Kenneth Gardner
THE NEED for health promotion and self-care is unquestionable if we are to minimise the need for expensive health care. Prevention has been and will continue to be the best medicine, at least in the foreseeable future. Exercise has always been an invaluable form of preventative medicine dating back to the prehistoric era. The promotion of wellness at the workplace is crucial to the health of our workforce and it has an enormous multiplier effect on our Gross National Product (GNP).
As more appreciation develops for the need for wellness opportunities at the workplace, those who tend to join fitness programmes are usually the ones who are already active in their leisure time. Those who need fitness the most tend to delay the process and complain of programme inconvenience, among other things.
To have a successful worksite wellness programme, there are several important principles which should guide its development. Think simple and maximise convenience. The ideal is to have a multi-million dollar facility with the latest equipment and sophisticated testing equipment. Most businesses cannot even dream of such a facility, since most workers are employed by small businesses. Thus, if the majority of the workforce is to be impacted, simple, inexpensive but high quality fitness and wellness programmes need to be organised. Some companies will need to assist employees by subsidising membership fees, incentives and so on.
For convenience, it is best to have the facility very nearby because lack of time is the number one reason given for not exercising, even though this is often confused with lack of desire. The best fitness programmes have on-site facilities for just this reason. On-site facilities can be reasonably priced if funds are used to simply refurbish existing space. With professional leadership much can be done without sophisticated equipment.
ATTRACTIVE INCENTIVES
Incentives are always attractive to workers and these can be simple and inexpensive, such as release time, recognition and awards. Some companies allow employees extra minutes at lunch time for exercise and other wellness programmes. This, however, would require bathroom and locker facilities. Some give awards at recognition functions or at end-of-year parties.
Professional leadership is the key element behind successful wellness programmes. Programme directors and exercise leaders should have programme-specific preparation (training). The leaders should be capable of measuring and interpreting individual fitness characteristics and prescribing safe and effective exercise programmes. A trained professional can best assess the needs, set priority objectives, organise personnel, equipment and facilities, implement and carry on periodic evaluation research.
The most successful programmes are formed when both management and employee groups work together on the project. Management should participate actively themselves in the programme. A special effort may be required to recruit those employees who are most in need of regular exercise.
To succeed, employee fitness programmes must be attractive, effective, visible, accessible and convenient. Programmes should offer the widest range and modes of exercise programmes and should offer services at times that are optimally convenient. Screening and testing programmes should precede the exercise programme for each participant and followed up with periodic evaluation for monitoring of progress and success.
Documented improvement is a strong motivator of continued participation. Long-term adherence to exercise should be promoted through the use of appropriate award systems. Friends and family members should be encouraged to provide a network of social and moral support. Where possible they could also be a part of the programme as this could provide the key to long-term adherence and a healthier , longer life.
Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
