Are You Gaining Weight at Work? First we blamed the candy dish, now it's your chair!

There is a new culprit in the obesity epidemic, and it’s not fast food or soda – it’s the workplace. There is no doubt that the workforce has changed in the past 40 years, but email and the Internet are not the only drastic changes.  In the 1960’s more than 50% of jobs required physical activity. Today, less than 20% of American jobs require physical activity, if any at all. We know that less activity out (caloric expenditure) , does not always equal fewer calories in (caloric intake). In fact, the drastic change in workplace activity translates to an estimated 120-140 calories not burned throughout the day.   That is close to 700 calories a week, 2800 a month and over 33,000 calories a year!

Think about it. How many times do you send an email, rather than walk down the hall to deliver a message? When is the last time you had a lunch meeting that involved walking, not eating? Statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans is obese. Lifestyle, diet and genetics are all major factors, but we have to start considering our workplace lifestyle as well. Your employer may not be ready to outfit the office with standing work stations or treadmill-like desks (I'm personally not convinced they are necessary), but there are changes we can make throughout the day to be more active and burn more calories. Simply put, going to the gym an hour a day after work is just not enough activity anymore. Not when you consider how much time we spend driving, emailing, or eating instead of walking. 

Some other tips to get you moving....
- WALK down the hall to a colleague to deliver a personal message instead of texting
- MBWA - Manage by walking around -- set up a walking meeting instead of a sitting one
- Plan to walk for 10 minutes after lunch
- Map out an indoor or outdoor walking path to use before or after work if you have the extra time
- Limit your own screen time to under 2 hours a day or make some of those minutes active by including sit-ups, push-ups, stretches or yoga
- Walk on the weekends at a local park or pretty street(s) in your area with a friend or family member
- Find free exercise programs on your cable's exercise channel
- Borrow a free exercise DVD from the library
- I am sure you can think of 100 additional ways!

At Wellness Workdays, we offer 8-week, 10-week and 12-week Wellness Challenges to our clients. They are team based programs focusing on lifestyle interventions and incentives. Rewards are provided for those who achieve as well as for those who strive for specific lifestyle behaviors. All programs include online tracking, weekly tips, regular wellness activities, incentives for participation, and pre/post surveys. The programs have documented an ROI of 3.8:1, that's $3.80 spent for every $1 spent. If you are interested in having a wellness challenge at your workplace, post me a message! I would also love to hear your ideas of how you fit your workouts in on work days.

Prizes for Participation? Yes, please!

If you could win a flat screen TV for lowering your BMI or win a $50 gift card for quitting smoking, would you be more willing to make healthy changes? If your answer is yes, then you are not alone! Making changes and sticking to them is what’s important, so when you win prizes along the way, your success is that much sweeter. Research shows that when programs offer a grand prize, like a 32” flat-screen TV for example, employee participation sky rockets.  Incentives are the way to go – they motivate people to get healthier and keep their eyes on the prize. Or prizes. Literally!   The idea behind incentives is that the extrinsic (outside) motivation might be just enough to motivate employees to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors, but, along the way, this may drive their intrinsic (internal) motivation to kick in... and research shows it works!

ACI Specialty Benefits recently completed a wellness program aimed at improving employee health and productivity. With a flat screen at stake, ACI achieved 60% participation in a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) – that is three- five times the national average! HRAs provide a snapshot of the health of your employees and identify the top health risks of your employees and are a great way to strategically plan your wellness programs to best help your employees. 

Here at Wellness Workdays, we run 6 week risk management programs, 10 week weight management programs, 30- day and 12 week Wellness Challenges for our clients and can definitely attest to the benefits of incentives. From gift cards to magazine subscriptions all the way to weekend getaways (to the beach or to mountains - employee chooses!), paid vacation days and iPads, we believe that earning prizes for commitment and hard work is well worth a healthier workplace. 


We have developed programs that focus on weight loss, smoking cessation, productivity and hypertension, just to name a few. Participants not only increase their personal health status, but employers are seeing reduced health risks and significant cost avoidance. Providing incentives and prizes in exchange for healthier employees is a win-win for everyone. 

What types of prizes would you amp up your activity for? Let us know. We'd love to hear your ideas.

Exercise: Will an hour a day keep the doctor away?

We all know that exercise keeps us healthy. Decades of research shows that the benefits of regular physical activity are endless!  Just a sample of the benefits of a regular physical activity program...
- improves cardiovascular health
- lowers blood pressure
- improves metabolism
- lowers cholesterol and triglycerides
- reduces diabetes risk
- reduces risk of certain cancers
- helps you maintain a healthy weight

The surprising thing is that many people might be placing too much clout in their regular exercise regimen because one hour each day might NOT be enough to counteract the effects of too much sitting during the rest of the day. With remote controls designed for televisions, stereos, window blinds and even air conditioners as well as the option to purchase treadmills for your dog (www.jogadog.com), we have become a nation of sitters!

And since you're wondering, a treadmill for your medium size dog costs $1500 and, according to the website, provides the following benefits to your dog...
Reduce risk of serious injury
Provide versatility in exercise
Develop muscle strength & stamina
Control your dog's exercise regimen
Provide exercise in adverse weather
Prevent obesity & associated problems
Improve health, well-being & longevity

Now, if you are allowing your dog to exercise indoors, where are YOU getting your exercise??

Back to humans... Many of us have jobs where we sit at a desk, spend a large amount of commuting time in the car, watch hours of television or spend time on the computer or in front of the TV in the evening. That is a lot of sitting and not a whole lot of moving! When you sit for a long period of time, many of the major muscles in your legs and back for example, aren't moving, slowing down your metabolism.

New research from the University of South Carolina studied adult men and their risk of dying from heart disease. The study found "that men who reported more than 23 hours a week of sedentary activity had a 64 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who reported less than 11 hours a week of sedentary activity." So, not only do we need to commit to at least an hour of physical activity o most days of the week, we also need to get up and move around throughout the day. Try stretching at your desk, take a walk break instead of a coffee break, or grab a co-worker for a walking-working meeting (MBWA -- meeting by walking around is the term you might hear).

In fact, the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommend individuals participate in 30, 60 or 90 minutes of regular physical activity daily, but the guidelines ALSO suggest we "limit sedentary activities". Great idea whenever possible...

Need some ideas for stretching at your desk or tips on how to power up your productivity? Let's talk! Shoot me an email and I'll send you (or someone you care about) a copy of our Stretching at Your Desk handout.

Now, get away from the screen and start moving... :)

Surviving the office candy dish

It’s 2:00 in the afternoon and you are feeling hungry and tired. How many of you immediately reach for the office candy dish or grab a brownie from the snack tray in the kitchen? Sharing food is a sign of friendship, camaraderie or appreciation but have the office treats gone too far? Even people with the greatest resolve can fall into the trap of grabbing a Hershey Kiss, or sharing a brownie with a co-worker. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves a treat once in a while, but once in a while can quickly lead to everyday or even a few times a day.

According to Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and human behavior at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and author of "Mindless Eating", "the proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase an adult's consumption."  There is research to show how irresistible the candy dish can be. A four-week study of 40 secretaries found that when candy was visible in a clear, covered dish, participants ate 2.5 pieces of chocolate on top of the 3.1 candies they would have eaten had the chocolates been in an opaque container, according to the 2006 study in the International Journal of Obesity. Moving the dish closer, so the subjects could reach the candy while seated at their desks, added another 2.1 candies a day to their intake. Being consistently faced with unhealthy food options may be tiring when you are trying to make the right choices for your health.

But don’t lose hope! There are plenty of ways to avoid the candy dish...

• Take the time to plan and pack healthy snacks to eat throughout the day.
• Take a different route to bypass temptations.
• Bring fruit or vegetables to share.
• Chew on gum or mints instead.
• Keep satisfying snacks in your office drawer for when an urge strikes.
• Ask the person not to fill the dish anymore!
  

Here’s a little food for thought for the next time you reach for the candy jar…

  Candy   Calories   Sugar (g)  
  Jolly Rancher Hard Candy   25   3.5  
  2 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups   210   21  
  Milky Way Fun Size   75   10  
  York Peppermint Patty   140   25  
  Almond Joy Regular Size   220   20

Does your office have a candy jar looming at every corner? How do you avoid the temptation to snack on the sweets?

Plateauing Obesity and Why That's Not Good Enough

We hear so often about obesity in America, how Americans are gaining weight, eating more, moving less, and getting more and more unhealthy. According to a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, many government studies are actually showing that the obesity rates of men, women, and children are actually leveling off. "Results from the CDC’s 2007 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggest that the prevalence of obesity among women (35.5%) and children 2 to 19 years of age (16.9%) has remained stable over the past 10 years and that the prevalence among men (32.2%) has not changed significantly since 2003" (Yanovski and Yanovski, NEJM).

While it's good news that the obesity rate has slowed, as a nation we are still far too unhealthy. According to a 2010 report by the Centers for Disease Control, 34% of adults over the age of 20 were obese. 19% of adolescents 12-19 were obese, and 20% of children 6-11 were obese. The culprits remain the same - high calorie, high sugar, high fat fast food, lack of available fruits and vegetables, and poor exercise habits. Proof of these persistent systemic problems came in the NEJM article which noted that the rate of extreme obesity and the rates of obesity in lower income and urban communities has continued to rise.

So what can we do to, not only, curb the rate of obesity, but maybe even lower it? Access and education are two good places to start. Too often, in many parts of the United States, the local grocery store is more than 20 or 30 miles away, leaving what are known as "food deserts" where the only viable options are beef jerky and candy from a gas station or fast food. This is a problem in both urban and rural communities. One solution is community supported agriculture or other programs that connect farmers directly to consumers in areas of high food need. Co-ops or CSAs can offer families access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains at affordable pricing. Even companies like Wal Mart are making an effort to put more stores in urban "food desert" settings that offer full grocery services to meet this need.

Of course... education is equally important. Teaching children and their families about healthy food choices and weight maintenance is an integral part of lowering the obesity rate. Here, at Wellness Workdays we focus on educating employees about ways they can adjust their lifestyle to improve the heath of themselves and their family...  In return, the hope is to increase energy, improve focus, and lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. 

Individuals can consider the following to maintain and/or promote a healthy weight:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer foods high in fat and sugar.
• Choose water instead of sugary drinks.
• Participate in physical activity on most days of the week. 
• Watch less television. Aim for less than 2 hours.
• Promote policies and programs at school, at work, and in the community that make the healthy choice the easy choice.

Programs through schools, workplaces, community groups, churches, athletic teams, and other outlets can all have a positive effect on our nation’s health. Do you have your own ideas on ways we can lower the nation's obesity rate? 

Leave a comment below or join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.

We eat first with our eyes...so why not protect them?

We certainly know, by now, that including fish in our diet is good for our hearts and waistlines, and current research is showing that women who regularly eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to develop eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration. The Harvard Women's Health Study followed more than 39,000 women over a ten year period and reported that those who consumed 1 serving of fish per week were 42% less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than those who ate less than a serving each month.

Omega-3 fatty acids are proven to have inflammatory effects, so eating fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish and swordfish as part of a balanced diet may help with your eye health. Weekly consumption of fish is largely encouraged in the Mediterranean diet along with daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and low-fat dairy products; weekly consumption of fish, poultry, tree nuts, and legumes; and high consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily from olives and olive oils. In addition to aiding in eye health, the Mediterranean diet also reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome - risk factors that boost the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Try adding more fish into your weekly meals. In fact, try out this recipe for Roasted Salmon with Tomatoes and Olives and let me know what you think!

Employers across the country are starting to notice that the stress of personal finances can spill into the workplace in the same way as poor physical health according to a recent story on FoxBusiness.com (http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/02/03/financial-literacy-shares-spotlight-health-wellness/). Despite the recovering economy, the Mercer Annual Workplace Survey and other polls are showing that as many as ¾ of Americans say that money causes them stress.

Financial stress can show up in the workplace in several ways including absenteeism and tardiness, much like the workplace problems associated with poor physical health. According to Mark McAvoy from the Society for Human Resource Management, stressed out employees spend an average of about 20 hours a month dealing with their financial situations. “This equals about 30% of our 40 hour work week and includes time to go to the bank or call the debt collector from the office,” said McAvoy.

To counter the bad effects of financial stress on a workforce, companies like Prudential are tackling the problem in the same proactive way that they handle physical health issues. During the financial collapse in 2009, Prudential developed a Personal Budget Coaching program which connects an employee with a personal financial coach to do an analysis and develop a budget. Mercer partners with a third-party vendor, Financial Engines Inc., to offer employees professional management and provides a do-it-yourself investment option.

Have you noticed financial stress affecting your employees? How have you reacted to it? Have you taken any proactive measures to help your employees be more attentive at work? Would love to read your feedback in comments below or on Twitter @DebraWein, #wellnessworkdays.