Corporate Fitness

Corporate fitness activities have become popular with businesses and organisations in Brisbane, and around Australia. From team building events or retreats, to regular and ongoing programs, organisations large and small are recognising the advantages corporate fitness offers both employees and the organisation as a whole.

Why should you as an employer or manager offer corporate fitness programs or activities to your staff?

The World Health Organisation has identified physical inactivity as “a global public health problem”. It affects the quality of life of not only individuals and their families but also results in a national loss of income and rapidly increasing costs for employers.

A report by the World Health Organisation and the World Economic Forum (2008) noted that 60% of deaths worldwide in 2005 could be attributed to non-communicable diseases including:

• heart disease
• stroke
• cancer
• chronic respiratory diseases
• diabetes

This figure was projected to increase to 77% by 2015. The report stated, “There is strong scientific evidence that healthy diet and adequate physical activity … play an important role in the prevention of these diseases. Furthermore … approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and 40% of cancers can be prevented...”

Most people spend a significant proportion of their time at work so it is an ideal place to promote increased physical fitness and it also provides an opportunity for employees to encourage each other to make positive lifestyle changes.

Benefits to your business or organisation via corporate fitness programs can include:

• enhanced employee productivity
• improved corporate image
• improved staff morale
• reduced staff turnover
• reduced absenteeism and sick leave
• reduced workers' compensation claims

Closer to home in Brisbane, Queensland Health reported (Be Active Queensland, 2006) that more than 50% of Queensland adults fail to meet minimum recommended physical activity levels of at least 150 minutes and 5 sessions per week. It also noted that 16-20% of Queensland adults engage in no leisure time physical activity at all. Queensland Health calls for a whole-of-community approach to active living in order to reverse these trends. This includes business and corporate participation, in promoting corporate fitness programs to encourage employees to increase their levels of physical activity.

Alongside the physical benefits are benefits for mental health. Beyond Blue encourages employers to be aware of the impacts of depression and anxiety on their employees and their business operations:

• workplace stress is a significant risk factor for developing depression
• undiagnosed depression in the workplace costs $4.3 billion annually in lost productivity
• depression is currently the leading cause of non-fatal disability in Australia

Beyond Blue promotes physical activity and regular exercise as a way to reduce stress and anxiety, and to help in the prevention of, and recovery from, depression.

So, if you want fit, healthy, happy, productive employees and work teams, maybe you should consider introducing corporate fitness activities into your organisation. Contact Executive Results today to discuss options.

Colonel Anna with Commando Steve from The Biggest Loser

Free Corporate Informational Sessions

Executive Results has put together a team of professionals who can come to your company in and around Brisbane at no cost to talk about how fitness can improve productivity and health at work (less sickness, team bonding etc.), we also provide postural assessments and talk about other interesting health and fitness related topics. Sessions are 1 to 2 hours depending on the topics covered.

10 sessions later I feel a lot better and have lost according to my scales around 4kgs. Neil Stalker