Fitness Facts Healthier Employees Make For AH ealthier Office (NAPSA)—Sitting at a desk eight hours a day, five days a week can leave little time for exercise. Therefore, it’s no surprise that office workers tend to gain weight, are more prone to weightrelated medical conditions and are less productive on the job, according to a careerbuilder.com survey. Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to fit exercise in and maintain a healthy weight. Whether you work from 9 to 5 or man the graveyard shift, Weight Watchers offers some simple tricks to make a difference in the way you look andfeel: Workplace workout. Even if it’s just 10 minutes of exercise at a time, get up and me wheneverpossible. Here are some ideas: e Kat lunch at a park a few blocks away and walk there instead of driving. e Walk to a colleague’s desk rather than e-mailingorcalling. e Take the stairs instead of the elevator. e Include exercise breaks throughout the day, such as walking around the perimeter of the building. Bring meals from home. Bringing meals from home can boost dieting efforts, but sometimes it’s tough to get excited about brown baggingit. To add spice to meals from home, try bringing in half of a lunch and then purchase a side salad or cup of soup to accompany it. And if adding a healthy treat to lunch sounds good, why not extend the treat beyond lunch? et Oe i ro L minutes to unwind after work before bed. Wellness programs. Encourage companies to reimburse for wellness initiatives, such as joining a gym or weightloss program. Your company maybe interested to know that a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that companies spend up to 52 percent ye ee 4 a At-work weight-loss programs can pride a handy opportunity for shedding pounds and can be customizedto suit the needs of a company. For every day that meals are brought in from home, stash $5 in a piggy bank. At the end of the month, buy that special something as a reward. Finally, take the guesswork out of mealtime. At the beginning of each week, bring in five days’ worth of low-calorie frozen dinners and/or canned soups and store in the companyrefrigerator. This controls portion sizes and makes it easy when it comes to planning lunches. Cut off caffeine five hours before bedtime. Most night shift workers don’t get enough sleep. If work ends in the morning, it may be especially hard to fall back asleep. Lack of sleep has been linked to an increased risk of obesity. Cut off caffeine five hours before bedtime and take a minimum of 30 more on annual health care costs on erweight employees than those who maintain a healthy weight. Another study in the journal showed that people were more likely to lose weight when they were compensated for their weight-loss efforts. Many companies currently work with Weight Watchers to pride a meeting at the workplace. Weight Watchers Corporate Solutions makes available a line of weight-loss offerings that can be customized to suit the needs of a company. In addition to the popular At Work meetings, the company offers a variety of weightloss options that employees can take advantage of at work, online, at homeorat local meetings. Since most people spend the majority of their time at their place of business, workplace meetings can present an ideal opportunity for successfully shedding the unwanted pounds. Corporate Solutions offerings are available in participating areas in the U.S. only. To find out more, visit www.weightwatchers.com/office.
