It sounds funny to start a post about Global Employee Health and Fitness Month talking about kids… but here it is:

Not only do kids get recess, they are expected to engage in active play outdoors regularly, and they often have snack time built into their days. They get to climb stuff, run, jump—and in the process of “burning off all that energy”, they’re able to take a break to help them refocus and learn better.

Adults on the other hand? We develop bad habits. Sometimes, we become prone to working through the lunch hour, or starting work too early and ending too late, and then find ourselves lacking time to exercise, and eating a lot of meals out. Staff meetings, if they feature food at all, often include someone grabbing some muffins or donuts at the local bakery-cafe combo, or a to-go Starbucks order. It’s not just the fault of the employee or the employer, it’s our society.

Making a workplace healthier doesn’t have to be difficult.  Groups like Global Employee Health and Fitness, overseen by it’s Time Texas: Make Healthy Easier, exist for this purpose. Companies don’t have to do big-cost things, like get each employee a Fitbit, or have a full on gym in the break room, to get employees healthier.

Health and fitness website Greatist created a list of 40+ of the healthiest companies to work for in the United States. Here’s just a sampling of what some of these companies offer employees to incentivize healthy choices [1].

I’ll stop there, but seriously… take a look for yourself at the great things companies small and large offer, and see what could be brought to your own company.

Here are some ways that the Center for Community Health at the New York State Department of Health suggests improving employee health at meetings: [2]

More menu ideas for meetings can be found here.

As you can see, both big ideas and small can make a difference in the health of your employees. For companies who want to keep team-members with chronic health concerns safer at work, consider supplementing the cost of a medical ID bracelet or necklace—My Identity Doctor can work out a program that suits your company’s needs to provide cost-effective medical identification solutions for you and your employees. E-mail us at info [at] myidentitydoctor.com, and we’ll work with you in helping your team gain peace of mind!