Help make your employees days more productive with long nights of sleep.

In this day and age, many employers are well aware of the benefits of introducing a corporate health and wellness program into the workplace. Not only can it mean saving your business thousands of dollars in health care costs and insurance plans, but it also introduces your staff to a healthier lifestyle. Successful employer-sponsored wellness programs, such as the ones implemented by Walkingspree, have also been shown to generate cost savings for companies in terms of both expenses due to employee absenteeism and employee health care costs.

However, encouraging workers to regularly participate in an employee wellness program can sometimes be more difficult than you anticipate. While some businesses choose to meet this task with exciting incentives and monetary rewards, sometimes all it takes is simply explaining the many benefits of staying healthy and keeping fit.

For example, researchers at Oregon State University recently completed a study which shows that regular fitness and exercise among employees can not only lead to better productivity and motivation in the workplace, but it could also promote better sleep. In fact, the scientists behind the research study found that people who exercise at least 150 minutes a week have an easier time falling asleep at night, and are more alert and active throughout the day.

In order to help you motivate your employees and also to shed some light on just how beneficial corporate-sponsored wellness programs can be to your work place, we have put together some more examples of how exercise helps to promote sleep, which, in turn, also helps to drive productivity and motivation amongst employees.

Exercise Promotes Sleep

Among adults in the United States, about 35 to 40% of the population has problems with falling asleep or with daytime sleepiness. While this may not seem like a large problem, lack of sleep can have a serious impact on a person’s productivity, decision making, clarity of mind, motivation and interest in activities. However, researchers have recently found that people sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week.

The physically active also reported less drowsiness during the day, compared to individuals with less physical activity. To get the most beneficial night of sleep, experts suggest working out three to six hours before bed. This will help you maximize the benefits of exercise on sleep, since the body actually increases deep sleep to compensate for the physical stress of your workout.

Sleep Promotes Productivity

Many studies have also shown that there is a significant link between regular physical activity and perceptions of sleepiness during the day, which suggests that participation in physical activity on a regular basis may also positively influence an individual’s productivity at work. This is because missing out on sleep affects your motor skills, cognitive abilities and other brain functions.

In addition to productivity, researchers also believe that sleep plays an important role in memory and learning. For instance, in one study, researchers found that depriving students of sleep after learning a new skill significantly decreased memory of that skill up to three days later.

If you are interested in learning more about the many benefits that Walkingspree’s award-winning corporate wellness program can bring to your business, in addition to a better nights rest and increased productivity, be sure to contact us today. Walkingspree’s proven online walking program can improve the health of your target clientele, translating to lower healthcare claims and a more efficient work environment.

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Keep your traveling employees in shape with health and wellness programs.

As a boss, it is always easy to keep track of your employee’s production and wellness when you are interacting with them on a day-to-day basis. You can tell when certain employees have burnt out from too much work and can easily notice when others have taken a few sick days in a row. These insights into the daily lives of your employees helps you to get a better idea of how you might need to adjust your business plan to meet the needs and requirements of those who work for you. In turn, this also helps you to create a more productive, effective work environment.

However, how are you supposed to monitor the health and wellness of your employees who are constantly on the road? Nearly every company has their own fleet of “road warriors”―their out-of-office team that fly or drive across the country, meeting with clients, making sales and reporting back to their home base.

While having a dynamic team of road warriors may be good for your business, it is not necessarily the best decision when it comes to the health of your employees. Between hours of traveling, back-to-back meetings with business associates and the stress of the hectic schedule that comes with traveling, it is easy to see why this kind of lifestyle can harm the body beyond just putting on a few pounds.

For instance, a study by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in April found that people who traveled most frequently for work were more prone to obesity than their  counterparts who traveled more moderately. In fact, based on the medical records of more than 13,000 workers, the odds of being obese were 92% higher for people traveling more than 21 days a month, and 18% higher for people traveling between 14 and 20 days a month than their counterparts who travel between one and six days.

However, obesity is not the only health risk that comes with constant travel. Increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers are also among the increased risks that come with non-stop road warrior lifestyle.

So, how can you ensure that you’re traveling employees remain just as healthy and productive as your in-house staff? A corporate-sponsored health and wellness program, such as the ones provided by Walkingspree, are one of the best defenses your employees have for staying healthy and happy on the road.

A regular exercise program not only helps to combat obesity and serious heart and health problems, but also flights off stress. A 1999 study of the global staff of Washington D.C.-based Work Bank Group found that nearly 75% of respondents indicated high or very high stress due to business travel. This is alarming because the constant strain of feeling stressed can put employees under a great amount pressure, including increased headaches, mood swings and muscle tightness.

To help your employees avoid the many signs and symptoms of stress and overload that come with business travel, be sure to contact Walkingspree today to come up with a health and wellness program that works well for your business and employees. As a Walkingspree Business Partner, your client’s bottom line will improve, as will the loyalty, productivity and health of your staff.

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Excela Health kicks off Walkingspree program in Pittsburgh area mall

Published in the Tribune-Review, Friday, January 27, 2012

By 8 a.m. Thursday, about 250 people stood in lines outside Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield.

The early birds were not seeking door-buster bargains.

Sporting workout clothing and tennis shoes, these Mall Walkers had come to invest in their health.

Yesterday marked the kickoff of a walking program sponsored by The Heart Center at Excela Health and the mall.

Read the entire article: “Excela Health kicks off Walkingspree program in Westmoreland Mall

Nun stays fit, and gets new calling

Published in the Mount Pleasant Journal, Friday, February 3, 2012

Sister Mary Anita Bienia, who turns 80 on Feb. 15, is a prime example of the benefits one reaps from walking.

Since joining the Walkingspree / Excela Health’s One Million Step Challenge in June 2011, her cholesterol level dropped from 265 to 149, she lost eight pounds, and she averages 20,000-30,000 steps a day.

Then in December she found out about a new ministry in Rome, one which would help feed hundreds of the poor. The job description stated that the person would be required to prepare food for the needy, be physically up for the task, and be able to walk well. Sister Bienia knew her devotion to service plus her newfound drive for long-distance walking made her the ideal candidate.

Sister Bienia got the assignment. She is heading to Rome.

Read the entire article: “Nun stays fit, and gets new calling”

New studies show that getting up from your desk has many health benefits.

In this day and age, it is no secret that a business needs to work hard and stay productive in order to keep ahead of the economy and come out successful at the end of the year. For employees, this means staying focused and on task throughout the work day in order to reach their maximum productivity. For employers, this means making sure that your employees are healthy and motivated to keep working hard day after day.

However, while a long, focused day of work and productivity may mean better sales for your business and better feedback from clients, sitting for hours on end and never leaving their work stations may not necessarily be the best thing for your employees.

Every employer wants their staff to be productive and dedicated to their work. However, more importantly, you want to ensure that their health and their wellness is also thriving so that they have minimal work absences and more prolific days, in addition to saving you plenty of money in health costs each year.

However, what you may not realize is that by sitting down at their desks and working hard for hours on end, your employees are actually doing more harm to their health than good.

New studies reported at the AICR Annual Research Conference on Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity are showing that sitting for long periods of time can actually increase indicators of cancer risk (sex hormone levels, insulin resistance, inflammation and body fatness), even among people who exercise daily.  In fact, reports show that as many as 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer occurring in the U.S. every year are linked to a lack of physical activity, according to estimates presented at the American Institute for Cancer Research annual conference.

Based on the findings of their research, AICR is urging people everywhere to make time for physical activity and break every hour of sitting with 1 to 2 minutes of activity, especially throughout the work day. These breaks can be an activity as simple as walking to the break room to get some water, or walking to a colleague’s office instead of calling or sending an email.

Sitting for a long period of time is starting to emerge as a strong candidate for being a cancer risk all on its own. Many studies have shown the longer you sit down, the higher your risk of developing cancer. Plus, the most worrying part is that this statistic is not dependent on a person’s body weight or how much exercise they do.

To help your employees get up out of their seats and fight their risk of cancer, be sure that you are engaging them in moderate activity, such as brisk walking or stretching regularly. For many of the most common types of cancers, studies are showing that something as simple as a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day can help to reduce your cancer risk.

For more information about the benefits of physical activity in the work place, for both your employee’s health and wellness, and your company’s bottom line, be sure to contact Walkingspree today.

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