Benefits of Nutritional Practices in the Workplace Fitness programs are imperative to improving overall health. However, when fitness programs are paired with poor eating habits workouts can become counterproductive. Our bodies are designed to break down the food we put into it and convert it to energy that enables us to function on a day-to-day basis. Many working Americans neglect their diet because it is difficult to be disciplined enough to find time to prepare healthy meals when fast food has become so easily accessible. Consistently dieting in a poor manner can lead to an energy imbalance and increase the risk for obesity. In addition, poor eating is associated with increased risk for many diseases, including several of the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes (CDC, 2012). These risks can decrease employee productivity and drive up healthcare costs that can be detrimental to a company’s success. The most common downfall of employees is engaging in the self-defeating behavior of making poor eating choices because of the convenience. Typically, Americans live a very fast paced life and employees are often held to brief lunch breaks making it difficult to find access to fresh meals and as a result, employees end up consuming fatty, processed foods. One way to avoid this is to meal prep. By taking one to two days a week to prepare meals for the entire week, employees can save time, money, and shed pounds quicker. Most pre-prepared meals consist of a type of lean meat such as chicken, turkey, or fish and leafy greens or vegetables on the side. By preparing your meals and snacks at the beginning of the week and bringing them into work, you provide your body with the nutrients that it needs to per... ... middle of paper ... ...trieved from: http://www.webmd.com/diet/paleo-diet. Phoenix Business Journal. (2013). “Workplace wellness: CrossFit gives clients a variety of tools to succeed”. Retrieved from: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/print-edition/2011/12/09/workplace-wellness-crossfit-gives.html. Pronk, Nicolaas P. & Kottke, Thomas E. (2009). “Physical activity promotion as a strategic corporate priority to improve worker health and business performance, Preventive Medicine,” Volume 49, Issue 4, October 2009, Pages 316-321, ISSN 0091-7435, Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743509003296. Robbins, S., & Judge , T. (2013). Organizational behavior. (15th ed.). Prentice Hall. (p. 186, 212-219) Smith, Jacuelyn. (2013). “America’s Happiest Companies”. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/12/10/americas-happiest-companies-2/.
Employee wellness programs, also known as a “worksite wellness program”, are programs that are designed to promote and support the health, safety, and well being of a company’s employees. Wellness programs are meant to improve the health of the staff, their morale, and in turn also help improve their productivity. There are many components that make up employee wellness programs, for example; Health Screenings, Health Fairs, Fitness classes, Smoking cessation classes, and even wellness issue workshops. Employers have begun adopting these programs in hopes of helping their employees while they are at an age when health interventions can still help transform their long-term health choice. This paper will focus on trends found between employee weight and productivity, and the impacts these could have on a business overall.
Investigate the contemporary body of knowledge that underpins the current recommendations for exercise programming in the pursuit of improved health.
...nt. Wellness programs in workplaces have also become increasingly popular. These programs have not only demonstrated to be clinically effective but also cost effective. Companies are willing to invest to improve their productivity and decrease insurance cost. These programs will continue to grow in all fields and will require the need for more ND’s to participate. Promoting these programs can only lead to positive improvements from a patient to a corporate perspective.
Ministry of Health. (2013). Promote Physical Activity. – Healthy Environments. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/environments/whttps://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Physical-Activity/Keep-Active-at-Work#.Uqd295FxsZY
Obesity is growing rapidly, therefore we must take action while we can. Portion sizes are becoming more and more immense. A Facts on File Article titled “Diet, Nutrition, and Wellness” discussed the growing problems caused by obesity. From going to McDonalds and getting a happy meal to going to subway and getting a footlong sub. Either way, it is changing our diets to eat more than we need which eventually, adds on a couple pounds (Diet). People who go to restaurants on a daily basis end up eating about one thousand calories a meal more than someone at some would (Diet). When most people go out to eat, even at a fancier restaurant, they are not worrying about how many calories their meal is, they are ordering whatever sounds good to them (Diet). Every now and then, that is okay bu...
During the week for 1 hour in the evenings I join with a group of professionals of Cross-Fitters near Love Field Airport. Everyone is motivated to endure a tough workout that consists of a combination of fast paced burpees, push-ups and countless squats. What I discovered is most of the young and middle aged grouped participants work for Southwest Airlines. I’ve selected Southwest Airlines because of the uniqueness of the company’s business strategy and to know my Crossfit partners speak highly of Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines has unique values, vision and mission statements that gear towards their employee’s motivation. They have formulated a business strategy by creating a mission and vision statement that encompasses the company’s
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
One of the major reasons for such high rates of obesity is in the workplace. Many people have little time to spare for healthy habits because of work. Having a lunch hour means that for some people, the fastest, easiest way to get lunch is to go to a fast food restaurant. And then most people wake up fairly early to go to work, then are exhausted when they get home, meaning they won’t take the time to exercise or cook a healthy meal. They wind up going home to sit on the couch and watch TV, which is partly what they did at work all day. Many people are sitting down all day. They don’t have...
Over the past 50 years, American diets have changed from leisurely family cooked meals that were usually prepared at home, using natural ingredients to today’s fast foods that are eaten on the run with little thought towards nutrition of content; at least one quarter of Americans eat fast food everyday (Harper 35). Eating out several times each week constitutes an important part of most Americans routines (Schlosser). The places as well as the foods consumed in eating out play an important role in fulfilling lifestyle aspirations. Compared to other foods
It is important to create a healthy environment in the corporation, so we must look at this as an investment in health and wellness and not an expense.
With the health care costs reaching high number there is no wonder we have a large number of absenteeism. So many wait to the last possible painstaking work day to decide to see a doctor about their aliment, and all of that could be prevented. Preventing oneself to have to take time off from work is one way to keep costs low. There are so many areas that need to be addressed when it comes to what is going to slow us down as a company. According to estimates by Dr. Jaime Claudio(1991), a corporate wellness consultant for Health Plus, a provider of health-care insurance, a comprehensive eating awareness and weight- management program designed to improve long-term habits could generate an 80% reduction in the incidence of potential problems caused by obesity in the workplace. These problems include hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and diminished work efficiency. Obesity is not the only eating disorder that is a problem, there is bulimia and anorexia. Smoking, drinking, substance abuse, and stress are problems that are brought into the workplace and stop productivity. We have to be aware of issues that are there but are not usually thought of as an illness.
Workers of every organization need to embrace the culture of living a healthy lifestyle rather than implementing specialized health programs and insurance plans (Goetzel, 2012). Coca-Cola Company initially perceived health and well-being as only integrated into the safety programs that employees are given. The company needs to distinguish between health and wellness from safety concerns. Many governments have encouraged wellness programs through the Affordable Care Act; this raises the legal limits on the penalties imposed on the employees by employers for the health-contingent wellness plans (Baicker,
It essential that managers are aware of their employees physical needs while in the work place to include ensuring t...
Nutrition and fitness play two of the most important roles in human health, and it is not difficult to understand some of the consequences for ignoring their significance. Ignoring proper nutritional and fitness habits can lead to extreme health risks such as obesity; most of which will eventually cause serious health issues up to and including death. To decrease these serious health risks and promote favorable personal health, one should incorporate positive nutritional and fitness habits.
America’s obesity has raised greatly over time. This is because people over eating and don’t know how to exercise. Cogan and Ernsberger state that, “As much as 40 percent to 70 percent of the U.S. population is trying to lose weight, at any given time, youn...