Drug Education and Intervention in the Workplace

Workplace Physical Activity Programs: Forming an Employee Committee

Although reinforcement from the top is vital to a thriving initiative, reinforcement from other employees is also valuable.

Once you get the go-ahead from upper management, identify others who are interested in the project and form a Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee to help determine the next steps. Depending on the size of your workplace and the amount of employee time management is willing to contribute, this Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee may be advisory or may plan and carry out the plan.

The Employee Health Promotion Program Committee could include employees from human resources(HR), occupational health and safety and finance. It’s also a good idea to involve employee from other areas who have an interest in promoting physical exercise. Terms of reference will define the boundaries of the project. For example, it’s important for the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee to have clearly defined and understood tasks. Possible tasks include the following:

• Assessing your workplace environment
• Carrying out an employee interest survey.
• Implementing a mission statement and goals and objectives.
• Writing a physical activity or wellness policy declaring the organization’s responsibility to physical activity.
• Brainstorming program ideas.
• Promoting, communicating and marketing the program.
• Coordinating specific activities.
• Deciding how the initiative will be evaluated.
• Continually assessing what is or isn’t working and adjusting the plan.

Prior to making plans to promote physical activity during work, it’s significant to discover what is “doable” in your workplace.

You don’t want to raise employee expectations by offering something that’s not feasible due to funding or space limits. By way of example, it’s not realistic to suggest putting in a fitness facility if there’s no room for it. Be open, however, to creative ways around limitations.

Workplace Physical Activity Programs: Discovering What’s Feasible in Your Workplace

Check with recreation departments or fitness facilities for diagrams of the local walking trails or underground pedways. Great walking trails may be right around the block from your workplace.

Below are some questions to help you evaluate your workplace:

• What facilities or opportunities does your work space have that make it easier to be physically active during work? By way of example, do you have stairs, bike racks, showers, space for a fitness facility, factory walking lanes?
• What nearby facilities or opportunities might workers use to be more physically active during work? Are you near sidewalks, walking trails, area centres, bike lanes for active commuting and/or exercise facilities?
• What resources are available?
• Can the program access funds, personnel, space, equipment, facilities?
• What is the structure of your company? By way of example, consider employee size, working hours, number of sites, unusual shifts, length of lunch breaks and ability to use flex time.

Gaining upper management backing is vital to the success of a physical exercise plan.

Whether the changes you’d like to see involve the work environment, central policies or specific programs, successfully implementing your ideas depends on management reinforcement.

Support from upper management is vital for 3 reasons:

• You need their support to involve staff members in a workplace initiative.
• When senior staff pays attention to and supports initiative, staff members also view the initiative as worthwhile.
• Upper Management has the authority to give work time and money to support the plan.

It’s valuable to keep management involved throughout a physical activity program, but at three points you’ll need backing for:

• An overall concept, including a go-ahead to assess what employees want to do within the limitations of your workplace environment.
• A detailed plan (based on the assessment above) coupled with resources to carry out the plan.
• Reviewing the initiative to improve it along the way or to advocate for continuing or expanding the initiative.

Approaching Senior Management

Prior to approaching senior staff to gain initial support for promoting physical activity during work, do your homework.

• Prepare a corporation case clearly outlining how the corporation will profit by promoting physical exercise during work.
• List the individual, social and corporate advantages of physical exercise and the advantages of being active during work.
• Present some general ideas about what the program could include. See the Success Stories and Ideas sections on this website to highlight what other workplaces have done.

Expect questions such as the following from upper management:

• How will this help our company?
• How can we arouse employees to participate?
• How much will it cost to operate this program or bring about this change?
• How will we know a year from now whether or not this was a good use of time and resources?

Ask managers about the types of activities they would support. Often managers have ideas of their own they would like to see acted on to better the workplace.

Remember to include middle managers when gaining reinforcement for your program. They can be very helpful when you need volunteers to lead teams in corporate physical exercise challenges.

In today’s company atmosphere, the health of workers is frequently related to the health of the company. Increased job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced illness and injuries, and increased productiveness are just some of the benefits of having healthy workers. Promoting health in your workplace does not have to be be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Any company, large or little, can encourage healthy eating and active living in the workplace. Here are some recommendations:

Healthier Eating

• For breakfast meetings, rather than serving donuts, big muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream and sugar, offer healthier alternatives such as bagels, small muffins, fresh fruit, water, 100% fruit juice and milk with coffee and tea.
• For lunch gatherings, avoid serving chips, fried foods, rich pastas, and salads loaded with dressing. Instead, offer sandwiches, bagels, whole grain low fat crackers and cheese, 100  percent fruit juice, water, salads with dressing on the side, vegetable and fruit trays.
• Fully reimburse (or partially reimburse) staff members for items purchased to improve their health (e.g. healthy eating cookbooks, consultation with a Registered Dietitian).
• Arrange for the cafeteria or food vendors to offer healthy meal choices.
• Arrange to have healthy choices like bottled water, 100 percent fruit juice, fruit bars, and raisins available in snack machines.
• Offer a means for individuals to share healthy recipes with each other (for example, posting recipes on the Intranet, on posters or by e-mail).

Active Living

• Create programs and group activities to encourage workers to become active, such as walking programs, contests and challenge programs, stretch breaks, team sports or participation in local or provincial programs.
• Offer onsite health professionals (e.g. personal trainers, fitness instructors) or incorporate this service in EAPs to help staff members work towards physical exercise objectives and goals.
• Provide a supportive environment in the workplace that makes healthy choices easy: bike racks, shower facilities, clean, safe and accessible stairwells, walking or running routes in the vicinity of the workplace, and gym facilities.
• Provide|Offer|Give} flex time so that employees have more opportunities to participate in physical activity programs as part of their working day.
• Reimburse fitness center membership fees, fitness class registrations, and fitness equipment purchases.
• Offer corporate gym memberships to cut expenditures of individual memberships.

Keeping It Fresh!

Find a champion to:

• Develop lunch ‘n learn sessions to provide information and motivation for healthy eating and active living.
• Invite demonstrators to offer cooking lessons or tips for making healthy foods.
• Post a list of local restaurants that offer healthy diet choices on their menus.
• Distribute information to educate workers on portion sizes.
• Include physical activity and diet information in newsletters, pay check inserts, bulletin boards or e-mails.
• Plan activities that reward healthy eating and physical exercise. For example, start a year-round lunch-time walking club, and special activities

Can a small organization support workplace wellness? You bet! In fact, in some ways it is easier to establish a healthy workplace in a small organization than in a large organization.

Limited resources, especially in small businesses, can prevent a corporation from setting up a Workplace Health Promotion Program. Reasons can include:

• lack of financial resources;
• lack of employee;
• lack of senior-level support;
• little knowledge of the wellness concept and;
• concern about making wellness available to all workers.

According to the Wellness Councils of America, some small corporation owners may have the wrong idea of what is involved in running a Workplace Health Promotion Program. Some employers aren’t sure a program would truly work and others feel that trying to change personal lifestyle behaviours is intruding and “none of their business”.  Perhaps they don’t be aware of that it doesn’t need to be costly and that they don’t need special employee. They may not be aware that some employee would like to see some healthy changes and would help make things happen in their workplace.

It Can Be Done

Many small businesses have found ways to have a Worksite Wellness Program that works for them. They keep the expense and effort to a minimum and still have results that are beneficial for everyone. In 2006, Graham Lowe wrote a report on the best places to work in Calgary. He said that healthy workplaces often have a “positive workplace culture”.  In a workplace with a beneficial culture, individuals feel appreciated, valued, and trusted.

Dr. Lowe says it is easier for a small workplace to have a beneficial workplace culture than for a big workplace. Many employees prefer to work for a small employer, he says, because it supplies more opportunities to work closely with others and foster a sense of community.

In his report, Dr. Lowe says the most successful employers with fewer than 100 staff members have:

• great employee benefits;
• policies that promote a balance between work and personal life;
• flexible schedules;
• competitive salaries;
• great leadership with an emphasis on teamwork;
• environmentally responsible organization policies;
• procedures for seeking employee input; and
• a focus on placing employees’ personal wellbeing ahead of the personal gain of Senior Management.

All or most of these elements are also components of a strong Company Wellness Program.

Tips and Ideas

There are many ways to include wellness and health in a small business. You may not necessarily need a wellness professional or a fancy fitness center. What you do need is backing from senior staff and a Employee Health Promotion Program Committee of a handful of committed people. Here are some ideas that your workplace can consider.

Communications and Promotion

• Send out a regular “wellness” newsletter on paper or internet based. Or send out a brief message such as the weekly Healthy U Hot Tip.
• Use promotions that are ready-designed, such as Healthy Workplace Week.

Active Living and Healthy Eating

• Urge employee to sign up for the Stairway to Health stair climbing competition.
• Have pedometers for staff members and count their steps.
• Rent a nearby school or community fitness center and offer exercise classes.
• Bring in a local fitness instructor to give classes or lead stretch breaks. Costs can be shared with workers.
• Install secure bicycle parking.
• Offer healthy alternatives at corporation meetings and lunches.

Policy and Company Initiatives

• Hire an ergonomics professional to evaluate workstations.
• Create policies to support work-life balance (for example, mandatory vacations, flextime, limits to work and e-mail on personal time).
• Provide a wellness subsidy for a variety of health and leadership activities and courses.
• Provide monetary incentives to be healthy.
• Give wellness incentives/rewards as rewards and recognition for a job well done.
• Conduct an organization health audit.
• Become a partner with the neighborhood (for example, daycare, gyms, festivals, parks, restaurants).
• Spread the workload. Establish a Workplace Wellness Program Committee.

Small corporations may not have an abundance of time, money, or human resources available for a Employee Wellness Program. But they frequently have a huge advantage over sizable companies-a beneficial workplace culture. That is a strong foundation for a Employee Wellness Program. When employees are satisfied, enjoy their work environment, they are more productive, and tend to be healthier.  With a little creativity and passion, small corporations can develop efficacious Employee Wellness Programs. Get support from management, form a Employee Wellness Program Committee of two or more and discover the possibilities!

Workplace wellness is in the process of evolving.

Early efforts to set up healthy workplaces focused on safety at the worksite and injury prevention for workers.

More recently, programs are designed to assist  workers to choose healthier behaviors like being more physically active or stopping smoking. Campaigns to increase awareness, educational sessions to expand knowledge, opportunities to acquire new skills, and changes to policies to make it easier for workers to make healthy choices are often included. This approach is taken because the workplace is a great way to reach people, since most adult Canadians invest a large part of their day at work.

While safety and lifestyle programs are 2 aspects that contribute to the health of employees, workplace wellness is more effective when a third factor is brought into the equation-the environment at work.

How the workplace impacts health.

Increasingly, it is understood that the workplace itself has a powerful affect on people’s health. When individuals are satisfied with their job, they are more constructive and tend to be healthier. When staff members feel that the environment at work is harmful, they feel stressed. Stress has a large influence on employee mental and physical health, and in turn, on productivity.

Consultant Graham Lowe has identified 5 components of workplace culture that directly affect employees’ health and the health of the employer overall-credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. The underlying idea is that businesses must truly are concerned about the wellbeing of their employees.

Employers today who want to attract and retain good employees have leaders who be aware of the connection between employee satisfaction and employee health and believe that workplace wellness is a business plan.  Their management practices include making reasonable demands on time and energy, involving employees in decision making, rewarding work well done, openly communicating, and offering support to balance work and home life.

Employers know that staff members are looking for jobs that compensate well, have good benefits, are interesting, and include great health and safety programs. So in today’s competitive hiring market, it’s become more valuable than ever for organizations to enhance job satisfaction and make sure that staff members enjoy being on the job. Workplace wellness benefits both employers and staff members.

How does workplace wellness benefit the corporation?

A workplace wellness program can help a employer to:

• attract and keep employees;
• lower the expenditures of disability, prescription drugs, and absenteeism;
• reduce the effects of a stressful workplace;
• decrease health costs or keep them contained; and
• improve morale by organizing a happy, supportive environment.

How Do Company Health Promotion Programs Advance employees?

workers of corporations that have a Company Wellness Program are likely to have:

• increased awareness and knowledge of ways to improve their health;
• a better (less stressful) workplace;
• increased protection from injury;
• improved health and wellbeing;
• higher morale and greater job satisfaction;
• increased productiveness and performance at work;
• reduced personal medical care expenditures; and
• a more relaxed/flexible approach to health concerns.

Both employers and staff members have a responsibility for planning a healthy workplace. Workers are expected to arrive at work in good health, and the company is expected to support an environment that allows staff members to maintain good health, enjoy their work, and contribute to the company’s success.

Workplace wellness is much more than a “lunch and learn” program. It’s about planning a “people first” approach to doing business. It’s about taking care of employees, implementing a beneficial work environment, and paying attention to the factors that keep employees healthy and happy at work. A good Corporate Wellness Program has an effect on employees’ mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.

Ideally, you will foster an central plan for a Worksite Health Promotion Program before beginning to plan specific wellness programs. By way of example, you are able to start by getting the following components in place:

• support from senior staff
• a Corporate Wellness Program Committee or group
• information about the wellness needs and interests of employees
• a budget
• program objectives
• an evaluation plan

Even if you have few monetary and/or human resources(HR), you have the potential to still take a “micro” approach. For example, you could focus on only one specific issue. Creativity, enthusiasm and planning have the potential to help you overcome limitations.

This article will provide you with some ideas for establishing Worksite Wellness Programs. Even the smallest steps have the potential to have an influence.

Whether you choose to begin with a single program or foster something larger, planning is important. First consider the big picture and then look after the details.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Identify an action. What health-related program will fit the bill and best suit the workers and business?
• Encourage. How can you most effectively spread the word to employees? What are the opportunities for promotion? Consider everything, because employees have access to and pay attention to different types of messages. In a typical workplace, employees receive information from e-mail, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, meeting announcements and fellow employees.
• Deliver. Who is the best person or group to put the program into action? Ask other employers about approaches they have used. Solidify your budget prior to making a decision.
• Assess. What ought to you evaluate to determine success? Do you need hard data and/or testimonials from individual participants?

We recommend the following when planning your initiative:

• planning and communicating clear objectives
• targeting your audience
• deciding on the type of program or campaign

The Elements of a Worksite Health Promotion Program

Plans to encourage wellness in the workplace do not need to be restricted to one area. You might think workplace wellness only involves promoting beneficial personal health, e.g., Blood Pressure clinics, brochures on heart disease, “lunch and learn” sessions on eating habits and short-term physical activity programs.

These activities are significant, but workplace wellness should also be part of corporation’s business plan and go beyond traditional programming.

Taking a broader approach, the National Quality Institute recently detailed 3 key components of a healthy workplace:

• physical environment
• social environment and personal resources
• health practices

Specific Program Ideas

Physical Environment

Look after workers’ health and safety and establish regulations to support their health and safety. Consider offering the following:

• Safe bike storage and shower and/or change facilities for cyclists and other commuters.
• Fridges for staff members to keep snacks and meals fresh and/or healthy snacks in vending machines and cafeterias.
• Ergonomic assessments.
• Subsidies to assist workers join local recreation centres.
• Classrooms/conference rooms available for booking activities such as yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and aerobics.
• Safe and pleasant stairwells that invite staff members to use them.
• Assessing the potential for violence at work with plans to deal with such risks.
• Good lighting and sound and air quality.

Social Environment

Human relationships and communication, as well as ways of doing business, can affect an employee’s mental and physical health. Corporations should consider the following:

• respectful workplace policies that support safe worksites
• policies on flex time
• policies on working from home
• employee satisfaction surveys
• leadership coaching
• resiliency training
• EAPs

To develop a positive social culture or climate, consider employees’ needs, which include:

• being respected
• a sense of belonging, purpose and mission
• freedom of expression
• protection from harassment and discrimination

What you’ve “always done” may not address current employee needs. Seeing to it that people enjoy being at work is not an easy task, but making the right changes can have a huge effect.

Health Practices

Offer programs and set policies that help staff members remain healthy or improve their health while at work. Consider offering the following:

• “Lunch and learn sessions” on healthy habits such as sleeping better, eating on the run, healthy snacks, using a pedometer, pole walking, work-life balance, time management, stress management, resiliency, parenting and reading nutrition labels.
• Stop smoking clinics or subsidies to help employees quit.
• Health risk appraisals, including fitness assessments.
• Programs to address the problems raised in the health risk appraisals.
• Healthy snacks offered at meetings and conferences.

Personal Employee Wellness Program Tips

If there is no wellness program at your worksite, don’t let that stop you from keeping healthy. Perhaps your example will spark a movement toward a healthier workplace.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Be active at work. There are a myriad of ways to bring activity into your workday. Walk to work, even if it’s just one way. Hold walking meetings. Bike to work. Use the stairs. Walk to a workmate’s office instead of sending an e-mail.
• Eat smart at work. Pack a healthy meal. Keep a bottle of water at your desk or workstation. Eat breakfast and eat regularly during the day. Take turns bringing a basket of fruit for co-workers’ snacks. Order healthy snacks for meetings.
• Maintain work-life balance. Work efficiently so you can leave on time. Conduct short, effective meetings. Leave your work at work and be sure not to take it home. Minimize social chit-chat. Set up your office to enhance your work. Avoid clutter. Establish and prioritize to ensure that the most valuable things get done first.

There’s no limit to the number or variety of Workplace Health Promotion Programs. A key to success is planning well and ensuring that you can evaluate the results so that you can sustain momentum.

Speak with other wellness practitioners to find out what works well for them. Listen to your co-employees to determine their needs and interests. And do not forget to promote, promote, promote.

Many companies recognize the need for a accross the board strategy to help their staff members be the best they are able to be. They also know that successful and sustainable wellness programs are much more than a few “lunch and learn” programs.

Your wellness program ought to include a wide range of key elements, including:

• A clear agenda or statement of goals and objectives.
• A plan characterized by passion.
• A strong leader who is creative and organized.
• A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an central vision.
• A measurable strategy (what’s important gets measured!).
• A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Planning Your Worksite Health Promotion Program

Establish carefully to make sure that your wellness program is viewed as part of a sweeping responsibility to maintaining the health and safety of all staff members. Yes, creating a good plan takes a lot of effort and time (and occasionally resources). But planning is critical and well worth the investment necessitated. As the addage goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You might start by conducting a survey of employee needs and interests. If you do this, pay attention to the outcome and plan accordingly. If you don’t, the workers will not support the program.

Collecting information about what you already offer is also a good idea. For example, you may be surprised by your employer or organization’s current wellness and health policies.

Another valuable step is to establish an agenda and/or measurable objectives and goals to help you outline priorities, timelines and the resources required to launch the program. Be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Senior Leadership

The leader of your wellness program must be able to wear countless hats. The leader’s duties include:

• Establishing a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested workers.
• Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the organization (to senior managers and fellow workers alike).
• Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a wellness program.
• Serving as a role model and wellness coach.
• Implementing and maintaining leadership skills such as giving effective presentations and being well-organized.

Good leaders avert becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You may want to stick to short-term goals and objectives at the beginning so that you get immediate and visible results. These first steps are the basis for a successful wellness program.

Good leaders involve as many individuals as possible in the program. By way of example, you’ll want to form a Corporate Wellness Program Committee made up of a diverse group of employees to support advice during the planning phase. This approach will:

• Assist you to obtain valuable information from all parts of the employer.
• Develop ambassadors who will help you implement the wellness program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating

Always keep in mind how you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Assessment allows you to:

• Determine areas of excellence.
• Identify factors that affect participation in your programs.
• Gain management’s support for your efforts (and maintain that support).
• Better be aware of concerns that need attention.
• Learn from mistakes and change the program to keep it on the right track.

When you evaluate your program, you can measure such things as:

• Employee absences.
• Employee turnover rates.
• The cost of your Employee Assistance Program.
• The expenditure of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.
• The expense of your drug plan.
• Accident rates and safety records.
• Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they’re staying in the programs).
• Changes in employees’ health habits.
• Level of employees’ awareness of healthy lifestyle concerns.
• Results of your environmental wellness audit.
• Other noticeable changes in areas such as morale and job satisfaction.

A good communications plan supplies ongoing information to employees (including senior managers) and creates excitement about the wellness program. Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. By way of example, you might recognize individuals who have helped set up the program or offer tangible rewards for achieving objectives.

Everyone needs to know whether employees are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a wellness program has financial benefits is frequently an valuable factor in maintaining strong backing from the top.

If you pay attention to the key elements of your wellness program and communicate openly and continuously while planning and delivering it, you will create a solid foundation and leave a legacy that endures.

How does physical activity fit into a full-time employee’s hectic schedule? Many times, it doesn’t.

One possible solution to this challenge is to make physical exercise a part of the work day. Clearly, being active at work is advantageous for workers. But employers also profit from having fit, energetic and healthy workers who are more advantageous.

The challenges

Your job takes up an abundance of your time. In addition to the hours you spend actually working, there is the time needed to get to and from work and take lunch and rest breaks during the work day. In the end, there are a limited number of hours left over for the rest of your life. This work life imbalance is especially true for Alberta, where statistics show that we work exceptionally tough.

Many jobs today are sedentary, and numerous Americans drive to work. The pressures of work may also cause us to eat lunch at our desks and skip breaks. Then, after work or on the weekends we juggle household chores, family responsibilities and social engagements.

Company Health Promotion Programs: Get started on a workplace exercise program

Senior Management plays a key role in creating a culture that promotes health. The leaders at your workplace influence the various policies and the informal or formal practices, and these policies and practices affect your attitude towards healthy active living.

Start by talking to your boss about the advantages of a healthy active workplace. The best way to ensure the success of a company exercise program is to have the management on side and cheering you on.

Ask your management to consider taking these actions:

• Send a memo or message about the importance of health and healthy living that encourages employee to take an active break each day.
• Provide for flexible work hours that help employee to be more physically active. By way of example, they might need to take a longer lunch break to catch physical activity class, making up the time by coming to work early or staying late.
• Provide a meeting room or other suitable office space for noon-hour yoga or workout classes, and hire a teacher to lead them, or use videos.

If your boss agrees to support a workplace fitness program, don’t forget to say thanks.

You do not need an on-Site fitness center

Only very large businesses are able to afford on-Site fitness facilities such as exercise equipment or squash courts. Still, most employers are able to take other affordable steps to support workers who wish to become more active.

For example:

• Arrange for discounted fees for workers at a health club, recreation center or YMCA facility.
• Install showers and a place to hang a towel. (Make sure the showers are cleaned regularly and that women who use them will feel secure.)
• Install bike racks or a locked enclosure that is safe, conveniently located and well-lit.
• Have walking meetings and set up lunch-hour walking groups
• Make workers alert to safe and pleasant walking routes near the workplace, as well as nearby locations that offer physical activity programs (such as walking, swimming, running, yoga, stretching).
• Find a certified instructor to teach employee about health, fitness and how to become more active.

Any size and type of workplace has the potential to support employees who wish to be physically active. It’s highly desirable to get senior staff on side. Even if your boss isn’t supportive, you have the potential to still find ways to get moving more. Set up activities for groups and individuals, and promote your co-employees to join in.

We all know that physical exercise is an significant part of health and well-being. But at times it’s hard to find time for physical exercise. Lack of time is the number one barrier that people say prevents them from participating in physical exercise on a regular basis.

The great news is that even short sessions of physical activity help your health. Research has shown that ten-minute sessions that add up to between 30 and 60 minutes a day can produce significant health advantages.

Also, there are numerous ways busy people can use to be more active. These strategies include:

• multi-tasking
• being active at work
• being active with loved ones
• scheduling exercise into daily life

Different strategies work for different individuals. Being familiar with the different strategies is key to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Read on to check out strategies you are able to try. With sufficient responsibility, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1: Multi-tasking

The first strategy you have the potential to try is multi-tasking. This means doing things you already do, but in a more physically active way. This way you get done what you need to get done and you get physical activity at the same time.

By way of example, you’re already travelling to work and other places. Instead of taking the car or the bus every time, try using active methods of transportation like biking, rollerblading, walking and skateboarding.

If you can’t use active transportation for a whole trip, try to be active for at least part of the trip. If you’re taking the bus, for example, get off a few blocks early and walk the rest of the way.

Active transportation benefits your body by building your activity level, and it also benefits your neighborhood and the environment by decreasing the number of cars on the road.

You can also get physical exercise while doing chores.

When you’re working around the house, try to be creative and look for the active choice. For example, if you’re cleaning the crack between the fridge and the counter, why not move the fridge so you have the potential to clean the area better and build your strength at the same time?

For outdoor work, opt for the old-fashioned way of doing things, as they’re usually more active. For example, use a snow shovel rather than a snow blower.

Strategy #2: Be Active at Work

Many American citizens spend eight hours a day or more working at a motionless job. Here are a few simple ways to keep your body moving during work. The physical exercise will revitalize you and help you be more advantageous.

When you’re working at your desk, try sitting on a balance ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and abs a workout.

Take active breaks at least once every day. During your coffee break, try doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk. You might learn that walking up and down the stairs a few times does a better job of rejuvenating you than the java jolt.

Speaking of the stairs, take them rather than the elevator whenever you can. The stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Create walking meetings at work. Getting outside and having meetings in a less formal setting is a great way to be active, makes the workday more fun and encourages creative ideas for work projects.

Strategy #3: Be Active With Your Loved Ones

Do physical activity with your family, friends, neighbours and pets. With this strategy, you and your loved ones are doing some great multi-tasking together: enjoying quality time with each other and getting some of the physical activity that you all need to be healthy.

Go for walks, swims or bike rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your children to the park, play with them instead of just watching them play.

Many community facilities offer classes that keep you and your little ones active at the same time. Research these classes and take one or two.

You can even be active when you’re watching your kids do activities without you. For example, if your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands a few times. If you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4: Have Physical Activity into Your Day

Schedule your physical exercise directly into your daytimer. Set a specific time and place for exercising. Make your physical exercise appointments a priority, just as significant as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your physical activity appointments, you might want to make appointments that involve other people: such as by meeting with a personal trainer, taking physical activity class or jogging with a friend.

If you’re not sure how many appointments to make or what you ought to be doing during your appointments, try consulting with a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you foster a physical activity plan and schedule.

The bottom line: see what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to others about how they remain active and what strategies they employ. Be creative and patient while you discover what strategies work best for you. And be aware that your “best strategy” may change from time to time.

With enough effort, you will discover what works for you. Then, run with it!

• Commit to workplace physical exercise in policy statements and commit funding to physical exercise drives.
• Clearly communicating the benefits of being physically active during work reinforces the company’s responsibility to helping all employees be active. Use gatherings, bulletin boards, newsletters and e-mail to reach as many employees as possible at least once a year.
• Provide flex time for physical exercise. Invite staff members who actively commute to work or exercise at lunch to make up any missed time later in the day.
• Consider allowing workers to work part time, so that they are able to take part in physical exercise.
• Include a physical activity account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counselling or instruction.
• Provide interest-free loans for workers to buy bicycles or good walking shoes/runners.
• Conduct periodic employee interest surveys of employee physical activity preferences, and offer a variety of options to suit those interests and needs.
• Hire qualified individuals to lead stretch breaks or physical exercise programs or classes. For help in finding accredited fitness leaders, visit Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit.
• Recognize workers who take part in physical exercise. Survey workers first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through corporation newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.
• Give child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.
• Avoid scheduling meetings over lunch.
• Promote active breaks rather than coffee breaks.
• Have active fundraisers instead of bingos. For example, employees might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bike for 24 hours.
• Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday person to choose an activity. Options could include a session with a yoga instructor or an evening ski trip.
• Encourage a casual dress day. One study saw that staff members who dress casually were more physically active.