If you are like a lot of American workers, you spend a lot of time behind a desk. That means that for eight hours a day, your primary source of exercise may well be walking to the copier or coffee machine.
If you are like a lot of American workers, you spend a lot of time behind a desk. That means that for eight hours a day, your primary source of exercise may well be walking to the copier or coffee machine.
Not the best routine for your health.
The federal government, like many other employers, sees a lot of benefit (lower healthcare costs, fewer absences due to health problems, etc.) in launching programs that help employees adopt a healthier lifestyle.
That’s why last week OPM—along with the Department of Interior and the General Services Administration—cooperatively debuted WellnessWorks, a pilot program aimed at encouraging a healthier lifestyle among the 5,000 employees from the three agencies who share a common “work-life” campus in D.C.
The initiative offers includes a risk assessment, biometric testing, individualized coaching, and programs to encourage healthy behaviors like weight management classes, exercise, tobacco cessation, and chronic disease management.
(Note: While the D.C. area is home to a lot of feds, and probably is a good place to run a pilot program, feds in D.C. might be in a litle better shape than most: The Washington, D.C., metro area has been ranked as America’s fittest city three years in a row in something called the American Fitness Index.)
So, all you desk-sitters out there—how does your routine stack up? How do you get around your sedentary job? Bike to work? Walk at lunch?
And how much is your agency helping in your effort to stay fit and healthy?
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