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Mandating Exercise Will Boost Your Business
Research demonstrates how mandatory exercise improves the bottom line
Most working adults don’t meet the current recommendations for physical activity. Working a full-time job is often cited as the first reason for not hitting the gym regularly. This lack of exercise negatively impacts physical and mental health as well as productivity in the workplace.
Many employers have developed programs to urge all of their employees to develop healthier habits through health assessments and physical activity initiatives aimed at the entire employee population.
Workplace exercise programs run into a few obstacles that make it difficult to determine the individual and company-wide benefits. Most of these programs suffer from low participation. The programs are voluntary and include fliers around the building, encouraging movement breaks, or the construction of a walking path. Many people who participate in these programs are already more active than those who remain at their desks.
It’s also challenging to tie direct cost benefits into the participation in these exercise programs. Employers understand that physical activity reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease, illness, and stress levels. But employers often need to see a quantifiable benefit to go to…
