Health First Work Culture is the Future

I recently read an article from TIME magazine titled “Can we hack our aversion to exercise?”.

This article got my attention because it was about workplace wellness as that next revolutionary idea that can change how people and corporations can make meaningful changes in this world through health and wellness. I spent 15+ years in the Corporate world. And might I add, successful years! I owe most of my success to hard work, great people and most of all, my prioritization for working out at least three times a week, even when I traveled for work about once a month. But most professionals find it very hard to prioritize working out to an already daunting priority list at work. I witnessed so many colleagues gain weight, develop health issues they didn’t have before or make existing health issues worse. A lack of exercise also created bad eating and sleeping habits.

But here’s some good news… according to the TIME article, scientists now have proof that “a lack of exercise might not be entirely your fault! “Average employed person spends majority hours a day working, plus child care, commuting, household responsibilities and sleep… devoting even just 3% of your week to exercise seems like a herculean feat.”* If you really think about it, approx. 70% of this time is spent at work. So “those in power just have to prioritize it.” Instead of bearing the burden of bad health as a cost, employers could use wellness and happiness as currencies for profit. Can you imagine how powerful that could be? Exercise is the key to changing the brain chemistry to feel GOOD, period. Just imagine working someplace where everyone gets time off from work to be well, take care of their physical & mental health! Feel good employees, co-workers, bosses can speak directly to bottom line.

This is yet another passion of mine – helping organizations create programs that will make it easier for them to provide time, resources, tools to employees to be healthier. I have first-hand seen & experienced the negative aftermaths of a corporate workaholic culture. This culture needs a transformation initiated from the very top of the corporate food chain into a “health first” culture. An article highlighting this shift in a publication such as TIME is promising and an indication that this health revolution is just about to begin and I am so excited to be part of it! Does your employer support your health & wellness goals?