Bosses Push Staff to Eat Right, Exercise

The Houston Chronicle recently published a story about companies trying to get their employees to eat better and begin exercising in order to reduce health care costs. Companies are beginning to understand that an unhealthy employee can cost the company much more. Some companies are encouraging exercise breaks, providing exercise bikes, or giving stretching classes throughout the day. Some have even hired a nutritionist on staff, dropped the prices of salads in the cafeterias and raised the prices of unhealthy food just to encourage employees to eat healthier. I really feel the best thing employers can do though is to lead by example.

Dan T. Cathy, president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc.
restaurants and a runner, has cajoled 265 company employees to run the January
Walt Disney World marathon or half-marathon with him. Most of the runners
joining him "have never done anything like that distance-wise," Cathy said of
his group. "There's a lot of first timers."
Cathy said he's motivated by his religious belief that the body is a temple and a more practical thought.
"We live in a time when there really is a healthcare crisis," said Cathy. "Every
segment of society needs to make a contribution."

Web co. targets weight loss: Hub start-up spurs dieting

An article from the Boston Herald talks about a start-up company called Tangerine Wellness that writes programs to help your employees get in better shape. They write a custom program for the company with daily motivational e-mails to the employees and rewards employees with money as they lose weight. It's a great way to get your employees in better shape and save money on healthcare costs. A sick employee costs the company money, but motivating the employees to get in better shape, and rewarding them for accomplishing it, will make it better on your bottom line. The healthier they are, the happier they are, and the less sick days they will take, thus saving employers money. It doesn't get any better than that.

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Tangerine Wellness