One of the major health concerns in the corporate world today, is obesity. Employees find themselves stationed at a desk for long work hours leaving little scope for movement or exercise. Irregular and unhealthy eating habits created by the corporate lifestyle slowly become normalized. Eating at odd hours, bingeing on snacks, caffeinated drinks and other sugary drinks are a few of the unhealthy trends observed.
Here is what you can do as an employer to assist your employees towards a healthier lifestyle and prevent obesity and associated health disorders.
1. Create awareness
Conducting webinars on nutrition with experts will facilitate employees to gain firsthand information on ways to improve their nutrition, food patterns and lifestyle.
2. Compare and compete
The workplace offers space to implement a team based challenge. A group activity motivates individuals to work towards a challenge consistently and helps in building team spirit. Here are the fitness challenges your company can try:
a. Trim for Life – A team-based weight loss challenge. This challenge involves employees taking part as a team. Their individual weights are not disclosed; instead the total weight as a team is assessed. Starting with a team weigh-in, the program involves fitness challenges or tasks that aid weight loss wrapped up by a final weigh-out.
Visit https://trimforlife.in/ for more details.
b. Fit for Life – Another exciting fitness challenge for your employees.
The key aspects of fitness that are assessed are –
i. Strength
ii. Endurance
iii. Flexibility
iv. Body stats
The scores are normalized across gender and age, which means, a man in his late 40s can compete with a woman in her early 20s. The scores are compared and the fitter of the lot is identified.
Visit https://fitforlife.in/ for more details.
3. Healthy cafeterias
The cafeteria is more than just a space to eat food. It is a space where employees take a break to relax and unwind through conversation. The cafeteria is a great place to implement positive changes in food habits.
a. Providing access to nutritious food and eliminating unhealthy options will help individuals take the first step. Replacing the counters which sell carb and fat laden processed food with healthier and tasty alternatives, removing sugary drinks off the menus etc. are viable options.
b. Staying hydrated throughout the day is essential for the body to function optimally. Provide purified drinking water in the office space on every floor and bay. This will help promote the habit of drinking water more often and in turn reduce the dependence on other beverages.
4. Formulating healthy food and beverage policies in workplace
These allow for structural level changes to promote and familiarize employees with the concept of eating healthy. To drive home the point, meetings and conventions can serve healthier options as well.
5. Assess your employees’ health
Offering the employees regular health checks are beneficial to the employee as well as the employer.
a. Increased awareness of health risk factors can help in early detection and treatment of diseases or medical conditions. Introduction of onsite health screenings can reduce or prevent any stress associated to health conditions including that of the heart, blood cholesterol and sugar levels that obesity brings with it.
b. Associated to obesity is the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends ‘Life’s Simple 7’. These are seven factors that can be assessed and used to improve lifestyle and in turn, one’s health. These include smoking cessation, healthy eating habits, getting active, losing weight, managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and reducing blood sugar. Tests associated to these factors can be conducted in the office space and wellness programs can be planned to help employees take steps towards changing their lifestyles.
What we have to offer at The Fuller Life
An employee wellbeing company of 18 years, we at The Fuller Life have a wide range of wellbeing programs to offer. We cater customized programs to ensure that your workforce is motivated in directing their lives towards a healthier, holistic path. Observe the difference that a healthy and happy workforce makes. Reach out to us!
+91 80500 58002/3 | reachus@thefullerlife.com
