? Sound? Do the workers have enough space?

There’s no doubt that our physical environment affects us, from basic safety matters to subtle factors that can cause  or reduce stress. Healthy environments often have these features -

o  Vending machines with healthy food choices like low-fat milk, fruits, sugar-free and caffeine-free beverages and low-calorie snacks

o  Workout area, walking paths, playing fields, basketball hoop, or other exercise opportunities onsite or nearby

o  Cafeteria offers healthy foods including a salad bar with low-fat dressing

o  Natural light is used whenever possible; all lighting is appropriate and adequate

o  Heating and ventilation is adjustable, comfortable and healthy

o  No cigarette machines, ashtrays, or tobacco use areas onsite

o  Noise levels are safe and conducive to concentration

o  Be certain to work station furniture conforms to ergometric standards

o  Safety hazards have been eliminated

o  Lockers and showers are available for employees who workout before work or during breaks

o  Stairs are clean and well lit, convenient and pleasant to use

Familiarity may make it hard to evaluate a workplace. People  get used to stressful conditions and forget that conditions ever bothered them.

It might be useful to ask individuals  who are unfamiliar with your workplace to walk through with you. Expert consultants can also help.

Proactive Wellness Policies

One clear way to influence behavior is through policies and procedures. When nurses are not permitted to work more than twelve hours in a row, there are going to be fewer medication errors.

When parents are allowed flextime to attend to their children’s needs, they’ll be less stressed. When personnel can apply unused sick days to planned vacation time, they’ll save them up in lieu of calling in sick to use them all.

Supportive corporate policies could include -

o  Seatbelt use required in organization automobiles

o  Alcohol and drug policies are appropriate to the industry

o  Emergency procedures are developed, known, and practiced

o  Flexible work schedules allow workforce to exercise, attend children’s school conferences, etc.

o  Nonsmoking policy is enforced

o  Excessive overtime is discouraged

o  Membership at workout facility is partially reimbursed

o  Shift personnel are scheduled to allow adequate rest

o  Medical care coverage rewards good health

o  Absenteeism policy rewards employees who do not use sick days

o  Worker assistance program available to help staff with chemical dependencies, depression, family problems

o  Significant consequences are given for unsafe, unhealthy, prohibited behavior.  Your corporation may have a policy against alcohol use during work hours, but when everyone looks the other way when someone comes back from lunch smelling like beer, the culture is one that permits drinking at lunch-and one in which written policies can be safely ignored.

Prohibited behaviors ought to be confronted promptly. Otherwise your policies become mere lip service in lieu of springboards to health.

Consistent Recognition and Rewards for Success

Attention, praise, and rewards are given for wellness achievements.

You can show you value wellness by celebrating your health promotion programs and those who’ve made lifestyle improvements in company newsletters, on bulletin boards, and at annual banquets, meetings, and celebrations. Incentives are a direct way to show appreciation, too.

Wellness mentors are sought and applauded, too. Employees who support others’ efforts to improve their health are noticed and appreciated. Colleague modeling and mentoring classes can encourage those who enjoy helping others to step forward into a new role.

Managers Model and Support Healthy Behavior

Nothing could say “We encourage you to exercise often” better than a manager going on a bicycle ride during the lunch hour–or your supervisor sitting next to you in a weight control class.

Wellness activities promote relaxed interaction between people  from different departments and at different levels in the chain of command. That promotes relaxed communication and a feeling of solidarity that is pure gold.

Managers can also provide support for workers who are working on improving their health. It doesn’t take anything fancy-just a “good job” or “nice to see you at the fitness club” can put a glow on the cheeks of most of us.

Managers can also help by authorizing staff the flexibility to attend wellness events.

Ongoing Health Promotion Programs

It is imperative that you give personnel the sense that the wellness program is a permanent and important part of the organization, not a organization fad. That can begin as soon as a new employee is hired.

New workforce are oriented to the health promotion program as one of the staff member benefits. Information about the health promotion program ought to be presented by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable person who invites the new staff member to participate.

The staff are familiar with the ongoing health promotion programs.

The wellness programs and wellness staff are well known in the corporation. Opportunities to participate are abundant and it’s easy to sign up.

A wide variety of awareness courses are offered. There are topics of interest for everyone.

These are fun and easy events that may be done within your company to motivate healthful behaviors during a contest or during other times.  The goal is to encourage employee participation. Some examples -

o  Create a sub-committee of enthusiastic workers who’ll help promote the fitness program by offering ideas, suggestions and encouragement to fellow workers.

o  Create monthly mailbox flyers to promote a contest or provide fitness-related education/encouragement information.

o  Send a weekly voicemail on each participant’s telephone with stimulating wellness messages.

o  Provide regular cumulative health progress reports.

o  Provide low-fat or heart-healthful lunch selections once a week in your cafeteria or have employees bring a healthful snack to share, with a recipe book compiled at the end of the contest or specified period (such as a National Nutrition Month in March).

o  Distribute employee gifts (pedometers or other novelty item related to some aspect of your contest theme) as registration starts.

o  Allow personnel “Fitness15-Minute Walk Breaks;” organization time to walk, exercise, etc. When appropriate, you could use a space not currently used to set up a treadmill, elliptical bicycle, some free weights and meditation music.

o  Hold a T-shirt design contest.

o  Develop posters to map contest (or fitness) progress and to serve as reminder of your goals -

o  Use push pins or other identifiers for each individual to put up in the office showing how they have progressed â.” staff members can get very creative with this and design pins that reflect their personalities.

o  Use a bar graph to compare progress.

o  Use a “thermometer” kind graphic and color in progress â.” consider a different, fitness-related graphic all together and color it in as you progress.

o  Offer aerobic dance or walking videos in your conference or break rooms.

o  Compile a list of organized events in the community that offer opportunities to get staff members exercising by participating as a team (below are just a few) -

o  Race for the Cure

o  March of Dimes Walk America event

o  Juvenile Diabetes Research

o  Foundation Walk to Cure

o  American Heart Association’s Heart Walk

o  American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life

o  American Lung Association’s Lung Run

o  Local marathons or special community walks or runs

o  Create or attend a health-and-fitness retreat or workshop.

o  Hold a soup-and-salad luncheon followed by a hula-hoop contest!

o  Use the mall as an alternate walking location during inclement weather.

o  Designate “Move it Mondays” â.” allow personnel to take an additional 10 minutes during lunch for exercise.

o  Designate “Tasty Tuesdays” â.” provide staff members with low-calorie treats/snacks.

o  Designate “Walking Wednesdays”â.” allow workforce to take an extra 10 minutes at lunch to walk, or “Wacky Wednesdays” that allow workforce to explore new exercises.

o  Designate “Thirsty Thursdays” â.” make healthful smoothies or juice drinks for personnel.

o  Designate “Fresh Fruit Fridays” for staff â.” offer seasonal fruit treats.

o  Send weekly exercise tips to personnel via the most effective communications automobile in your workplace.

o  Partner with another business representative for local media events coordinated through your advertising or communication department.

o  Be sure to encourage departmental teams to challenge each other (examples – Customer Service, Advertising and Marketing, Medical Support).

o  Launch walking clubs with executive/supervisory leadership.

o  Seek out local aerobic opportunities or courses through churches, community groups, college, YMCA, etc.

o  Contact a few local area health and fitness centers and ask if they can or will offer group discounts for fitness programs, waive enrollment fees, or set up a 12â.”week program as opposed to signing an extended contract.

o  Hold a Frozen Yogurt Social â.” “Reap the Advantages of Fitness.”

o  Map out a walking track around the building including the number of laps required for one mile.

These are short informational “Health Tips” in an e-mail format on many different health-related topics. You can appoint someone within your business to find specific topics on the Internet from sites that are in the public domain or topics may be purchased from corporations.

Some qualified sources include -

o  Hope Health

o  Sound Ideas, Inc.

o  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

o  National Institutes of Health

These e-mails could 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 providing the information to them through -

o  Bulletin boards

o  Check stuffers

o  Mailbox stuffers

o  Newsletters

SAMPLE #1 Company Health Promotion E-mail Messages

From – Health Promotion Program

To – Health Promotion 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 perspiration. 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 when you get too warm.

Layer 3 — If needed, over the sweatsuit, you can add a waterproof and windproof jacket. If it is very cold, you could 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. Prevent 100 percent cotton socks. Do not 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 heat is lost through your head. Wear a hat and cover your ears.

Lips — Do not forget lip balm with sunscreen … even in winter!

SAMPLE #2 Corporate Health Promotion E-mail Messages

From – Wellness Program

To – Wellness Team

Subject –  Energy Increases

Need an energy boost? Here are some ideas for tapping into your own energy sources — and most require little effort.

o  Get an additional hour of sleep. No surprise here — it can make a large difference in your energy level the next day.

o  Eat less more often. Have small, 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.

o  Drink plenty of water. Dehydration contributes to fatigue, which you can offset by drinking water throughout the day.

o  Prevent alcohol and caffeine. Both could contribute  to dehydration and fatigue. They also tend to disrupt sleep patterns.

Wellness Seminars are learning sessions planned and organized by you to meet specific goals. Decide on a topic and pick a speaker. Choose a site for the “Lunch and Learn” session, normally a lunchroom or break room.

Depending on your budget and objectives, workers can brown bag the lunch or you might provide the meal. Meetings could be mandatory or elective, your option.

Experience tells us the most success are going to be achieved if these Wellness Seminars are elective and if the employer provides lunch.

Objectives for Wellness Seminars

Education on a specific health problem. You might want to pick one of your group’s top diagnoses. Examples are -

o  Diabetes â.” diabetes prevention and care by a licensed diabetic educator

o  Heart disease â.” cardiovascular health (individual counseling sessions with a nutritionist)

o  High blood pressure

o  High cholesterol

o  Flu and pneumonia

o  Breast cancer â.” breast health or breast self-exam sessions could be taught by a trained instructor

Education on health insurance benefits -

o  Diabetes â.” what are the covered benefits, where to buy diabetic supplies, support groups for personnel with diabetes.

o  Health Promotion Program Benefits

o  Well baby/child care.

Education on the importance of enrolling in your medical plan or local health department’s health education programs or disease management (DM) programs. Example programs -

o  Diabetes

o  Respiratory

o  Low-Back Pain

o  Cardiovascular

o  Tobacco use

Community Resource Speakers for Wellness Workshops

o  Local health plan office

o  Local heart association

o  Local cancer society

o  Pharmacies â.” many pharmacists are available to speak on pharmacy-related issues.

o  Pharmaceutical Businesses â.” many businesses have standard presentations developed for businesss that are provided free of charge to use at your own direction. Some examples are -

o  Know Your Numbers (high cholesterol) â.” Pfizer

o  Respiratory Health Promotion (flu and pneumonia) â.” Pfizer

o  Men’s and Women’s Health â.” Pfizer

o  Local health clubs/personal trainers/YMCA â.” can discuss walking safety, benefits of walking, swimming and aerobics.

o  Yoga and/or Pilates instructors

o  Running, cycling club representatives

o  Local hospital nutritionists

o  Stamp Out Use of tobacco â.” Tobacco Coalition representatives

Topics for Health Promotion Seminars

o  Bicycling â.” benefits and opportunities for cycling

o  Nutrition and health (Heart Healthy lunch for all attendees)

o  Cardiovascular health

o  Women’s health issues

o  Just how to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke

o  National Staff Member Fitness Day within the office setting â.” Governor’s Council on Fitness representatives can promote event

o  Exercise tolerance and healthy heart issues

o  Beginning a workout program â.” include the importance of seeing the doctor prior to the starting of any new exercise program

o  Self-defense

o  Domestic abuse

o  Safety in general

o  Exercise safety

o  Walking/running benefits and safety tips Tobacco dangers and avoidance