Health and Fitness
April 30, 2012
Contact: Diana Yee, 510-271-6671
Kaiser Permanente Celebrates Employee Health and Fitness Month in May and All Year Long
Step Up to Fitness: Resources to Get Employees Up and Walking
The month of May often means warmer weather across the nation. It also marks Employee Health and Fitness Month, an ideal time for employers to encourage their workforce to head outdoors and get on the road to better health. Kaiser Permanente offers a host of ideas and resources to get employees up and moving, including its Every Body Walk! mobile app for the general public, and the new Thrive Across America mobile app for Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks subscribers.
The Every Body Walk! app lets users personalize their walking plan, connect with walking communities and learn about the latest fitness trends and tips. Thrive Across America is a popular workforce online tool that enables users to track their physical activity across a virtual route — from Maine to Hawaii. This fee-based program for employers offers goal-setting guides, team-building tips and healthy recipes.
“We’ve seen how powerful both walking programs can be,” said Elisa Mendel, vice president, HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente. “Eating healthy and walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week can improve the overall health of an employee and prevent disease.”
Mendel points to the 800 County of Marin (California) employees who participated in Thrive Across America over a 10-week period. They collectively completed more than 100 days of exercise. See how they benefited from Thrive Across America:
While Employee Health & Fitness Month puts wellness in the spotlight for May, it’s important to support workforce health all year long. Physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic conditions and reduce medical costs by as much as 55 percent.
Easy ways to improve health and productivity in the workplace:
- Promote walking meetings and lunchtime walks
- Clean and brighten stairways so employees can use the stairs
- Set aside an exercise area or invite a fitness instructor to offer a class at work
- Create a company walking challenge or sports team to get the workforce active
- Install bicycle storage racks to encourage employees to ride to work
- Encourage employees to eat healthy and get physically active as a means to reduce stress
Other resources
Download a free hands-on guide, HealthWorks workbook, and do-it-yourself resources for employers:
http://businessnet-preview.kp.org/health/plans/ca/workforcehealth/resourcecenter/healthworks
