Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

Workplace Physical Activity Programs: Forming an Employee Committee

Although reinforcement from the top is critical to a thriving plan, reinforcement from other staff members is also important.

Once you get the go-ahead from upper management, identify others who are interested in the project and form a Company Wellness Program Committee to help determine the next steps. Depending on the size of your workplace and the amount of employee time management is willing to contribute, this Company Wellness Program Committee may be advisory or may plan and carry out the plan.

The Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee might include staff members from human resources, occupational health and safety and finance. It’s also a good idea to involve employee from other areas who have an interest in promoting physical exercise. Terms of reference will define the boundaries of the project. By way of example, it’s important for the Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee to have clearly defined and understood tasks. Possible tasks include the following:

• Assessing your workplace environment
• Carrying out an employee interest survey.
• Implementing a mission statement and goals/objectives.
• Writing a physical exercise or wellness policy declaring the organization’s commitment to physical exercise.
• Brainstorming program ideas.
• Promoting, communicating and marketing the program.
• Coordinating specific activities.
• Deciding how the initiative will be evaluated.
• Continually assessing what is or isn’t working and adjusting the plan.

Before making plans to encourage physical exercise during work, it’s valuable to find out what is “doable” in your workplace.

You do not want to raise employee expectations by offering something that’s impossible due to funding or space limits. By way of example, it’s not realistic to suggest putting in a gym if there’s no space for it. Be open, however, to creative ways around limitations.

Workplace Physical Activity Programs: Finding out What’s Possible in Your Workplace

Check with recreation departments or fitness facilities for diagrams of the local walking trails or underground pedways. Great walking trails may be right around the block from your workplace.

Below are some questions to help you assess your workplace:

• What facilities or opportunities does your work space provide that make it easier to be physically active during work? For example, do you have stairs, bike racks, showers, space for a fitness facility, factory walking lanes?
• What nearby facilities or opportunities might workers use to be more physically active during the workday? Are you close to sidewalks, walking trails, community centres, bike lanes for active commuting and/or exercise facilities?
• What resources are available?
• Can the program access funds, personnel, space, equipment, facilities?
• What is the structure of your business? For example, consider employee size, working hours, number of sites, unusual shifts, length of lunch breaks and ability to use flex time.

Gaining senior staff reinforcement is vital to the success of a physical activity plan.

Whether the changes you’d like to make involve the work environment, overall policies or specific programs, successfully launching your ideas depends on upper management reinforcement.

Support from senior staff is critical for three reasons:

• You need their support to involve employees in a workplace plan.
• When senior staff pays attention to and supports initiative, workers also view the initiative as worthwhile.
• Upper Management has the authority to give work time and money to support the initiative.

It’s valuable to keep senior staff involved throughout a physical exercise initiative, but at three points you’ll need reinforcement for:

• An overall concept, including a go-ahead to assess what staff members want to do within the limitations of your workplace environment.
• A detailed plan (based on the assessment above) coupled with resources to carry out the plan.
• Evaluating the initiative to better it along the way or to advocate for continuing or expanding the initiative.

Approaching Senior Management

Before addressing management to gain initial support for promoting physical activity during work, do your homework.

• Prepare a employer case clearly outlining how the employer will advance by promoting physical exercise during the workday.
• List the individual, social and corporate advantages of physical exercise and the advantages of being active during the workday.
• Present some cursory ideas about what the program could include. See the Success Stories and Ideas sections on this website to highlight what other workplaces have done.

Expect questions such as the following from senior staff:

• How will this help our organization?
• How can we innervate staff members to take part?
• How much will it cost to run this program or make this change?
• How are we going to know a year from now whether or not this was a good use of time and resources?

Ask managers about the sorts of activities they would support. Often managers have ideas of their own they would like to see acted on to improve the workplace.

Remember to include middle managers when gaining support for your initiative. They can be very helpful when you need volunteers to lead teams in corporate physical activity challenges.

In today’s business atmosphere, the health of employees is often related to the health of the business. Increased job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced illness and injuries, and increased productiveness are just some of the advantages of having healthy employees. Promoting health in your workplace does not have to be be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Any business, big or small, can reward healthy eating and active living in the workplace. Here are some recommendations:

Healthier Eating

• For breakfast gatherings, rather than serving donuts, sizable muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream and sugar, offer healthier alternatives such as bagels, small muffins, fresh fruit, water, 100 percent 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  percent fruit juice, water, salads with dressing on the side, vegetable and fruit trays.
• Fully reimburse (or partially reimburse) workers for items purchased to better their health (e.g. healthy eating cookbooks, consultation with a Registered Dietitian).
• Arrange for the cafeteria or food vendors to offer healthy meal choices.
• See that you have healthy choices like bottled water, 100% fruit juice, fruit bars, and raisins available in snack machines.
• Offer a means for individuals to share healthy recipes with each other (for example, posting recipes on the Intranet, on posters or by e-mail).

Active Living

• Plan programs and group activities to promote workers to become active, such as walking programs, contests and challenge programs, stretch breaks, group sports or participation in local or provincial programs.
• Provide on-Site health professionals (e.g. personal trainers, fitness instructors) or incorporate this service in Employee Assistance Program(EAP)s to help employees work towards physical activity goals.
• Offer a supportive environment in the workplace that makes healthy choices easy: bike racks, shower facilities, clean, safe and accessible stairways, walking or running routes in the vicinity of the workplace, and gym facilities.
• Provide|Offer|Give} flex time so that workers have more opportunities to take part in exercise program as part of their working day.
• Reimburse workers health club membership fees, fitness class registrations, and fitness equipment purchases.
• Offer corporate health club memberships to cut expenditures of individual memberships.

Keeping It Fresh!

Find a champion to:

• Design lunch ‘n learn sessions to offer information and motivation for healthy eating and active living.
• Invite demonstrators to support cooking lessons or tips for making healthy foods.
• Post a list of local restaurants that offer healthy food choices on their menus.
• Distribute information to educate staff members on portion sizes.
• Include physical exercise and nutrition information in newsletters, pay check inserts, bulletin boards or e-mails.
• Create activities that encourage healthy eating and physical activity. By way of example, begin a year-round lunch-time walking club, and special activities

Can a small company support workplace wellness? Most certainly! In fact, in some ways it is easier to set up a healthy workplace in a small company than in a large company.

Limited resources, especially in small corporations, can prevent a corporation from setting up a Workplace Wellness Program. Reasons can include:

• lack of budget resources;
• lack of employee;
• lack of senior-level reinforcement;
• little knowledge of the wellness concept and;
• concern about making wellness available to all employees.

According to the Wellness Councils of America, some small company owners may have a flawed idea of what is involved in having a Worksite Wellness Program. Some employers aren’t sure a program would truly work and others feel that trying to change personal lifestyle behaviours is intruding and “none of their business”.  Maybe they do not be aware of that it need not be costly and that they do not need special employee. They may not be aware that some employee would like to see some healthy changes and would help make things happen in their workplace.

It Can Be Done

Many small corporations have found ways to have a Corporate Wellness Program that works for them. They keep the expense and effort to a minimum and still have results that are positive for everyone. In 2006, Graham Lowe wrote a report on the best places to work in Calgary. He said that healthy workplaces frequently have a “positive workplace culture”.  In a workplace with a positive culture, people feel appreciated, valued, and trusted.

Dr. Lowe says it is easier for a small workplace to have a positive workplace culture than for a large workplace. Many workers prefer to work for a small company, he says, because it supplies more opportunities to work closely with others and cultivate a sense of community.

In his report, Dr. Lowe says the most successful businesses with fewer than 100 employees have:

• excellent employee benefits;
• policies that promote a balance between work and personal life;
• flexible schedules;
• competitive salaries;
• great leadership with an emphasis on teamwork;
• environmentally responsible business policies;
• procedures for seeking employee input; and
• a focus on placing employees’ personal well-being ahead of the personal gain of Senior Management.

All or most of these elements are also components of a strong Employee Wellness Program.

Tips and Ideas

There are multiple ways to include wellness and health in a small organization. You don’t necessarily need a wellness consultant or a fancy gym. What you do need is support from management and a Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee of a handful of committed people. Here are some ideas that your workplace can consider.

Communications and Promotion

• Send out a regular “wellness” newsletter on paper or web-based. Or send out a simple message such as the weekly Healthy U Hot Tip.
• Use promotions that are ready-designed, such as Healthy Workplace Week.

Active Living and Healthier Eating

• Encourage employee to sign up for the Stairway to Health stair climbing competition.
• Provide pedometers for workers and count their steps.
• Rent a nearby school or neighborhood health club and offer exercise classes.
• Bring in a local fitness instructor to give classes or lead stretch breaks. Expenses can be shared with staff members.
• Install secure bicycle parking.
• Offer healthy alternatives at employer meetings and lunches.

Policy and Business Initiatives

• Enlist an ergonomics specialist to assess workstations.
• Foster policies to support work-life balance (for example, mandatory vacations, flextime, limits to work and e-mail on personal time).
• Give a wellness subsidy for a variety of health and leadership activities and courses.
• Offer financial incentives to be healthy.
• Provide wellness incentives and rewards as rewards and recognition for a job well done.
• Conduct an organization health audit.
• Become a partner with the area (for example, daycare, gyms, festivals, parks, restaurants).
• Distribute the workload. Set up a Corporate Wellness Program Committee.

Small companies may not have much time, money, or human resources available for a Workplace Wellness Program. But they often have a big advantage over large companies-a beneficial workplace culture. That is a strong foundation for a Workplace Wellness Program. When employees are satisfied, enjoy their work environment, they are more advantageous, and tend to be healthier.  With a little creativity and passion, small companies can foster successful Workplace Wellness Programs. Get backing from senior staff, create a Workplace Wellness Program Committee of two or more and discover the possibilities!

Workplace wellness is in the process of evolving.

Early efforts to establish healthy workplaces focused on safety at the worksite and injury prevention for workers.

More recently, programs are designed to support  staff members to choose healthier behaviors like being more physically active or quitting smoking. Campaigns to raise awareness, educational sessions to broaden knowledge, opportunities to learn new skills, and changes to policies to make it easier for staff members to make healthy choices are often included. This approach is taken because the workplace is a good way to reach individuals, since most adult Canadians spend a sizable part of their day at work.

While safety and lifestyle programs are 2 aspects that contribute to the health of employees, workplace wellness is more effective when a third factor is brought into the equation-the environment at work.

How the workplace impacts health.

Increasingly, it is understood that the workplace itself has a powerful affect on people’s health. When people are satisfied with their job, they are more productive and tend to be healthier. When workers feel that the environment at work is negative, they feel stressed. Stress has a large influence on employee mental and physical health, and in turn, on productiveness.

Consultant Graham Lowe has identified five components of workplace culture that directly affect employees’ health and the health of the organization overall-credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. The underlying idea is that employers must truly care about the wellbeing of their staff members.

Employers today who want to attract and retain good employees have leaders who know the importance between employee satisfaction and employee health and believe that workplace wellness is a company plan.  Their management practices include making reasonable demands on time and energy, involving employees in decision making, rewarding work well done, openly communicating, and providing support to balance work and home life.

Employers know that employees are looking for jobs that compensate well, have good benefits, are interesting, and include great health and safety programs. So in today’s competitive hiring market, it’s become more important than ever for companies to enhance job satisfaction and be sure that employees enjoy being on the job. Workplace wellness benefits both employers and employees.

How does workplace wellness advance the business?

A workplace wellness program can help a corporation to:

• attract and keep staff members;
• lower the costs of disability, prescriptions, and absenteeism;
• lower the effects of a stressful workplace;
• reduce health expenditures or keep them contained; and
• better morale by creating a happy, supportive environment.

How Do Company Health Promotion Programs Advance employees?

employees of organizations that have a Worksite Health Promotion Program are likely to have:

• increased awareness and knowledge of ways to better their health;
• a better (less stressful) workplace;
• increased protection from injury;
• improved health and well-being;
• higher morale and greater job satisfaction;
• increased work rate and performance at work;
• reduced personal healthcare costs; and
• a more relaxed/flexible approach to health problems.

Both employers and employees have a responsibility for planning a healthy workplace. Staff Members are expected to arrive at work in great health, and the employer is expected to provide an environment that allows employees to maintain great health, enjoy their work, and contribute to the company’s success.

Workplace wellness is much more than a “lunch and learn” program. It’s about creating a “people first” approach to doing business. It’s about taking care of staff members, implementing a positive work environment, and paying attention to the factors that keep staff members healthy and happy at work. A great Workplace Wellness Program has an effect on employees’ mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.

Ideally, you will develop an overriding plan for a Company Health Promotion Program before beginning to plan specific wellness programs. For example, you are able to begin by getting the following elements in place:

• reinforcement from upper management
• a Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee or group
• information about the wellness needs and interests of workers
• a budget
• program objectives
• an evaluation plan

Even if you have few monetary and/or human resources, you have the potential to still take a “micro” approach. By way of example, you could focus on only one specific problem. Creativity, enthusiasm and planning have the potential to help you overcome limitations.

This article will provide you with some ideas for establishing Company Health Promotion Programs. Even the smallest steps are able to have an impact.

Whether you choose to start with a single program or cultivate something larger, planning is essential. First consider the big picture and then look after the details.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Determine an action. What health-related program will fit the bill and best suit the staff members and employer?
• Promote. How can you most effectively spread the word to staff members? What opportunities exist for promotion? Consider everything, because staff members have access to and pay attention to different types of messages. In a typical workplace, staff members receive information from e-mail, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, meeting announcements and fellow staff members.
• Deliver. Who is the best person or group to put the program into action? Ask other companies about approaches they have used. Solidify your budget before making a decision.
• Evaluate. What ought to you evaluate to determine success? Do you need hard data and/or testimonials from individual participants?

We recommend the following when planning your plan:

• creating and communicating clear objectives
• targeting your audience
• deciding on the type of program or campaign

The Elements of a Corporate Wellness Program

Plans to promote wellness in the workplace do not need to be restricted to one area. You might think workplace wellness only involves promoting positive personal health, e.g., Blood Pressure clinics, pamphlets on heart disease, “lunch and learn” courses on eating habits and short-term physical activity programs.

These activities are important, but workplace wellness ought to also be part of business’s business strategy and go beyond traditional programming.

Taking a broader approach, the National Quality Institute recently detailed 3 key components of a healthy workplace:

• physical environment
• social environment and personal resources
• health practices

Specific Program Ideas

Physical Environment

Look after workers’ health and safety and establish regulations to support their health and safety. Consider providing the following:

• Safe bike storage and shower and/or change facilities for cyclists and other commuters.
• Fridges for employees to keep snacks and meals fresh and/or healthy snacks in vending machines and cafeterias.
• Ergonomic assessments.
• Subsidies to help employees join local recreation centres.
• Classrooms/conference rooms available for booking activities such as yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and aerobics.
• Safe and pleasant stairways that invite staff members to use them.
• Assessing the potential for violence at work with plans to deal with such risks.
• Good lighting and sound and air quality.

Social Environment

Human relationships and communication, as well as ways of doing business, have the potential to affect an employee’s mental and physical health. Organizations should consider the following:

• respectful workplace policies that provide safe worksites
• policies on flex time
• policies on working from home
• employee satisfaction surveys
• leadership coaching
• resiliency training
• Employee Assistance Program(EAP)s

To cultivate a beneficial social culture or climate, consider employees’ needs, which include:

• being respected
• a sense of belonging, purpose and mission
• freedom of expression
• protection from harassment and discrimination

What you’ve “always done” may not address current employee needs. Making sure that people enjoy being at work is not an easy task, but making the right changes is able to have a huge influence.

Health Practices

Offer programs and set policies that help employees remain healthy or improve their health while at work. Consider offering the following:

• “Lunch and learn sessions” on healthy habits such as sleeping better, eating on the run, healthy snacks, using a pedometer, pole walking, work-life balance, time management, stress management, resiliency, parenting and reading diet labels.
• Tobacco cessation clinics or subsidies to help workers quit.
• Health risk appraisals, including fitness assessments.
• Programs to address the issues raised in the health risk appraisals.
• Healthier snacks served at meetings and conferences.

Personal Workplace Health Promotion Program Tips

If there is no wellness program at your worksite, do not let that stop you from keeping healthy. Perhaps your example will spark a movement toward a healthier workplace.

Here are a few ideas to think about:

• Be active at work. There are many ways to bring exercise into your workday. Walk to work, even if it’s just one way. Have walking meetings. Bike to work. Use the stairs. Walk to a workmate’s office rather than sending an e-mail.
• Eat well at work. Pack a healthy meal. Have a bottle of water at your desk or workstation. Eat breakfast and eat regularly during the day. Take turns bringing a basket of fruit for co-workers’ snacks. Order healthy snacks for gatherings.
• Maintain work-life balance. Work efficiently so you have the potential to leave on time. Conduct short, effective meetings. Leave your work at work and be sure not to take it home. Minimize social chit-chat. Set up your office to enhance your work. Avoid clutter. Create and prioritize to be sure that the most significant things get done first.

There is no limit to the number or variety of Workplace Wellness Programs. A key to success is planning well and ensuring that you can evaluate the outcome so that you can sustain momentum.

Speak with other wellness practitioners to find out what works well for them. Listen to your co-workers to determine their needs and interests. And do not forget to promote, promote, promote.

Many businesses recognize the need for a all-inclusive strategy to help their workers be the best they are able to be. They also know that successful and sustainable wellness programs are much more than a few “lunch and learn” programs.

Your wellness program ought to include a wide range of key elements, including:

• A clear agenda or statement of goals and objectives.
• A plan characterized by passion.
• An effective leader who is creative and organized.
• A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an overall vision.
• A measurable strategy (what’s valuable gets measured!).
• A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Starting Your Employee Health Promotion Program

Plan carefully to ensure that your wellness program is seen as part of a broad responsibility to maintaining the health and safety of each employee. Indeed, creating a strong plan takes much work and time (and occasionally resources). But planning is essential and well worth the expenditure needed. As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You might start by conducting a survey of employee needs and interests. If you do this, pay attention to the results and plan accordingly. If you do not, the staff members will not support the program.

Collecting information about what you’re already offering is also a great idea. By way of example, you may be surprised by your business or organization’s current wellness and health policies.

Another significant step is to establish an agenda and/or measurable goals to help you outline priorities, timelines and the resources necessitated to start the program. Be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Upper Management

The leader of your wellness program must be able to wear countless hats. The leader’s duties include:

• Establishing a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested employees.
• Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the company (to senior managers and fellow workers alike).
• Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a wellness program.
• Serving as a role model and wellness coach.
• Establishing and maintaining leadership skills such as giving effective presentations and being well-organized.

Good leaders avoid becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You may want to stick to short-term goals/objectives at the beginning so that you get immediate and visible results. These first steps are the basis for a thriving wellness program.

Good leaders involve as many people as possible in the program. For example, you’ll want to form a Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee made up of a diverse group of workers to provide advice during the planning phase. This approach will:

• Assist you to get valuable information from all parts of the employer.
• Create ambassadors who will help you implement the wellness program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating

Always keep in mind how you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Assessment allows you to:

• Ascertain areas of excellence.
• Determine factors that affect participation in your programs.
• Grasp management’s backing for your efforts (and maintain that backing).
• Better be aware of concerns that need attention.
• Learn from mistakes and change the program to keep it on the right track.

When you evaluate your program, you are able to measure such things as:

• Employee absences.
• Employee turnover rates.
• The expenditure of your Employee Assistance Program.
• The expenditure of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.
• The expenditure of your drug plan.
• Accident rates and safety records.
• Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they’re staying in the programs).
• Changes in employees’ health habits.
• Level of employees’ awareness of healthy lifestyle concerns.
• Results of your environmental wellness audit.
• Other noticeable changes in areas such as morale and job satisfaction.

A good communications plan supports ongoing information to workers (including senior managers) and fosters excitement about the wellness program. Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. For example, you may recognize people who have helped established the program or offer tangible rewards for achieving goals/objectives.

Everyone needs to know whether or not workers are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a wellness program has financial benefits is often an valuable factor in maintaining strong backing from the top.

If you focus on the key elements of your wellness program and communicate openly and continuously while organizing and delivering it, you will create a solid foundation and leave a legacy that endures.

How does physical exercise fit into a full-time employee’s busy schedule? Often times, it doesn’t.

One possible solution to this challenge is to make physical activity a part of the work day. Clearly, being active at work is beneficial for employees. But employers also advance from having fit, energetic and healthy employees who are more beneficial.

The challenges

Your job takes up a lot of your time. In addition to the hours you invest actually on the job, there is the time needed to get to and from work and take lunch and rest breaks during the work day. In the end, there are a limited number of hours left over for the rest of your life. This work life imbalance is especially true for Alberta, where statistics show that we work exceptionally hard.

Many jobs today are sedentary, and a myriad of Americans drive to work. The pressures of work may also cause us to eat lunch at our desks and skip breaks. Then, after work or on the weekends we juggle household chores, family responsibilities and social engagements.

Worksite Health Promotion Programs: Get started on a workplace exercise program

Senior Management plays a key role in creating a culture that promotes health. The leaders at your workplace impact the various policies and the informal or formal practices, and these policies and practices affect your attitude towards healthy active living.

Start by talking to your boss about the advantages of a healthy active workplace. The best way to ensure the success of a company physical activity program is to have the management on side and cheering you on.

Ask your boss to consider taking these actions:

• Send a memo or message about the significance of health and healthy living that encourages employee to take an active break each day.
• Provide for flexible work hours that help employee to be more physically active. By way of example, they might need to take a longer lunch break to go to exercise class, making up the time by arriving at work early or staying late.
• Make available a meeting room or other suitable office space for noon-hour yoga or workout classes, and hire a teacher to lead them, or use videos.

If your boss agrees to support a workplace physical activity program, do not forget to extend gratitude.

You do not need an onsite fitness center

Only very large corporations can afford on-Site fitness facilities such as exercise equipment or squash courts. Still, most employers can take other affordable steps to support employees who wish to become more active.

By way of example:

• Arrange for discounted fees for workers at a fitness center, recreation center or YMCA facility.
• Install showers and a place to hang a towel. (Make sure the showers are cleaned regularly and that women who use them will feel secure.)
• Provide bike racks or a locked enclosure that is safe, conveniently located and well-lit.
• Hold walking meetings and set up lunch-hour walking groups
• Make workers cognizant of safe and pleasant walking routes near the workplace, as well as nearby facilities that offer physical activity programs (such as walking, swimming, running, yoga, stretching).
• Find a certified instructor to instruct employee about health, fitness and how to become more active.

Any size and type of workplace can support employees who wish to be physically active. It’s highly desirable to get management on side. Even if your boss isn’t supportive, you can still find ways to get moving more. Set up activities for groups and individuals, and promote your co-employees to join in.

We all know that physical activity is an valuable part of health and well-being. But sometimes it’s difficult to find time for physical activity. Lack of time is the leading barrier that individuals say prevents them from participating in physical activity on a regular basis.

The great news is that even short sessions of physical activity help your health. Research has established that ten-minute sessions that add up to between 30 and 60 minutes a day are able to produce significant health advantages.

Also, there are numerous ways busy people have the potential to use to be more active. These strategies include:

• multi-tasking
• being active at work
• being active with loved ones
• scheduling exercise into daily life

Different strategies work for different individuals. Being familiar with the different strategies is key to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Read on to check out strategies you are able to try. With proper responsibility, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1: Multi-tasking

The first strategy you have the potential to try is multi-tasking. This means doing things you already do, but in a more physically active way. This way you get done what you need to get done and you get physical activity at the same time.

For example, you’re already travelling to work and other places. Instead of taking the car or the bus every time, try using active methods of transportation like biking, rollerblading, walking and skateboarding.

If you can’t use active transportation for an entire trip, try to be active for at least part of the trip. If you’re taking the bus, for example, get off a few blocks early and walk the remainder of the way.

Active transportation benefits your body by increasing your activity level, and it also benefits your neighborhood and the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road.

You can also get physical activity while doing chores.

When you’re working around home, try to be creative and look for the active choice. By way of example, if you’re cleaning the crack between the fridge and the counter, why not move the fridge so you have the potential to clean the area better and build your strength at the same time?

For outdoor work, opt for the old-fashioned way of doing things, as they’re usually more active. For example, use a snow shovel instead of a snow blower.

Strategy #2: Be Active at Work

Many American citizens spend 8 hours a day or more working at a sedentary job. Here are a few simple ways to keep your body moving throughout the workday. The physical activity will revitalize you and help you be more beneficial.

When you’re working at your desk, try sitting on a stability ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and abs a workout.

Take active breaks at least once every day. During your coffee break, try doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk. You might discover that walking up and down the stairs a few times does a better job of rejuvenating you than the java jolt.

Speaking of the stairs, take them rather than the elevator whenever you can. The stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Establish walking gatherings at work. Getting outside and having gatherings in a less formal setting is a great way to be active, makes work more fun and encourages creative ideas for work projects.

Strategy #3: Be Active With Your Loved Ones

Do physical activity with your family, friends, neighbours and pets. With this strategy, you and your loved ones are doing some great multi-tasking together: enjoying quality time with each other and getting some of the physical activity that you all need to be healthy.

Go for walks, swims or bike rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your children to the park, play with them instead of just watching them play.

Many community facilities offer classes that keep you and your kids active at the same time. Research these classes and take one or two.

You have the potential to even be active when you’re watching your children do activities without you. By way of example, if your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands a few times. If you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4: Have Physical Activity into Your Day

Schedule your physical exercise directly into your daytimer. Set a specific time and place for exercising. Make your physical exercise appointments a priority, just as significant as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your physical exercise appointments, you might want to make appointments that involve other individuals: such as by meeting with a personal trainer, taking physical activity class or jogging with a friend.

If you’re not sure how many appointments to make or what you should be doing during your appointments, try consulting with a personal trainer. A personal trainer has the potential to help you foster a physical activity plan and schedule.

The bottom line: see what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to other people about how they keep active and what strategies they use. Be creative and patient while you figure out what strategies work best for you. And be aware that your “best strategy” may change from time to time.

With enough effort, you will discover what works for you. Then, run with it!

• Commit to workplace physical activity in policy statements and commit funding to physical activity initiatives.
• Clearly communicating the advantages of being physically active during the workday reinforces the company’s responsibility to supporting all employees be active. Use gatherings, bulletin boards, newsletters and e-mail to reach as many employees as possible at least once a year.
• Provide flex time for physical activity. Invite staff members who actively commute to work or exercise at lunch to make up any missed time later in the day.
• Allow workers to work part time, so that they have the potential to take part in physical activity.
• Include a physical exercise account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counselling or instruction.
• Give interest-free loans for workers to buy bicycles or great walking shoes/runners.
• Conduct periodic employee interest surveys of employee physical activity preferences, and offer a variety of options to suit those interests and needs.
• Hire qualified individuals to lead stretch breaks or physical exercise programs or classes. For help in finding accredited fitness leaders, visit Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit.
• Recognize employees who participate in physical activity. Survey employees first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through business newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.
• Offer child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.
• Avoid scheduling gatherings over lunch.
• Encourage active breaks rather than coffee breaks.
• Have active fundraisers instead of bingos. By way of example, staff members might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bike for 24 hours.
• Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday person to choose an exercise. Options might include a session with a yoga instructor or an evening ski trip.
• Encourage a casual dress day. One study saw that employees who dress casually were more physically active.