During the season of giving, employers often like to thank their employees with treats and indulgences. The holiday season is often filled with sweet
treats and parties. While this may seem
like a nice gesture from an employer, it
can lead to long-term weight gain and
health problems.
Americans on average gain one to two
pounds during the holiday season. This
may not seem like a big concern for one
year, but over five years, it means you
could gain five to 10 pounds, says Wendy
Wigger, director of wellness for Priority
Health. Such weight gain can contribute
to more serious health-related problems.
It can often be difficult for employers to
maintain a healthy work environment, but
it is crucial to help employees maintain
healthy lifestyles. Employers should
strive to design an environment and plans
that work for all members of their staff
and that lead to successful outcomes,
says Wigger.
Smart Business spoke with Wigger
about ideas for keeping employees healthy
during the holiday season and the importance of setting realistic health goals.
How can an employer help employees
maintain healthy lifestyles during the holiday season?
- Celebrate after the holidays. The holiday season can be very stressful. Employers need to realize that employees are
trying to fit many more activities into their
24-hour day. If an employer is opting to
host a holiday celebration to thank its
employees, it may choose to have it after
the first of the year when employees have
more time and will enjoy the celebration
more. - Offer on-site seminars or exercises
for employees. These may include lessons on stress management, balancing
life and family and depression designed
to help employees during the stressful
time of the year. - Don’t center the holidays around
food. Try to avoid parties that focus on
food and drink. There are other social event options that do not make food the
central focus. Some companies choose to
adopt a family for the holidays and work
together to collect items, socialize and
give back to the community. - Offer healthy options. If you choose to
have a more traditional holiday party, offer
healthy options as well as the sweet treats.
This gives your employees the opportunity
to practice smart eating decisions while
including them in the celebration.
How can individuals maintain their workout
routines during the hectic holiday season?
- Carve out personal time. We are so
inclined to give, give, give during the holidays that we usually end up at the end of
our own list and do not make time to exercise and maintain healthy lifestyles. - Set realistic exercise goals during the
holidays. You may have to adjust your
schedule to fit in the exercise required to
maintain a healthy lifestyle. This may
mean that you cannot walk 30 minutes on
a treadmill, but with conscious efforts,
you may be able to break up that cardio
routine into 10-minute intervals that you complete while shopping or running
errands for the holidays. - Enlist the help of a friend. If you have
someone trying to stay on track with you,
it may be easier to avoid temptations and
complete your exercise routine. - Exercise before the chaos starts. If
you exercise first thing in the morning, you
are less likely to be distracted later in the
day or have something important come up
that distracts you from your routine.
Are there any programs that employers can
implement during the holidays to help
employees?
Employers may offer incentives to
employees for living a healthy lifestyle
during the holidays. Again, this is only
effective if realistic goals are set. Such
programs need not focus on employees
losing weight during the holidays; rather
they can focus on employees maintaining
their current weight. You can offer incentives to the employees who maintain their
weight or only gain a pound. You want to
design programs that are meaningful to
the individuals, and support them with
resources to change behaviors. These programs should be set up for success.
Employers can provide their staff with a
healthy holiday shopping list. When people do last-minute shopping, they often
overspend and make poor choices. If they
have a healthy shopping list in hand, they
may pick healthier gifts for their loved
ones and spend less in the long run.
When should individuals start implementing a healthy lifestyle?
There is never a wrong time to start
implementing a healthy lifestyle. Don’t
wait until the holidays are over and pile up
the food and calories in the meantime.
Start simple. During the holidays, do little
things such as walking more, drinking
more water and exercising whenever possible. Outline a healthy lifestyle plan and
put it into practice.
WENDY WIGGER is the director of wellness for Priority Health. Reach her at (616) 464-8758 or [email protected].
