Three tips for improving the health and wellness of your employees.

If you have ever worked in an office environment before, then you may understand just how much your health and fitness habits begin to hinder after following the same corporate routine day after day?taking lunch at your desk to catch up on emails and paperwork, getting up only to use the restroom or get a drink from the water cooler, sending emails to your fellow employees rather than getting up and walking to their desk. Sitting all day can not only mean bad posture and new aches and pains, but it can also mean poor health and gaining a few pounds in unwanted areas for employees.

However, while these may seem like minor flaws that simply come with a desk job, recent studies are now stating that the workplace is one of the leading causes of obesity in the United States. For instance, according to a report published recently in the New York Times, jobs that required moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50% of the labor market in 1960, have now plummeted to just 20%. The remaining 80% of jobs are sedentary, or require only light activity. This shift translates to an average decline of 120 to 140 calories a day in physical activity.

So, what can you as an employer do to encourage good habits at work and help maintain the healthy lifestyle of your employees? We have put together a few important tips that will help you encourage your employees to achieve the kind of wellness health that they are looking for, as well as promote health habits at work:

Implement a Beneficial Corporate Wellness Program

All across the country, businesses need to start thinking of ways to engineer physical activity back into the workplace, whether it’s simple taking walks during breaks or encouraging employees to take the stairs. However, one of the single best ways to motivate your employees to get active and start practicing daily exercise is through a corporate-sponsored health program.

Encourage Healthy Habits

If your employees work in an environment where they feel that health and fitness is promoted and encourages, they will be much more likely to follow this type of lifestyle. For instance, banish all soda and energy drinks from your company’s vending machine. Instead, set up more water coolers to encourage your employees to keep hydrated. Drinking water has a variety of health benefits. Almost two thirds of our bodies are made up of water, so it is important to stay hydrated.

Also, encourage your employees to get outside during their breaks and soak up some fresh air. It will blow the cobwebs away and help them to feel rejuvenated when they get back to work. Fresh air also helps to eliminate bugs and bacteria that can build up in workplaces (especially in a crowded office).

Practice What You Preach

It is very important for employer’s to practice good habits at work that encourage their fellow employees to do the same. Bring a plant to work for your desk. Get in the habit of bringing in a healthy, nutritious lunch rather than getting take-out from the closest restaurant. Work out with your employees in the company gym. Find a way to make where you work inspiring and inviting.

If you want to learn more about how Walkingspree’s beneficial corporate wellness program can improve your business and your employees, contact us today to get one step closer to a healthier, cost-efficient work environment.