Revolution Athletics

With the rising of health care costs and a large segment of the population of North America that is either overweight or obese it just makes sense that corporations engage in some form of company fitness program. “Obesity costs U.S. employers more than $13 billion annually and it also adversely affects the quality of life and health of their workers,” says LuAnn Heinen, Director of the Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity. In the United States taxpayers spend $39 billion dollars in 2003 for the treatment of conditions attributed to obesity, (2).

According to Harvard economics professor Juliet Schor, people are working harder than they ever have before. Believe it or not, the typical American now works 47 hours a week - 164 more hours per year than only 20 years ago. Added to this fact many workers now commute more than ever before to work each day (especially in major metropolitan areas such as southern California, New York, Dallas, Washington or Chicago). What happens from all of these hours away from home is a lack of physical activity, higher stress levels, reduced options for proper nutrition (so you tend to eat out more often), decreased mental focus and a higher chance of depression.

Studies have shown that the United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation in the world and yet, in many respects, it's citizens are not the healthiest, (5). It is clear that simply spending more money on fixing the problems is not a solution to the problem. In many cases I consider health care to be "sick care", as we throw money at problems once they have occurred rather than try to prevent damage before it happens. Studies have shown that preventable illness makes up approximately 70 percent of the burden of illness and the associated costs (1) and yet we continue to fund a health care system that is obsolete.

Companies however are starting to see the light with regard to health care costs by offering physical fitness programs for their employees. Numerous studies have shown that companies can maximize the investment in their employees by offering a corporate fitness program. Today, more than 81% of America’s businesses with 50 or more employees have some form of health promotion program the most popular being exercise, stop-smoking classes, back care programs, and stress management. This has a profound effect on the bottom line for a corporation. In 1992 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indiana found that its corporate fitness program had a 250% return on investment ($2.51 returned for every $1 invested into a fitness related program over a five year period, (4). US company Dupont showed a decrease in absenteeism by 47.5% over a six year period for all company employees who took part in their corporate fitness program. Their study also showed a 14% decrease in disability days, saving a total of 11,726 man days for the company of 26,315 employees over that same six year period, (3).

Hope to offset the costs of fitness related programs for companies is on the horizon. In the United States Congress has put forth a bill that might allow companies to deduct corporate fitness programs from their taxes as part of an effort to improve the health of citizens. In the mean time companies can do a lot to maximize employee health without a tremendous cost. Here are some immediate things you can do to initiate change for your companies health and wellness:

1. Consult with a company (such as OP Fitness Coaching or a local gym who specializes in corporate fitness) to find solutions to specific issues with your business.

2. Hire a fitness director or manager who has both fitness and safety type qualifications so that you can incorporate both measures of wellness into one position.

3. Offer cost sharing incentives for employees to stay in shape (such as paying half of a gym membership or allowing workers to expense fees paid to in-house personal training companies).

4. Host events geared towards fitness and fun, rather than company picnics or seminars. Perhaps you hold a 5km running race or stair-climb event in your own office building. Maybe it's a version of the President's Council on Fitness program where participants are required to do several "events" that involve fitness activities. The goal is to get company wide participation.

5. Offer an employee website with health and fitness type information and suggested daily workouts that they can participate in at the office.

6. Schedule "fitness breaks" throughout the day instead of a coffee break. These breaks can simply be a chance for employees to get up from their desk and move around, stretch, and engage in some light exercise before returning to work.

The take home message her is that every little bit of health and fitness activities you do with your company will pay off (both financially, and with employee happiness. One study from the Canadian Life Assurance Company reported an average staff turnover of 1.8% per year for members of the company who participated in a company fitness program, compared to an 18% turnover rate for non-exercising colleges, (6). More research is showing each day that corporate fitness works wonders for a company. Perhaps it's time you investigated the opportunities of a company physical fitness and wellness program.

References

1. American Journal of Health Promotion, March/April, 1991.

2. Centers for Disease Control.

3. Fries, J.; Koop, C.E.; Beadle, C.E.; et al. "Reducing health care costs by reducing the need and demand for medical services." The New England Journal of Medicine, 329: 321-325 (July 29), 1993.

4. Health Behavior, March 1992.

5. Iglehart, J.K. "The American health care system--expenditures." The New England Journal of Medicine, 340(1): (January 7), 1999.

6. "The Economic Benefits of Regular Exercise", IRHSA, 1996

"Fortitudine Vincimus"
(by endurance we conquer)