3 simple ways to get employees to lose weight

Employee weight loss has been a big issue with business leaders lately. This is not only due to the rise in healthcare costs and childhood obesity, but employers have also found that their overweight employees are actually costing them a lot of money in sick leave and lost production costs. If you are like other employers and you want to start encouraging your employees to lose weight, here are 3 easy tips to follow:

Tip # 1 - Goodbye Junk Food
One of the biggest culprits of weight gain is the junk food your employees are consuming. If they aren't buying it from the vending machines, they are probably bringing it from home. While you cannot control the food your employees consume, you can get rid of the temptation to consume unhealthy foods like chips and sodas. Take a good look at all the food in your vending machine and ask yourself how nutritious it is. Most of the vending machine foods are simply "empty calories" which means they are there purely to add weight to your staff member's behinds and midsections.

Start offering diet sodas, milk, and juice to your staff members instead of energy drinks or regular sodas. Get rid of the potato chips and replace them with apple chips, soy snacks, peanuts, granola bars, protein bars, and other healthy snacks. This is a great way to get rid of the temptation for some of your staff members and it may even start to help some people shed a few pounds.

Tip # 2 - Exercise
A lot of people don't exercise simply because they do not feel like they have the time to exercise. You can combat this excuse by offering an on-site gym. Encourage your staff members to use it during their breaks, lunch hour, or before or after work hours. Exercise is the key to weight loss when it is combined with a good diet plan. For the stubborn employee, offer to replace their chair with an exercise ball. The exercise ball can really strengthen the thighs and it can even help some employees lose a few pounds and tone up while they are sitting at their desk.

Make sure all of your employees spend a few minutes stretching each day. When people remain in a sedentary position for too long, their blood circulation is not as good and blood clots can easily form. If everyone will get up and stretch their muscles daily, it will help to strengthen the muscles and prevent future problems from occurring.

Tip # 3 - Incentives
A lot of companies have invested in wellness programs and they have been satisfied with the results. Wellness programs consist of investing about $100 per each employee and putting this money toward incentives and health awareness. The employees will have access to health counselors and fitness experts that can help them develop an exercise program that will actually help them burn off some extra calories. They will also make diet recommendations that can really improve their overall health. Normally the wellness programs will span over a few weeks or a few months. Employees will compete against one another try and lose the most amount of weight during this time period. Companies that invest in wellness programs have received a $24 return on every $1 invested in a wellness program. At the end of the wellness program, the employee that loses the most amount of weight will be rewarded with a financial prize or another prize. It is important to keep the wellness program going throughout the entire year. You can do this by encouraging employees to exercise while at work or start offering healthier lunch options if you cater food to your staff members.

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Categories: Weight Loss,

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