the better blog

At the IHRSA 2010 conference today, Larry Chapman referenced a research study in the February 2010 journal "Health Affairs" that showed every dollar spent on wellness programs reduced corporate medical costs by $3.27 and absenteeism costs by $2.73. Where else in your organization are you enjoying a combined ROI of 600%?

What is wellness?  Wellness is the absence of disease in the body and the mind. Physical health is easy to identify, but what about the emotional, mental and spiritual capacity of your workforce? Common sense tells us that if our human capital has a sound foundation of physical energy, they will be more connected to their work. If our people are 100% focused on their jobs, and if these same responsibilities are aligned with the team's inner purpose (a.k.a.

Let’s review.  What is health promotion and what does it mean to your human capital?   When you empower your team with the tools for a healthy life, you also facilitate their productivity at work and at home.

In January, IHRSA asked 30 of the most prominent names in the fitness industry to weigh in with their forecasts of what our business will look like this year.  IHRSA is a prominent trade association that has been serving the health and fitness industry for over 25 years.  I had the privilege to be asked to share my vision in Ask an Industry Leader.

According to the CDC and the Surgeon General’s report, millions of Americans have diseases that could have been entirely prevented with regular physical exercise. The numbers are overwhelming: 13.5 Americans have coronary heart disease, 8 million Americans have adult onset diabetes, 95,000 of us are diagnosed with colon cancer every year, and about 1.5 million people experience a heart attack in a year.

Evaluating the return on your investment for a wellness program can be a complex, long-term process.

One of the most effective ways for your employees to lose weight is to practice portion control.

Obesity is a nationwide epidemic.  Type II Diabetes is rampant among our children.  According to the CDC, 1 in 3 children born in the United States will become diabetic.  A smart company knows it’s not enough to focus on the individual employee; we need to empower them to take what they learn about wellness at work home to their families.  There are some meaningful changes that will make tremendous improvements in the culture of health in your employees’ h

The future of employee wellness starts with just one full time employee.

As the year winds down, it is natural to reflect on goals and behaviors we’d like to change.  It’s easy to make excuses for why we haven’t yet made the changes we’d like to, and most often, it comes down to time.  It’s important to remember that we can accomplish big things in small bites of time.  You can read a picture book to your little one in ten minutes.  You can take a quick jog on the treadmill, call a relative, make an appointment for you