Corporate Wellness

Cutting Edge Martial Arts & Fitness

Cutting Edge Martial Arts
& Fitness

Corporate Wellness

Why do we need a Health and Wellness Program?

To help reduce and prevent lost time injuries in the work force
To improve employee’s quality of life
To allow employees to come to work everyday with out nagging injuries that affect their work performance and family life

What are the benefits of a health and wellness program?

Reduce sprains and strains
Reduce risk of dying prematurely from heart related diseases
Reduce risk of developing diabetes
Reduce chance of stroke
Reduce and control high blood pressure
Reduce the risk of developing colon and breast cancer
Reduce depressing and anxiety
Helps maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity
Improve self-esteem and self-confidence
Increase productivity
Improve quality of life at work and at home
Improve sleep patterns
Improve cardiovascular and cardio respiratory functions
Increase flexibility, strength and muscular endurance
Improves immune system
Decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL)
Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Decrease symptoms of arthritis
Decrease the number of employee sick days
Reduce repetitive strain injuries

Facts of Life:

Exercise in the middle of the day improved alertness and productivity for up to 4 to 5 hours afterwords (1987 New England Journal of Medicine)
Fit employees are more productive, creative and competitive (Physical fitness is an essential part of the best-run companies, T Pickens, chairman, Mesa Petroleum, 1992)
32.4% lower turnover of employees (Canadian Journal of Health, Peter Leatt et all, Jan /Feb 1988)
Fewer long-term medical claims, decrease in absenteeism, lower disability costs and higher levels of productivity and job/life satisfaction. (Peter Soderberg, President Johnson and Johnson HMI)
8.75 billion dollars a year spent on workers compensation claims for back problems in America
American industry losses $32 billion dollars and 132 million work days a year due to premature deaths associated with cardio vascular disease (high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and obesity)
Pepsi Co found a 300% return on their investment after implementing a fitness program. (The economic impact of employee health and fitness, fitness systems 1990)
Du Pont had a return of $2.05 for every $1 invested in their fitness program over a six year period (health Behaviors, D.W. Edington, PhD., March 1992)
Prudential Life Insurance conducted a five-year study and found a $1.91 return on investment per dollar invested in a fitness program. (The Cost/Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness Programs, American Institute of Preventative Medicine, 1991)
WHSA largest percent (50.43%) of lost time injuries in Ontario are sprains and strains (1990)
WHSA found that most of the sprain and strain injuries happened in the first 4 hours of the shift and in the morning part of the day
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics says that over 43% of non fatal occupational injuries are sprain and strains
A.O. Smith Electrical Products Company implemented a warm-up and stretching exercises at the beginning of each shift. Since that implementation they have recorded there second 1 million hours with out a lost time accident in a 12 month period
With only 60% of their employees participating, Coca Cola saved $500 dollars for every employee after starting a fitness program
Coors Brewing started a wellness program and they had a $5.50 return on their investment as well as reduced absenteeism
U.S Department of Labour saw 4.3 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in private workplaces in 2004

American Heart Association Baby Boomer Facts (2002):

· 36.2% of men and 36.6% of women have Cardiovascular Disease

· 30.9% of men and 31.7% of women have high blood pressure

· 58% of males and 48.5 % of smoke tobacco

· 59.6% of men and 56% of women have a blood cholesterol level of 200mg/dl)or higher. (200mg/dl is considered borderline high risk and over 240mg/dl is high risk)

· 74.7% of men and 64.9% women are over weight or obese (have a BMI of 25kg/m2 or higher)

· 38.6% of the total population was physically inactive

· One in four males has some form of cardiovascular disease

· 46.8% of deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease (433,825) and cancer killed (288,768)

Estimated this year their will be 715,000 men with a new or reoccurring coronary attack and 520,000 will have a heart attack

How do we start aHealth and Wellness Program?

Conduct a study to give us a baseline of where each employee is so that we can track their successes
Develop a stretching, fitness and health and wellness program that helps prevent employee injuries and reduce lost time. As well as boost moral, self-esteem and promote a healthy lifestyle
Develop a system to track the effectiveness of the program

What will the Health and Wellness program need?

Area to conduct fitness and stretching classes (doesn't’t need to be big)
Health and Wellness coordinator who has a back ground in instructing and experience in the fitness and exercise field
For the most part the only equipment that is needed is some form of matting that employees can stretch and exercise on. As the program progresses addition equipment can be added (skipping ropes, medicine balls, stability balls)

What types of exercises will be done?

Polymetric, Isometric and Isotonic exercises
Functional strength training
Muscular endurance and cardiovascular exercises
Comprehensive preventative stretching routine
General fitness exercises

How long would this program run and in what duration?

Each employee would receive a 20-30 minute workout, 3 to 5 days a week
The times of these workouts would be available throughout the day so that normal mill functions would not be interrupted

How can all employees get involved if they work different shifts?

Run groups of 20-30 employees at a time
Start at different times in the day to get the maximum amount of the work force

What are the short-term goals of the program?

Boost employee moral, and self-esteem
Increase employee quality of life at home and work
Reduce aches and pains related to our aging work force and the job
Help employees reach a healthy weight
Increase cardiovascular endurance
Increases flexibility, strength and muscular endurance

What are the long-term goals of the program?

Reduce lost time injuries and medical aids
Reduce sprains and strains
Reduce risk of dying prematurely from heart related diseases
Reduce risk of developing diabetes
Reduce chance of stroke
Increases productivity
Reduce and control high blood pressure
Reduce the risk of developing colon and breast cancer
Reduce depression and anxiety
Decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL)
Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Decrease symptoms of arthritis
Decrease the number of employee sick days
Reduce repetitive strain injuries
Less employee turnover and more job satisfaction
Healthy attitude toward life
Happier workforce

About me:

I am an Industrial mechanic buy trade and have worked for Ontario Power Generation, Lake Erie Steel Company and Gerdau Ameristeel. I have met a variety of people in the past 7 years working in heavy industry. The one thing that I found to be very distressing was that most of the people didn't’t seem to have time for their health and wellness. I believe that if you’re in good health you have more energy, more self-esteem and less chance of major health problem down the road. With today’s society of people working too much and exercising too little we are seeing a growing trend of health problems. I know how hard it is to come home after an 8 or 12 hour shift and find time to exercise. For this reason I feel that it is very important to get exercise at work. If employees have time during their work day to exercise then they will have no excuses why they can’t be in better health. A healthy workforce is a productive workplace. I have been very interested in physical fitness my whole life and started working out at the age of 15. Over the last 9 1/2 years I have been heavily involved with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, Boxing, Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts. I have competed in various tournaments in both Canada and the United States. Through my competitions and training I have gained valuable experience in the fitness industry. I’m also a certified personal trainer, certified advanced personal trainer, speed, agility and quickness certified and level 1 boxing certified.

Conclusion:

Over the past year I have been researching about health and wellness and its benefits. I believe that by implementing a health and wellness program into the daily work day we can get our employees and ourselves into better health which will benefit everybody.

Health and wellness in the workplace, lets set the bench mark!

Exercise Routine Layout

5 Minute Warm-up

· Get blood flowing and heart beating faster

· Begin to perspire a little

· Muscles get warmed up and ready for more strenuous exercise

· Low intensity

15-20 Minute Workout

· Aerobic conditioning

· Functional strength training

· Muscular endurance exercises

· Polymetric exercises

· Increase heart rate

· Medium to high intensity

5 Minute Stretch & Cool Down

· Stretching exercises while the muscles are warm

· Increase flexibility

· Decrease heart rate

· Low intensity

Lunch and Learn

· Periodic times in the year have guest speakers come in to talk about outside activities that employees can join or seminars on health and nutrition

· Show employees their progress in the program (use a confidential numbering system so employees wont be embarrassed if results aren’t where they want them to be)