Workable Fitness Goals & Better Job Performance

Does your work environment seem a bit sluggish? Would you like to:

• Encourage teamwork?
• Boost morale?
• Improve employee health and fitness?
• Reduce absenteeism, turnover, and medical costs?

Active for Life, an American Cancer Society employee wellness program, can help do just that.

This 10-week program encourages employees to be more active on a regular basis by setting individual goals and forming teams for motivation and support.

Since everyone’s different, participants set their own goals based on how active they are, and how active they want to be. Personal goals can be moderate (like walking or yard work or taking the stairs) or more intense (like running or tennis).

Participants receive a point for each minute they are active daily and record the number of points they earn toward their total point goal. This helps people keep track of their progress, and they are then rewarded for working toward their goals.

Each participant also belongs to a team. Teammates encourage and motivate each other, and teams are rewarded as members make progress toward their goals.

Throughout the ten weeks, activities and workshops, ranging from groups walks to workshops on personal safety and health, help inform and motivate participants.

Regular physical activity has been shown to:

• Improve job performance and morale
• Lower absenteeism and turnover
• Reduce disability days
• Lower medical costs

More importantly, Active for Life nurtures teamwork and lifts morale while helping employees improve their health.

Each year, an estimated 250,000 deaths are attributed to lack of physical activity. Regular physical activity can help reduce risk for major killers including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. In addition, ongoing evaluation since 1996 has shown that participants in Active for Life programs sleep better, feel better, and have less stress.

For more information about starting an Active for Life program at your workplace, contact your local American Cancer Society or call toll-free 1-800-ACS-2345.