Wellness: Winning the battle of the bulge
April 28, 2009 by Bill MeltzerPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Wellness
Employees have become more and more sedentary. How can the average firm get employees to exercise without hurting productivity?
Walking programs are the most effective way, according to a presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine. The reason: Programs with small, achievable exercise goals are more effective in helping sedentary adults start (and stay with) fitness programs than those with more challenging fitness goals.
Researchers conducted an eight-week study of adults who said they hated to exercise. One randomly chosen group of men and women were given relatively tough-to-reach fitness goals. The other was put on a less-strenuous walking program.
Across the board, the latter group demonstrated better fitness levels at the end of the program, because they stuck with their programs.
Pedometers boost interest
Walking programs work even better when participants use pedometers. Reason: Pedometers are a simple, non-invasive (and low-cost) way for people to increase their awareness of their daily activity and improve their overall fitness level.
In fact, the majority of folks who participated in the research project said they planned to continue wearing the device after the study was over.
There are a variety of pedometers on the market. Some tips from your colleagues on choosing the right device for employees:
- the simpler and cheaper the item, the easier it is to use and replace
- if you want to go more upscale but are worried about the price, consider asking participants to pay a portion of the cost, and
- consider practicality. For instance, pedometers with straps often work better than “pocket pedometers.”
December 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I try to sponsor an exercise activity a couple of times each year. I have learned that most people don’t like wearing pedometers. So I tried a program where each employee tracks minutes of activity. I discovered that some people exaggerate, a lot. But it is worth it since most participants want to improve health. Any ideas on keeping people honest? Thanks
April 30th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
How about teams and you could assign a timekeeper who you feel would be the most honest.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
We have started the wellness program with a challenge. The top person receives a healthy gift pack, and the branch with the top average steps get a helathy lunch! We have combined this with March of Dimes Walk a thon, and Relay for life events. It has had great response – some people are always goping to exagerrate, that’s just part of it. We a fitness instructor come out and demonstrate some Yoga type stretches and excercises you can do while working and it is amazing to see how many employees are actually doing some of the routines when you walk by there office or go in their branch!
May 1st, 2009 at 9:56 am
Our company is doing a biggest loser contest. It is totally voluntary, but we had 20% of our workforce sign up and stick with it. We are in week 8 now. We meet weekly for support and to talk about various health-related topics.Weigh-ins are private and confidential. As a company,we’ve lost 115 pounds to date (23 active participants). Even people not in the biggest loser are catching on. We’ve seen an increase in people bringing their lunch to work instead of going out (I’m sure the economy has a lot to do with that, too). People are walking before work and at lunch (we have a walking path in our business complex). I think it’s successful partly because people are inspired by each other and because we keep it real. It’s judgement-free and encouraging. We’ve even decided to extend the program an extra 6 weeks because everyone felt like 12 weeks wasn’t long enough.
May 6th, 2009 at 8:21 am
KD, I’m interested in your biggest loser contest. How do you work this contest – i.e. do they when money at the end? We are discussing a similar contest, but because we are a municipality, we have to limit the dollars involved. Thanks for your help.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Our budget is tight, too, so we got a lot of prizes donated: Our medical insurance group donated a Biggest Loser basket with a lot of nice gifts in it for the winner. They also donated pedometers for our participants. Our benefits broker donated a $100 spa gift card and a few lunch coolers for smaller prize drawings. Our company put in a $100 gas card. We also did a Biggest Loser “pot” -any participant who was interested would put in $1 per week. The biggest loser (who donated to the pot) would get the money at the end. We also are doing some health and nutrition lunch and learns along the way to keep everyone motivated and on target. Our worker’s comp clinic provides free blood pressure screenings and will arrange for a nurse or nutritionist to speak. We get 6 hours of free training annually from our medical insurance group and we are doing sessions on stress, nutrition, etc. The best way to do this contest on a shoestring budget is to not be shy- ask your medical insurance group or any other vendors you use frequently to donate prizes and or training time- most of them have logo products they will be able to donate (like the pedometers or lunch boxes). Some may be able to donate gift cards. It’s in the best interest of your medical insurer to support this effort because in the end employees will be healthier and their claims will go down. Good luck! I hope your contest goes well! Our group is up to 150 pounds lost total, now.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Thanks, KD. I really appreciate your suggestions. We also have to work around our State’s Ethics Laws which means we cannot accept donations from vendors or anyone who does business in our City or who may do future business – the laws are very strict for this State. However we could do the “win the pot” for those who wish to participate. I like the idea of using the vendors more for our lunch & learns. Again, thanks for the great ideas!
May 7th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
We are located next to a beautiful bike path, park and small shopping center. I am considering purchasing some used bicycles to have on hand for employee’s to use during their meal breaks. We would require a waiver from liability for general protection and require the employee be “off the clock” for protection from workers’ comp claims. Under no circumstances would the bikes be allowed to be used as work related transportation.
I was wondering if anyone else had a program of this type, and if so, what rules and protection were put in place. Any comments on the success or failure of your program would also be appreciated.
Thanks for your input.
djc
PS: I really like the idea of a “biggest loser” contest. It is something I would also consider.