Now more than ever, obesity in the workplace is a threat to your bottom line. Approximately 44 million Americans were considered obese in 2001, according to the CDC. This is up a staggering 74 percent since 1991, and numbers indicate that obesity levels will continue to rise.

Why should this concern employers? Also according to the CDC, being obese is as detrimental to health as aging 20 years. Clearly, obesity is a health issue that can have costly implications for your employees as well as your business.

Obesity's Effect on Employee Health & What YOU Can Do Encouraging your employees to meet their personal health goals has a direct impact on your company's bottom line. People who manage their weight in a healthy way reduce their risk of developing serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Let us help you spread the news about how proper nutrition and exercise support healthy weight control. We have several Weight Management resources to choose from. Each publication is informative, engaging, and can be easily added to any wellness program.

Stress Relief Saves Money & Lives

You know work-related stress is unhealthy for your employees, but it can be far worse than you might even imagine: It can kill.

Stress is a common condition, universal among people no matter what their work and life situations.

And at its most severe, studies have shown, it can cause a number of health problems.

Here are a few tips on relieving workplace stress:

• Create a peaceful workspace. A cluttered office can breed anxiety and intensify the sense of being overwhelmed.
• Block out noise. Whether it’s the repetitive sound of the copier or the incessant chatter of an inconsiderate co-worker, noise can distract you and increase your stress level. Invest in earplugs, listen to music, request to move farther away from the source of the noise, or politely ask your coworkers to keep it down.
• Take a break. Find time to get away from your desk and out of the office every day. Enjoy a healthy lunch, take a brisk walk around the building, or do something relaxing that gets your mind off work for a much-needed break.
• Schedule your days. Make time for work, play, exercise, healthy eating, family, and whatever else rounds out your life. Having things written down and planned out can make a hectic schedule seem more manageable and thus less stressful.

Wellness at Work

Here are a handful of healthful tips that will support you in living well during your 9-to-5:

Take a Stretch Break — Pause at least once every two or three hours to get up from your desk and stretch. You can bend over and touch your toes or you can clasp your fingers and raise your arms overhead. Stretching improves flexibility and increases circulation. It is also a good way to clear your mind and relieve any stress that may building up in your neck and shoulders.

Avoid Eating at Your Desk — One way to reduce your consumption of empty calories is to declare your desk area or work space a food free zone. If you think about the food usually consumed at your desk, it tends not to be healthful. Limiting your intake of unhealthy snacks is critical to achieving your weight loss and wellness goals. The key to limiting your intake is closely monitoring your portions. It is almost impossible to pay attention to how much food you are consuming while you are answering emails and talking on the phone. Thats why developing the habit of eating away from your desk can lead to a healthier (and possibly slimmer) you.

Spend More Time at the Water Cooler — Make it a point to stay hydrated throughout the day. This is important for two reasons. Often times when you think you are hungry you are in fact thirsty. Drinking lots of water is one way to stop the hunger pangs that often derail your weight loss and wellness goals. Secondly, according to F. Batmaghelidj, M.D., author of Youre Not Sick, Youre Thirsty! , Water is the main source of energy formation in the body. Even the food that is supposed to be a good source of energy has no value to the body until it is hydrolyzed by water and energized in the process.

Control Clutter One the biggest threats to our overall health and well-being is stress. And nothing triggers stress like being surrounded by piles of papers and stacks of clutter reminding you of everything you need to do. Pausing periodically throughout your day to organize your desk and tame the paper tiger will go a long way in improving your overall sense of well-being.

Find a Partner Making a commitment to live well while at work is not easy, and you will need support. Finding a co-worker who has similar goals and is willing to encourage you in staying focused on your goals can be your secret weapon in the battle to adopt a healthier lifestyle at work. You can meet at regular intervals to discuss your progress, offer suggestions in overcoming specific challenges and celebrate your victories. The most important thing you can do is hold each other accountable for doing what needs to be done in order to live a healthier workaday life.

Author: Jackie Stanley

Health & Wellness Program Benefits To Employer- Roy Shepard,MD, PHD, DPE

An analysis of research studies evaluating the impact of employee wellness programs conducted by Roy J. Shephard, MD, PhD, DPE revealed the following major findings

Gains were larger when incentives were used to encourage participation.

Medical claims decreased by an average of $100- $400 per year relative to participants in control groups.

Cardiac risk factors were lowered in wellness program participants. The greatest savings should be expected to accrue over time. Employers should expect to see an initial increase in health care claims due to the identification of health problems as a result of health assessments.

Corporate Wellness Program Increases Work Performance- A NASA Study Experiment

Although improvement in an individuals ability to perform work is somewhat difficult to quantify, several researchers have studied the impact of exercise on job performance. For example, NASA found that while the productivity of non-exercising office workers decreased 50% during the final two hours of the work day, exercisers worked at full efficiency all day.(7) This amounts to a 12.5% difference in productivity between the two groups.

Wellness Program Lowers Absenteeism-Studies by General Mills, General Electric, and DuPont

Several industry studies have demonstrated reductions in absenteeism and disability time as a result of employee wellness programs. The reduction in absenteeism varies but most organizations implementing comprehensive wellness programs have seen improvement in this area. While studies at Dupont and General Mills found 14 - 19% reductions, General Electric reports an astounding 45% decrease in absenteeism.

Lower Company Cost- Studies by University of Michagan Health Management

Extensive studies by researchers at the University of Michigan Health Management research center indicate that as employee risks go up or down, the change in costs to a company follow in the same direction. Once health risks have been identified, wellness programs can be developed or revised to meet the prevalent needs within the employee population. It is equally important to design programs to prevent low risk employees from adding risk factors over time in order to reap the long -term benefits of a wellness program.