Promoting Physical Wellness in the New Year

With the start of the new year, many Americans have revitalized energy surrounding their health and well-being for the upcoming year. For many working Americans, top-down support of physical well-being is essential for a healthy workplace environment. Employees who emphasize physical wellness often perform well in the workplace. Offering options such as wellness programs and opportunities can lead to a healthy, fulfilling experience for employees and play a significant factor in employee retention.

Physical well-being is essential for nearly every aspect of life, and employers can play a key role in supporting employees to make the right choices. Let's explore the connection between physical wellness and employee success.

Physical Wellness

As employees ring in the new year, many may be setting goals regarding their physical well-being, such as exercising regularly or maintaining a healthy weight. Although most adults are aware of the benefits of exercise, the World Health Organization reports that globally, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men don’t get enough exercise to stay healthy. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not getting enough exercise can lead to heart disease and increase the risk of developing other conditions that are risk factors, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Our partners at Sun Life has created a resource for employers on how they can create SMART goals to build a healthier lifestyle.

Here are some components to consider when promoting physical well-being to your employee population:

• Eat healthy and stay hydrated. Maintaining a healthy diet and staying hydrated are key components to physical wellbeing success.
• Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can help control blood pressure, blood sugar and support overall weight loss goals. It can also reduce the risk for weight-related disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.
• Managing stress levels. Stress can have a significant impact on both physical and mental wellness. Managing stress can improve overall sleep, concentration and lessen tension throughout the day.
• Avoid tobacco and limit alcohol consumption. Both alcohol and tobacco use have been proven to increase the risk of developing certain chronic conditions. Refraining from tobacco use and limiting alcohol consumption are the best ways to reduce overall risk.
• Get routine checkups. Regularly visiting the doctor and ensuring employees receive annual wellness check-ups can help improve the health education of your employee population.
• Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on one's physical and mental well-being. Getting enough sleep can severely impact an employee's daily baseline and readiness for the day.

Taking a multichannel approach when attempting to promote physical well-being in the workplace can help ensure that positive messaging is reaching your whole organization. Sending out emails, delivering printed articles, hanging up posters or infographics, or sharing brief videos with employees will help ensure that as many employees as possible receive your message.

Encouraging Physical Activity Programs

Research from Johns Hopkins has shown that employees who get at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week miss an average of 4.1 fewer days of work per year. Workplace programs that help employees to become more active require some thoughtful planning.

The following are some tips and guidelines to help you create a program that works for your employees:

• Make access available to places in the workplace for physical activity. This includes steps such as:
  • Developing safe walking trails or paths on the company worksite.
  • Installing showers for joggers and employees who exercise.
• Partner with local facilities such as local gyms, YMCAs and similar programs. Implementing an incentive where memberships are provided to local fitness facilities and physical activity programs (and membership fees are reduced or subsidized) can increase employee physical activity. Employers can also consider whether personnel from local fitness facilities or other trainers can come to the worksite to conduct programs designed to increase physical activity.
• Offer flextime to employees to allow them to participate in physical activity programs. Flextime consists of offering flexible times for the beginning and/or end of each workday (e.g., allowing employees to come in earlier or later, or to take a lunch break at alternate times), thus allowing employees to engage in physical activity through shifting their work schedules.
• Encourage stairwell use. Encouraging stairwell use is an inexpensive, proven approach to increasing employee physical activity. Use of "point of decision" signs (i.e., brief messages encouraging stairwell use) near elevators or escalators can increase stairwell use, as can improving stairwell safety and appearance, such as adding carpeting and lighting to make stair climbing more secure.
• Encourage employees to participate in local events involving physical activity, such as charity or other sponsored walks.
• Provide employees with information as to the benefits of physical activity.

Physical activity programs can help maintain a healthier workforce by providing a number of health benefits. These health benefits include a lower risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, some cancers, and depression. Do note that all employees should always consult with a physician before beginning a new physical activity program. Employees with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes (or those who are at high risk for these diseases), men over the age of 40, and women over the age of 50 should consult a physician before they begin any vigorous activity program.

For individualized guidance on how your organization can support your employees' wellness journeys, connect with your AssuredPartners team today.