Speaking Engagements

Obesity Costs Corporations $13 billion Per-Year!

While the benefits of living a healthy and vibrant lifestyle have been well documented, it is only lately that the same attention has been paid to the impact of healthy and vibrant employees on a company’s overall financial health.

With health care costs rising at an unprecedented rate, coupled with the alarming trend of overweight employees in North America, it should come as no surprise that obesity is costing corporations a whopping $13 billion per year in medical expenses and lost productivity, according to The Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity, in a study from 3/22/2004.

The problem isn't finding out how to exercise. 

It's how to get employees to stay motivated
to make exercise a regular part of their lifestyle.

Developed and delivered by popular and renowned lifestyle fitness expert, Amy Lundberg, the objective of Aim For It Fitness’ Corporate Wellness Program is to encourage, inspire and guide your employees through the stages of change to successfully achieve long standing health and fitness habits. There are a myriad of benefits that arise from this, including but not limited to:

• Contain health care costs
• Improve employee productivity
• Reduce absenteeism
• Reduce turnover
• Improve morale 

The Impact Wellness Initiatives
Have on Health and Productivity

It is equally important to encourage health promotion among those employees who are currently disease free, but at risk of developing future illnesses, as it is those with known risk factors or diagnosed medical conditions.  When implementing an employee wellness program, it is encouraging to know that health improvements and changes in exercise habits need not be big to make a significant impact on health:

Several studies note that dropping as little as five to ten percent of one’s body weight can:

• Significantly reduce the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and certain cancers such as uterine, breast, colorectal, kidney and gallbladder.

• Slash women’s risk of getting type II diabetes by more than half.

• Cut the risk of obesity-related cancer deaths by 40 to 50 percent, and obesity-related diabetes deaths by 30 to 40 percent.

• Help the immune system work more efficiently, keeping people healthier overall.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that exercising just 30 minutes a day is all that's needed to decrease chronic disease. 

• Lifestyle changes, e.g. altering diet, increasing moderate physical activity and lowering body weight five to seven percent, can prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes

This leads to asking some pretty tough, yet sometimes difficult questions to answer:

• Employees may show up to work but how “engaged” are they? 

• Are they fully operating at 100%, satisfied, fulfilled and happy? 

• Are they operating at 40%, just putting in time?

• At what level is their production, mind set and actions negatively or positively impacting the hospital’s bottom line?  

Dr. Robert C. Karch, the Chair of the Department of Health and Fitness at American University and Executive Director of the National Center for Health Fitness, states that just a few percentage points increase in productivity can mean huge cost savings for both hospitals and other organizations. 

We don’t break unhealthy habits. We replace them.

Presenting the benefits and alternatives of change in a way employees can best relate to, Aim For It Fitness’ Corporate Wellness Program provides organizations three customized options to develop and successfully roll out to its employees. These options include the Self Care Before Sit-Ups eight week course, the six week Intuitive Eating program and the comprehensive 16-week course that fosters long-term change amongst employees.

From on-site customized seminars to telephone-based coaching programs Amy Lundberg’s  unique and affordable approach is the answer to keeping not only your employees healthy and fit, but protecting and maintaining a healthy bottom line.

Give Your Employees the Foundation to Start Living the Healthy Lifestyle They So Richly Deserve