How exercise benefits employees and employers

A good diet and exercise program can help someone go from a 38 inch waist to a size 30 in about 3 months. There are tons of fad diets and exercise programs out there that all claim to know how to help people lose weight and "get the body you always dreamed of". It seems like more and more employers are jumping on board with the wellness program idea to promote exercise in the office.

Why exercise?
It's pretty simple really; exercise increases your life expectancy. It improves your physical and mental health. People that exercise daily are more alert, have more stamina, and increased energy. Exercise can help people that have personality disorders like bipolar or ADD (attention deficit disorder). This is because exercise increase the endorphins released to the brain, this stimulates the brain and causes it to function better. For people with personality disorders, exercise will help them control their disorder and go on living a happier life.

Employees that exercise on a regular basis often have an increase in self-esteem and self-image. They are generally satisfied with their health and they have a positive energy and attitude about them.

What are the benefits of exercise for employers?
If you have been losing employees to sickness or you notice the overall productivity in the office decreasing, you need to start an exercise program. When you give your employees time to exercise, you will almost instantly notice increase employee productivity. This is because people have stronger immune systems and they are less likely to use their sick leave. The second reason is because they have more energy and do not need to use caffeine and other stimulants to stay awake at work.

Employers will also notice that their employees that exercise on a regular basis are able to cope with stress easier. Coping with stress will reduce personal attendance and employee performance because they do not get flustered and overwhelmed with their job. The other thing employers will notice is the impact healthy employees have on their co-workers. When people are happy about their jobs, they want to come to work. They have a desire to give their job 100 percent and this will reflect to the other employees. Pretty soon everyone at the office will try harder at their job. This improved employee morale is critical for your bottom line and it will help when you are trying to recruit new talent.

When people start exercising, they not only do better at their job, many of them start to show skills that you may not have seen before. Some of the best managers and business leaders are people that exercise on a regular basis and take good care of their bodies.

One of the biggest benefits of exercise for employers is the decreased medical costs they will have. When you have a staff full of fit employees, your health insurance premiums will be a lot less. This is because many health insurance companies will recognize the company's commitment to good health and they will offer discounts to them. The other reason why the costs are reduced is because the employees will not be using their health insurance as often, so this offsets all the health care costs.

If you haven't started a wellness program at your company, you need to start. The 3rd Wednesday of May is home to the largest work site health and fitness event in America sponsored by the National Association for Health and Fitness. This is a great day to kick-off your new wellness program to encourage your employees to exercise and start living healthy, active lifestyles.