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National Employee Health and Fitness Day
Facts:
In 2003 the Governor’s Council and the Michigan Department of Community Health issued a report projecting over $12.65 billion of costs in 2007 related to the physical inactivity of Michigan residents.
According to a 2002 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, companies with physical activity programs for employees have reduced health care costs by 20 to 55 percent, reduced short-term sick leave by up to 32 percent and increased productivity by up to 52 percent.
Healthy employees translate into a thriving business:
“Michigan Surgeon General Healthy Workplace Facts”
History:
NEHFD is a national health observance created to promote the benefits of physical activity for individuals through their work site health promotion activities and is administered annually by the National Association for Health & Fitness. Since 1989, NEHFD has enlisted tens of thousands of participants from employers around the world.
Celebrate NEHFD:
May 21, 2008
- Host a “fitness walk” during lunch break; get the CEO to lead a fitness walk with employees.
- Rent a basketball hoop for lunch hour pick-up games in the parking lot.
- Provide bottled water to all employees.
- Place informational/inspirational health and fitness posters throughout worksite (visit http://www.foodandhealth.com/CHO101.pdf to print poster on healthy carbs).
- Sponsor a healthy breakfast/lunch for employees (the American Cancer Society provides a Meeting Well toolkit for worksites to plan healthy meetings and events, visit www.ACSWorkplaceSolutions.com or call 800-ACS-2345).
- Provide prize drawings (health/fitness related items) throughout the day for participating in a “fitness walk” or walking/riding a bike to work that day.
- Create an indoor walking course at your worksite or around your building with directional signs.
- Place nutrition or physical activity action signs on phone handsets or other "in your face" locations.
- Invite a fitness instructor to offer a before- or after-work class on NEHF day.
- Provide worksite health screenings for employees on NEHF day (contact your local hospital for scheduling information).
- Leave a piece of fruit at each employee’s workstation with a physical activity/nutrition message.
- Make a free “wellness day off” one of the prizes for employees who report being physically active on NEHF day.
- Encourage employees to be active during their work day by holding a “worksite relay” where employees take the stairs to deliver the baton to an employee on a different floor (include a check list with employee names and floor locations).
- Have a healthy potluck luncheon with a guest speaker to discuss a health/wellness topic.
- Organize an employee outing at a local park on NEHF day with a picnic lunch and outdoor sports (volleyball, Frisbee™, softball, etc.)
Year-round physical fitness
- Post “point of action” markers near elevators encouraging employees to take the stairs (check out the CDC’s “StairWELL to Better Health” campaign http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/stairwell/index.htm or visit http://www.knoxcounty.org/health/etn2step/pdf/point_dec_prompts.pdf for free, downloadable point of action posters).
- Encourage employees to “Smart Commute” by walking, biking, or using public transportation to go to work or meetings/errands during their workday.
- Provide healthy snacks in break room.
- Encourage employees to “take 10”—a 10-minute physical activity break during their workday.
- Visit the Business Section of the Michigan Steps Up website at www.michiganstepsup.org. Your worksite can complete the Designing Healthy Environments at Work (DHEW) Assessment Tool to determine more ways to create/maintain a healthy environment.
- Encourage staff to complete a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) Tool on the Michigan Surgeon General’s website at www.michiganstepsup.org.
- Provide employees with an opportunity to sign up for discounted gym membership. (Perhaps your local YMCA would provide a free day pass for every employee.)
- Encourage employees to hand-deliver messages instead of using e-mail or voicemail.
Resources:
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