Healthy Waistline, Healthy Wallet: The Benefits of Corporate Wellness

July 8, 2009 - PRLog -- A new trend is emerging to the forefront of health in today’s society. Every year the cost of health care rises tremendously. Since 2000, the cost of healthcare has dramatically risen by an estimated 87 %. This rise is concerning, but even more so when compared to revenue growth, outpacing it by almost a factor of 5. This rapid increase in costs spawns a desire to find a solution. The solution is not difficult; in fact it’s a concept we have all heard before, be healthier.

Corporations have begun to experience the benefits of having a healthier employee base. Studies suggest that having healthy employees can not only save time and money, but improve moral. Over the past years the obesity epidemic has been overtaking Americans. It is estimated that a striking 64 % of Americans are overweight, and a shocking 31 % are considered grossly obese.   This epidemic is not only hurting Americans themselves, but also the companies they work for. In 2001 the average healthcare cost per employee was 5,000 dollars, “95% was spent on diagnosis and treatment.”   Studies have shown that, “up to 50% of health care expenditures are life-style related and therefore potentially preventable.” (David Anderson, PhD) With these statistics, one must wonder why the trend of reactive rather than preventative healthcare persists.

Not only do corporate wellness programs create the potential for cutting healthcare costs, having healthy workers can improve much more than financials. One of the most appealing attributes of health programs is the reduction in annual employee absences by an outstanding 28%.   The decrease in missed worked days is even further outshined by the increased productivity and quality of output. Natural News conducted studies that showed on average 52% of employees involved in a corporate wellness plan exhibited “greater mental clarity or creativity at work.” Even more importantly around one third of employees, in the group studied, reported noticeably improved work results.   With all of the combined benefits it is hard to ignore the potential for improvement that a wellness plan can offer.

Due to our recently troubling economic times companies have become increasingly cautious in making big financial decisions. Perhaps a change towards corporate wellness should become a priority rather than an idea floating in the background. Businesses today could use any help they can get, so why not help themselves. Maybe all the help you need to get back on the right track, is to run a lap or two around it. With many reports suggesting a return on investment of a striking 300-600%, a corporate wellness plan stands to decrease the size of your waist, while increasing the size of your wallet.

Centers for Disease Control
Superstudy® of Sports Participation, conducted in January 2004 by American Sports Data, Inc.
David Anderson, PhD reporting in Wellness Councils of America's Absolute Advantage 2003
Larry Chapman, “Meta-evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies”, The American Journal of Health Promotion, 2003
Thursday, April 13, 2006 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Key concepts: Health, Employees and Healthcare costs
Milken Institute Report, October 2007: “An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.”
Excel Sport and Fitness, and it's employees and contractors are not responsible for any information found in the article printed above. it is a collection of information found at the above sources. and have not been independently verified. The article is for entertainment purposes only and not intended for professional use.

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