Corporate Wellness: More profits & benefits when your workers are fit

The relationship between you (the employer) and an employee should be treated no differently than any other relationship. In order for the relationship to be a healthy one there needs to be a fair amount of giving and receiving of time and resources on both ends. As for employees, their role is given: they come into work, they are the face of your company, their hard work and efforts retain your client base. Your employees are responsible to keep your business running. So what about you the employer? No, it is not enough for you to just simply sign off on their payroll or on their vacation days or even just treat them to Christmas parties once a year. In this day and age, it is vital that you, the employer, invest in the wellness of your employees. This not only benefits your business, but it also, like in a healthy relationship, proves to your employees that you care for them and are willing to invest in them. Be proactive, use preventative approaches…don’t wait until your employees are taking up sick-days because they are either too sick or too stressed, or because they are taking time off to apply to better jobs. Commit and invest in your employees and these are some reasons why:

• Simply put, happier and healthier employees are more productive workers. They usually work harder and produce a higher volume of top-notch quality work than their unhappy/unhealthy counterparts.  So, investing in wellness programs will ultimately result in more business output for your organization. 

• The welfare of employees has a direct effect on your organization’s success. When employees feel appreciated and can see the benefits of your investments in them, employee retention & job satisfaction increases and an overall pleasant working environment will surface.

• Corporate wellness programs will increase a sense of ownership for employees. Their commitment and loyalty to the company will also increase. So, they won’t be fishing for new jobs or better opportunities; rather, they will aim for growth within your organization.

• Healthier employees will reduce the financial burden on your business. Employee injuries, illnesses, absenteeism will all take a downward toll as a result of an effective corporate wellness program.

• Your organization’s healthcare costs will go down. Less stressed and healthier employees will decrease your healthcare costs as they will have no need for disability insurance and/ or sick leave. As a result, your insurance premiums will most likely plummet.

There are no shortcuts to designing an effective corporate wellness program. Your health and safety rep will not suffice to meet such a responsibility unless s/he is a wellness expert. Invest in wellness professionals who will take the time to know the foundation of your organization and the culture in which it is driven. Invest in wellness professionals who will devise a wellness program for your employees who will allow everyone in the workplace to enjoy and reap the benefits of corporate wellness.

So my point with all of this is—strategically invest your money into a well-devised corporate wellness program which will keep your employees happy, retain great quality employees and lower your expenses. Be proactive; don’t wait for major problems to arise! Don’t pay money for short term goals, invest in long-term solutions to a healthy employment relationship. 

SolutionsByCoachNeemz

Dead Lifts without Deadlifts!

The deadlift (DL) is one of the most functional, yet basic, exercises: you’re lifting up a load from off of the ground i.e. in pulling motion. It is a true measure of strength which is why it is one of three main lifts, in addition to the squat and the bench press, in the sport of Powerlifting. This compound movement trains the entire body and involves muscles such as your lats, arms, core, hips, legs and of course your low back. It’s one of the best compound exercises because it trains all those muscle at the same time. If there is anything you will take seriously from this blog it is this” YOUR LIFTS ARE DEAD WITHOUT DEADLIFTS”. It boggles my mind how people aim to get stronger or maximize their gains without incorporating DLs into their routines.  Without DL in your routine you won’t maximize your gains and you most certainly won’t reach your maximum strength. From my experience as both a trainer and as an athlete I have sworn by the DL and it has proven to have phenomenal results. When performed correctly it will help build out of the roof lean muscle mass, increases in strength in all the major muscles groups of your body and oh did I mention a solid core??The pulling motion of the DL, if done properly, will be of tremendous benefit to better your posture.

Tips:

Form:

There is absolutely no sense in increasing the weight on your pull if you’re not doing it with the proper form. Proper form is the most important aspect of your lift because it prevents injuries such as herniated discs.  Caution: if you have pre-existing low back disorders or any form of heart disease, it is advised that you consult your family doctor first prior to attempting this lift. I say this because the DL increases blood pressure and places a significant load on your back; though it is not damaging or dangerous if you are healthy.  

If you have never done the DL I would highly suggests you start from the basics with conventional deadlifts- starting from the floor and up.

1. With the bar placed in center of your feet, make sure there is enough room for arms by having almost-shoulder-width distance between your feet.  Ensure your low back is arched and your shoulders are behind the bar.
2. Ensure your upper back is rounded and that you take a deep breath to ensure your belly has a full tank of air.
3. Make sure to establish tension on the bar by straighten your legs a bit just prior to the lift. Squeeze your glutes.
4. Because you are not pulling normal weight against gravity, you need good leverage. With that said, keep the bar close to your hips when you pull (with your hips slightly driven forward.
5. As you pull the bar and get to the top of the lift, make sure you don’t rock back and forth while your back is hyper-extended! The pull should be completed in one motion. In order to have perfect grip for each lift, drop the bar after each rep if you need to reset, do not rely on momentum- Quality not Quantity!
6. Note: if you have great grip, you don’t have to come back to start position, just lower the bar to below your knees and continue with your repetitions.

Now don’t hold out on your training program, go deadlift! Remember when done well this is a really safe and very beneficial movement. Think of it like this, because it works all of those muscles at the same time, it is spreading the work of lifting the load among all those muscle groups. Thus, removing stress on a single muscle/ joint that comes with participating in repetitive isolation exercises.

SolutionsByCoachNeemz,