Winston Salem WellnessWinston Salem Wellness – Winston Salem Health Promotion

In today’s employer environment, the health of staff members is often related to the health of the employer. Increased job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced illness and injuries, and increased productiveness are just some of the advantages of having healthy staff members. Promoting health in your workplace need not be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Any employer, big or little, can encourage healthy eating and active living in the workplace. Here are some recommendations:

Healthy Eating

• For breakfast meetings, rather than serving donuts, large muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream and sugar, offer healthier alternatives such as bagels, small muffins, fresh fruit, water, 100 percent fruit juice and milk with coffee and tea.
• For lunch gatherings, avoid serving chips, fried foods, rich pastas, and salads loaded with dressing. Instead, offer sandwiches, bagels, whole grain low fat crackers and cheese, 100 % fruit juice, water, salads with dressing on the side, vegetable and fruit trays.
• Reimburse staff members for items purchased to improve their health (e.g. healthy eating cookbooks, consultation with a Registered Dietitian).
• Arrange for the cafeteria or food vendors to offer healthy diet choices.
• Arrange to have healthy choices like bottled water, 100 percent fruit juice, fruit bars, and raisins available in snack machines.
• Offer a means for people to share healthy recipes with each other (for example, posting recipes on the Intranet, on posters or by e-mail).

Active Living

• Create programs and group activities to promote staff members to become active, such as walking programs, contests and challenge activities, stretch breaks, group sports or participation in local or provincial activities.
• Offer onsite health professionals (e.g. personal trainers, fitness instructors) or incorporate this service in EAPs to help staff members work towards physical exercise goals and objectives.
• Provide a supportive environment in the workplace that makes healthy choices simple: bike racks, shower facilities, clean, safe and accessible stairwells, walking or running routes in the vicinity of the workplace, and fitness center facilities.
• Provide|Offer|Give} flex time so that employees have more opportunities to take part in exercise program as part of their working day.
• Reimburse health club membership fees, fitness class registrations, and fitness equipment purchases.
• Provide corporate health club memberships to reduce costs of individual memberships.

Keeping It Fresh!

Find a champion to:

• Organize lunch ‘n learn sessions to support information and motivation for healthy eating and active living.
• Invite demonstrators to support cooking lessons or tips for making healthy foods.
• Post a list of local restaurants that offer healthy food choices on their menus.
• Distribute information to educate workers on portion sizes.
• Include physical exercise and diet information in newsletters, pay check inserts, bulletin boards or e-mails.
• Develop activities that reward healthy eating and physical exercise. By way of example, start a year-round lunch-time walking club, and special activities