Encouraging Employee Healthful Eating and Physical Activity||AllBestNews||

In today’s corporation environment, the health of staff members is often related to the health of the corporation. Increased job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced illness and injuries, and increased productivity are just some advantages of having healthy staff members.

Promoting health in your workplace doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Any organization, big or small, can promote healthy eating and active living in the workplace. Here are some suggestions –

Healthy Eating

• for breakfast meetings, instead of serving donuts, big muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream and sugar, offer healthier alternatives like bagels, small muffins, fresh fruit, water, 100% fruit juice and milk with coffee and tea.

• for lunch meetings, avoid serving chips, fried foods, rich pastas, and salads loaded with dressing. Instead, offer sandwiches, bagels, whole grain low fat crackers and cheese, 100 % fruit juice, water, salads with dressing on the side, vegetable and fruit trays.

• Reimburse employees for items purchased to improve their health (e.g. healthful consuming cookbooks, consultation with a Registered Dietitian).

• Arrange for the cafeteria or food providers to offer healthful food choices.

• Arrange to have healthy options like bottled water, 100 percent fruit juice, fruit bars, and raisins available in vending machines.

• Give a means for individuals  to share healthful recipes with each other (for example, posting recipes on the Intranet, on posters or by e-mail).

Active Living

• Plan events and group activities to encourage staff members to become active, such as walking programs, contests and challenge events, stretch breaks, team sports or participation in local or provincial events.

• Offer onsite health experts (e.g. fitness trainers, fitness instructors) or incorporate this service in worker assistance programs to help employees work towards physical activity objectives.

• Give a supportive environment in the workplace that makes healthful choices easy –  bicycle racks, shower facilities, clean, safe and accessible stairwells, walking or running routes in the vicinity of the workplace, and fitness center facilities.

• Allow for flex time so that employees have more opportunities to participate in fitness plans as part of their working day.

• Reimburse workers for full or partial club membership fees, fitness class registrations, and fitness equipment buys.

• Give corporate fitness center memberships to reduce costs of individual memberships.

Keeping It Fresh!

Find a champion to –

• Organize lunch “n learn sessions to provide information and motivation for healthy eating and active living.

• Invite demonstrators to provide cooking lessons or tips for making healthy foods.

• Post a rotating list in a common room of local restaurants that offer healthy food options on their menus.

• Distribute information to educate workers on portion sizes.

• Include exercise and nutrition information in newsletters, pay check inserts, bulletin boards or e-mails.

• Plan activities that promote healthful consuming and physical activity. for  instance, begin a year-round lunch-time walking club, and special activities