Working in an office can be an unhealthy thing.  We certainly aren’t getting our hearts pumping while we spend all those hours behind our desks. And those long periods of inactivity are bad for us. Most people are too busy at work to take long lunch hours to go the gym. And people have families and social lives. Exercise often gets neglected at home, too.

So why should a company care about that? Because studies show that companies that have workplace wellness programs have more productive workers and lower health costs. Healthy workers mean healthier companies.

KEEP MOVING:  OUTDOORS OR INDOORS

Only the largest companies can afford indoor gyms, but there are other options for helping your employees stay active.

Without constructing anything, you can invest in outdoor fitness equipment to set up on your office grounds.  You have many options of equipment designed to stretch and strengthen muscles and provide a cardiovascular workout. You can get pull-up stations, stretching stations, elliptical machines, arm presses, leg presses, torso benches, and more.

But you don’t have to ask your employees to go outside to exercise. There’s also workplace wellness equipment for inside the office.

People can work as they exercise using a treadmill desk, which is what it sounds like—a desktop attached to a treadmill. People can take their laptops, phones, and papers, set them up on the desk and get some exercise as they work. Users typically go at slow walking speeds, allowing them to continue working, but even at speeds of only 1-2 mph a person typically can burn 100-150 calories an hour.

Another indoor option is the Workplace Stability Ball. Workers sit on the ball as they work. Because your body is constantly correcting its alignment to keep its balance, the ball improves spinal posture. This constant realignment also keeps your muscles working and your body moving, which strengthens the muscles, burns calories, and improves circulation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Sedentary office workers aren’t going to be as energetic, happy, and productive as workers in an office with a workplace wellness program.  Allowing employees to keep active throughout the workday will also decrease health expenses, including sick days.

It’s time to get on board with push to get America healthy. Look into the options for workplace wellness equipment.

Progressive companies work to promote healthy  workplaces because they understand that healthy employees produce more and lower health insurance costs.

Young Equipment Sales (YES) recommends the following five steps to create healthy workplaces.

1.       Provide Treadmill Desks. This equipment—in which a platform desktop is attached to a typical treadmill–allows employees to gently exercise and get a break from their regular desks, while still continuing to be productive.  They can place their laptops, tablets, phones, and papers on the desktop, allowing them to work while slowly walking on the treadmill. The goal isn’t an intense workout –the idea is for employees to remain focused on work while gently increasing their heart rate and burning calories. (Even at walking speeds of only 1 to 2 mph, most people burn at least 100 calories per hour.)

2.       Offer stability balls. Rather than sitting in chairs at their desk, employees can opt for a stability ball, which forces them to constantly correct their posture to keep their balance. Employees soon come to make these adjustments without thinking about them, and the benefits are improved spinal posture, muscle exercise, better blood circulation, and the burning of calories.

3.       Install Dyson Airblade hand dryers in restrooms. Instead of drying hands with heated air, these dryers use unheated air delivered at 400 mph. Independent research has shown that this method is more hygienic.

4.        Hold “Lunch and Learn” events to encourage wellness. Education is a key element of establishing healthy workplaces, and combining this education with a free lunch not only gets employees’ attention, it also can help establish a company-wide emphasis on wellness.

5.       Measure the financial impact of your efforts. Wellness initiatives almost always lead to lower medical insurance costs—but don’t just accept that as fact. You can justify continued expenditures on wellness products and programs by tracking the specific savings.

Takeaway Point

Investing in employee wellness will pay off with more-productive and happier employees, as well as with lower insurance costs. Contact YES to discuss the products and programs you can utilize to create a healthy workplace.

Working in an office can be an unhealthy thing.  We certainly aren’t getting our hearts pumping while we spend all those hours behind our desks. And those long periods of inactivity are bad for us. Most people are too busy at work to take long lunch hours to go the gym. And people have families and social lives. Exercise often gets neglected at home, too.

So why should a company care about that? Because studies show that companies that have workplace wellness programs have more productive workers and lower health costs. Healthy workers mean healthier companies.

KEEP MOVING:  OUTDOORS OR INDOORS

Only the largest companies can afford indoor gyms, but there are other options for helping your employees stay active.

Without constructing anything, you can invest in outdoor fitness equipment to set up on your office grounds.  You have many options of equipment designed to stretch and strengthen muscles and provide a cardiovascular workout. You can get pull-up stations, stretching stations, elliptical machines, arm presses, leg presses, torso benches, and more.

But you don’t have to ask your employees to go outside to exercise. There’s also workplace wellness equipment for inside the office.

People can work as they exercise using a treadmill desk, which is what it sounds like—a desktop attached to a treadmill. People can take their laptops, phones, and papers, set them up on the desk and get some exercise as they work. Users typically go at slow walking speeds, allowing them to continue working, but even at speeds of only 1-2 mph a person typically can burn 100-150 calories an hour.

Another indoor option is the Workplace Stability Ball. Workers sit on the ball as they work. Because your body is constantly correcting its alignment to keep its balance, the ball improves spinal posture. This constant realignment also keeps your muscles working and your body moving, which strengthens the muscles, burns calories, and improves circulation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Sedentary office workers aren’t going to be as energetic, happy, and productive as workers in an office with a workplace wellness program.  Allowing employees to keep active throughout the workday will also decrease health expenses, including sick days.

It’s time to get on board with push to get America healthy. Look into the options for workplace wellness equipment.

Progressive companies work to promote healthy  workplaces because they understand that healthy employees produce more and lower health insurance costs.

Young Equipment Sales (YES) recommends the following five steps to create healthy workplaces.

1.       Provide Treadmill Desks. This equipment—in which a platform desktop is attached to a typical treadmill–allows employees to gently exercise and get a break from their regular desks, while still continuing to be productive.  They can place their laptops, tablets, phones, and papers on the desktop, allowing them to work while slowly walking on the treadmill. The goal isn’t an intense workout –the idea is for employees to remain focused on work while gently increasing their heart rate and burning calories. (Even at walking speeds of only 1 to 2 mph, most people burn at least 100 calories per hour.)

2.       Offer stability balls. Rather than sitting in chairs at their desk, employees can opt for a stability ball, which forces them to constantly correct their posture to keep their balance. Employees soon come to make these adjustments without thinking about them, and the benefits are improved spinal posture, muscle exercise, better blood circulation, and the burning of calories.

3.       Install Dyson Airblade hand dryers in restrooms. Instead of drying hands with heated air, these dryers use unheated air delivered at 400 mph. Independent research has shown that this method is more hygienic.

4.        Hold “Lunch and Learn” events to encourage wellness. Education is a key element of establishing healthy workplaces, and combining this education with a free lunch not only gets employees’ attention, it also can help establish a company-wide emphasis on wellness.

5.       Measure the financial impact of your efforts. Wellness initiatives almost always lead to lower medical insurance costs—but don’t just accept that as fact. You can justify continued expenditures on wellness products and programs by tracking the specific savings.

Takeaway Point

Investing in employee wellness will pay off with more-productive and happier employees, as well as with lower insurance costs. Contact YES to discuss the products and programs you can utilize to create a healthy workplace.