Exercise
Programs Save Companies Money
From the Associate Press comes an article that reports on the benefits
of corporations having their employees participate in wellness exercise programs.
"Enthusiastic participation in worksite wellness can yield a variety of health
benefits," said Dr. Roy Shephard of the University of Toronto.
These corporate programs put exercise equipment and "health
advisers" close to the workers. The companies add an extra incentive by either paying
for all or part of the program. Unfortunately, many workers still don't participate. But,
among those who do the results were impressive and several areas of health benefits were
noticed.
One of the benefits noticed was that workers who participated in the
program lost an average of 13% body fat. Weight loss was 2% on average, and most
participants were able to lower their blood pressure. Another benefit was that workers
were able to increase their aerobic power. In this area women gained 7.4 percent while men
gained 4.4 percent.
Probably most important to employers who pick up the tab for medical
health insurance was that these programs showed a reduction in medical expenses for
workers who participated. Studies found that medical claims were reduced on average from
between $100 and $400 for those people who took part in the wellness programs. These
workers also took less sick time than the average.
Between the reduction of sick days, and the reduction of medical
claims, it was shown that these programs saved the companies who offered them an average
of $500 to $700 per worker, more than enough to cover the cost of implementing these
programs. |