ARTICLE - What makes a corporate wellness program successful?

In the general population you have approximately 20% of people who believe in exercise enough to do it on a regular basis. There are about 20% more who, even though they know the risks, are committed to avoiding exercise and probably never will.

There is a target of opportunity for fitness professionals of the remaining 60% so the question then becomes; what can we do to motivate this 60%?

The reality is that many of them have not yet found a convenient or enjoyable way to get their exercise. This is where employers come in. Employers who have conducted health risk assessments find that 40% of employees are in the medium and high risk groups which directly affects their productivity, creativity and sick time usage. Those in the low risk group, without change, tend to move into the medium and high risk groups over time.

Many wellness professionals want to change the world and move all their employees to the low risk group and are therefore doomed to fail. The rule here is to not let the things you cannot control, control the things you can. Even a small change in employee behaviour can have significant impact to your organizations competitiveness. Multiply the small change by the number of employees and then by time and the impact can be significant. The impact may be to slow the progress of those in the low risk group today from moving into the medium risk group.

Return on investment for corporate wellness initiatives can be staggering. Coors Brewing reported a return of $6.15 for every $1 spent and Citibank reported $4.52. The average of all companies surveyed was $4.30. That's a significant return.

So what kind of wellness initiative brings such large returns. Firstly, you cannot change everyone or everything. Programs should focus on the factors that can be easily affected. Programs should be activity based, simple, fun, private and rewarding. Add community involvement and you add another aspect to your program and your company's image.

In employee surveys 52% said they would participate in a program for a reward worth $150. The participation rate without incentives is 13%.

Often wellness programs try to measure the outcome of a program which is difficult and many employees view it as intrusive. What is more easily measured is adherence and through adherence will come results. We all know that the healthier the habits of a person, the better the results. If people exercise they will get healthier.

If your organization can provide opportunities to it's employees to live healthier and encourage them to grab the opportunities, you will see results like those mentioned above.

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For more information about how your organization can realize the benefits of a Trail Running program, please contact tony@hittheroadrunning.com or visit corporatewellness.hittheroadrunning.com.

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About The Author

Tony Denford is a certified personal trainer and owner or Hit the Road. He has been training primarily runners since 2002 and has worked with beginners all the way to Boston Qualifier Marathon runners.

Tony emphasizes balance and variety in his training methods and always tries to make sure his client’s fitness routines are fun as well as beneficial.

Visit www.hittheroadrunning.com for more details on Hit The Road’s programs and services.

Corporate Wellness - Trail Running Program

Hit The Road Running's Trail Running Program is designed for organizations with a core of active runners who want team building opportunities and enhanced stress relief for their employees.

Ongoing trail running classes and one-time trail expeditions can be arranged off-site to encourage your employees to take a break and get back to the great outdoors.

The ongoing classes are offered within, or very close to, the city of Toronto where there is a wide range of off road trails available. Trail expeditions are offered in and out of town and can be used as active retreats for your employees and can also include other services offered by Hit The Road and our partners such as Yoga or Nutritional Counselling.

The Trail Running program is perfect for intermediate to advanced runners who are looking for some variety and covers topics such as;

Trail Running Technique,
Bush safety,
Balance,
Equipment,
Navigation and,
Trail First Aid.

These programs are available to both Corporations and Large Active Lifestyle Clubs or Organizations.

For more information about how your organization can realize the benefits of a Trail Running program, please contact tony@hittheroadrunning.com or visit corporatewellness.hittheroadrunning.com.

UPDATE - What's going on at Hit The Road.

What's interesting to me is that during times of economic slowdown there are some great opportunities to increase your business efficiency that company after company seems to realize.

At Hit The Road, our Corporate Wellness programs are picking up a lot of attention. Company executives are well aware of the great ROI from Corporate Wellness initiatives and are beginning to realize the relative low cost of start up. Hit The Road is in a great position to help organizations realize the efficiencies of a healthier, more productive workforce.

It's also time for a lot of our Fall running programs to start. Fall is one of the best times of the year to run. It's way more comfortable than summer and gives you a jump start and energy boost you need to face the upcoming holiday season. With all those party's coming up, wouldn't you want to look your best?

Click here for a list of services we provide or to sign up.

CLINICS - Sickkids Fall Running Programs

Sign up is now available for the SickKids Wellness Program's Beginner Running Program and Advanced Running Program.

There are three ways to sign up:
1) by Credit Card or PayPal just click on the 'PayPal' link at the bottom of the program description and you will be re-directed to the secure PayPal website.

2) by mail just download the Application and Health Questionnaire and mail them with a cheque for $80 payable to Tony Denford to the address below:
497 Summerpark cres,
Pickering, ON. L1V 7A8
Applications must be received before October 20th.

3) in person, download the Application and Health Questionnaire and bring them with you to the first class along with payment in cash or cheque. In-person applications will be taken on a first come first served basis and this class has been capped in the past so please e-mail me before the class to secure a spot. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for the class to ensure there are no issues with the health questionnaire.

For more information you can also contact Tanya Bismayer,Manager, Health and Absence Management, Rm 5350 at 416.813.7483.

INFO - A Run For Liane

A Run For Liane is up to 132 participants (22 more than last year) and on target to reach our goal of $35,000.

Great news….we have a new celebrity runner! Peter Foncesca, Ontario Minister of Labour (previously Minister of Tourism) is running the 5km for our team.

Click Here for the latest newsletter including meeting place information.

EVENTS - Healthy Workplace Month

Hit The Road Running is once again supporting the efforts of Healthy Workplace Month.

This year Healthy Workplace Month runs from September 29th to October 26th. If your organization is looking for health related workshops for your Healthy Workplace Month initiatives please contact us for details of available programs and times. Space during this period is filling up fast so don't delay.

For more details of our Corporate Wellness programs, click here.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

INFO - A Run for Liane newsletter

This year's A Run for Liane has gotten off to a good start but we are still looking for people who are participating in any of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon events to help raise pledges.

Click here for all the latest news.

Update - What's going on at Hit The Road

Wow it has been the busiest Spring ever for us here at Hit The Road. You may have noticed a lack of posts here on the main site as we spent a lot of time with the personalized web sites and corporate sites as of late. Now that those programs are up and running we intend to start focusing on new programs to be released soon.

Now that the weather is getting sticky again feel free to read this article I wrote a while ago about hot weather running and remember to stay cool and keep running.

CLINICS - SickKids Spring Programs - CLOSED

Registration for the SickKids Spring running programs has now closed.

If you missed out, please e-mail us and we will notify you early of the next session.

CLINICS - SickKids Spring Running Programs

Sign up is now available for the SickKids Wellness Program's Beginner Running Program and Advanced Running Program.

There are three ways to sign up:
1) by Credit Card or PayPal just click on the 'PayPal' link at the bottom of the program description and you will be re-directed to the secure PayPal website.

2) by mail just download the Application and Health Questionnaire and mail them with a cheque for $80 payable to Tony Denford to the address below:
497 Summerpark cres,
Pickering, ON. L1V 7A8
Applications must be received before Friday April 25th.

3) in person, download the Application and Health Questionnaire and bring them with you to the first class along with payment in cash or cheque. In-person applications will be taken on a first come first served basis and this class has been capped in the past so please e-mail me before the class to secure a spot. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for the class to ensure there are no issues with the health questionnaire.