There’s More to Health Than Being Fit
Finding balance by investing in wellness programs.
The New Year seems to bring on the same instigation to have a resolution to lose weight and be healthier. This is not just an idea that manifests in our own minds, but is something that has taken over mainstream media. A vision of a successful New Year is a new you. Luckily, everyone has their own ideas of what a newer, healthier version of themselves is. It came be anywhere from not eating out every day of the week, to working out more and joining a gym. But there is more to being healthy than the physical aspect of the term. It is realizing that there is a difference between fit and healthy. By working out more consistently, is this going to make you an athlete this year? The benefits from a new routine can not only benefit you in the short term, but also improve your future.
We have decided that fit looks like a model or all-star and it can be monitored and tracked by a variety of devices and apps, but is this an accurate picture of health?
Those apps only focus on a persons physical fitness. While these apps are engaging, and encouraging, it’s only a short-term solution to health. If you are wanting to take your goals of being healthier and adopt them into longer term self-care, it takes a true investment in yourself. This includes things like attending your annual check-up, or opting for an in-depth health or preventative screening for well-rounded wellness programs.
Gary Cassidy, Director of Employee Education, Communications and Wellness for Corporate Synergies talks about a study on PepsiCo’s wellness and disease management program in his article, Why it’s Important to Know the Difference between ‘Fit’ and ‘Well’. Here’s an excerpt:
“PepsiCo realized a return on investment (ROI) of $3.78 for every $1 that they spent on their wellness program; however, only $0.50 of that $3.78 was attributable to the wellness part of their program, while the remaining $3.28 was directly attributable to their disease management programs.”[1]
“PepsiCo’s disease management efforts would not have been as impactful if the company hadn’t engaged their employees on two fronts: wellness activities and metric-bearing activities. Each aspect of their program worked in tandem to form a more complete picture of their employees’ health” Gary states.
The goal of a health initiative should not focus primarily on activities that promote being fit, but rather on creating a culture that focuses on balanced wellness programs. Therefore, a program initiated for a companies employees should not prioritize making the athletes, but encourage them to be all-around healthier. Balance having step goals with substituting out soda’s for more water. Or providing more enticing incentives for someone to quit smoking. There’s more to a healthy employee than what you can see on the outside, so your goals should not just be for the outside.
[1] https://www.benefitnews.com/opinion/employee-wellness-differentiating-between-fit-and-fit