A wellness program is typically a company sponsored program designed to improve employee health, reduce health care expenses, enhance productivity, decrease stress and boost morale. However, these types of programs can be offered at commercial fitness facilities as specialty programs. The objective of a wellness program is to address the spectrum of health as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO); "a state of complete mental, physical and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Aspects of a wellness program can include fitness training, nutrition counseling, health screening, health education and behavior modification. Wellness programming incorporates all of these elements into a one comprehensive plan.
Fitness Training
Exercise is a major component of any sound wellness program. Some corporate wellness programs operate out of a dedicated fitness center onsite or in partnership with a local facility. Fitness offerings can include exercise challenges, intramural sports leagues, group exercise classes and personal training services.
Nutrition Counseling
Nutrition is probably the most important ingredient to overall health and wellness in a corporate setting and individually. Long work hours and high pressure work demands can hinder quality food choices, making fast food and vending machines an easy solution in the work place. Staffing a wellness program with a registered dietitian can educate participants about the impact of food on health and productivity. You are what you eat and learning how to eat for optimal health is a vital component in lifestyle modification programming.
Health Screening
Health screening provides a baseline data for blood pressure, body composition, fitness assessment, cholesterol, blood sugar, eye exams, mobile mammography and more. Health Fairs are often organized to address the screening needs of the program annually or biannually. Early detection of health risks can make all the difference.
Health Education
Health education involves outreach, workshops, seminars and clinics on specific health related topics. For example, topics such as exercise and diabetes, managing chronic lower back pain, work/life balance or nutrition and cholesterol. Program facilitators organize these topics to increase awareness of common health conditions. Typically, a survey is performed to asses the need for a certain area of interest.
Behavior Modification
Behavior modification components such as smoking cessation, weight loss, stress management are all part of the wellness continuum. In order to achieve wellness, unhealthy behaviors must be modified to create new behaviors.
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