There is no denying it: There is a link between the physical condition of workers and their performance in the work place. Lack of physical exercise and poor eating habits is taking a toll, personally and in national job performance. Sedentary lifestyles, leading to obesity, are linked to chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and Type II diabetes. It is reported that 50 percent of healthcare costs can be linked to preventable factors. Glucose intolerance and calorie consumption versus calorie expenditure is a contributing factor to unhealthy weight gain.
The conveniences of our culture contribute to our inactive way of living. The abundance of food at our fingertips causes many of us to acquire unused calories. Keep in mind that unused calories stored away as potential energy is also known as fat. Large stores of calories coupled with inactivity result in weight gain.
This unhealthy weight gain, at best, hinders mobility and, at worst, can be physically debilitating. These conditions impact the keeping of educational facilities in peak condition; which is dependent on support staff.
Health care costs to the individual are incalculable, and the cost to employers is reaching astronomical proportions. The government now has an extenuating interest in this, since it is taking a pronounced role in public health care. It is reasonable to expect that new incentives will be passed along to employees to motivate them to maintain their personal fitness. Why wait and react to these measures? Take the initiative and get proactive about your own wellness and that of your employees and coworkers.
The terms reactive, preventive and proactive, used in facility maintenance, can be enlisted to describe fitness and personal health maintenance. Reactive maintenance is as it sounds - a reaction to mechanical or system failure. Often, healthcare and fitness concerns are heightened when something in our body fails or becomes diseased. These failures are frequently due to the neglect of taking the necessary precautions in the ongoing care of our health through proper diet and exercise.
Preventive maintenance is simply keeping up with the normal protocols of maintaining facility equipment for continued safe and peak performance. When it comes to the human body, as amazing as it is, we should utilize an "ounce of prevention" through improved diet and purposeful exercise to "defer a pound of cure" in health care costs.
Certain body failures are due to an indulgence of empty calorie intake verses an unbalanced expenditure via physical inactivity. Type II diabetes, joint stress due to obesity, even certain digestive issues and a host of ailments may well be prevented with a fitness-conscious lifestyle.
Prevention is better than reaction, and both are realities in maintaining a facility. However, the superlative term in facility maintenance is proactive. A proactive approach includes a preventive maintenance regime, with a goal of fewer reactive maintenance calls.
Applied to the worker, a proactive approach to fitness translates into a dedicated plan for a fit lifestyle through diet and exercise. The proactive approach means you take an active role in your own health care via a fitness program. You seek to maintain a daily calorie balance between intake and expenditure. According to the International Sports and Sciences Association (ISSA), "70 percent of the daily energy we expend goes toward non-movement-related physiological activity. Highly physical people may consume up to 30 percent more, while relatively inactive, or sedentary people use only 10 to 15 percent. That 15 percent difference determines weight management, body composition, joint stress, cardiovascular condition and a myriad of preventable chronic conditions."
The benefit of a proactive approach to fitness will not just impact personal health and well-being, but job performance as well. Physical limitations and wellness are linked to the daily operations of a facility being maintained by its staff.
The facility support staff, especially those who are in physically demanding positions, must know that their fitness level has a direct impact on the performance of their duties. Risk management provides training for proper body mechanics and safety for such things as lifting and climbing ladders. Even ergonomically designed tools and appurtenances help the worker, but nothing replaces the personal and proactive care of one's own body. All the resources and training to the employee is limited by the level of flexibility, range of motion and energy level to perform daily workload. The fitter worker has enhanced potential for a fitter facility.
Reprinted by permission of School Planning & Management magazine.
GET PROACTIVE ABOUT KEEPING EMPLOYESS HEALTHY, SO THEY CAN KEEP YOUR FACILITIES HEALTHY. By J.P. Moore
THERE IS NO DENYING IT — THERE IS A LINK between the physical condition of workers and their performance in the work place. Lack of physical exercise and
poor eating habits is taking a toll, personally and in national job performance. Sedentary lifestyles, leading to obesity, are linked to chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and Type II diabetes. It is reported that 50 percent of healthcare costs can be linked to preventable factors. Glucose intolerance and calorie consumption versus calorie expenditure is a contributing factor to unhealthy weight gain.
The conveniences of our culture contribute to our inactive way of living. The abundance of food at our fingertips causes many of us to acquire unused calories. Keep in mind that unused calories stored away as potential energy is also known as fat. Large stores of calories coupled with inactivity result in weight gain.
This unhealthy weight gain, at best, hinders mobility and, at
worst, can be physically debilitating. These conditions impact the keeping of educational facilities in peak condition; which is dependent on support staff.
Health care costs to the individual are incalculable, and the cost to employers is reaching astronomical proportions. The government now has an extenuating interest in this, since it is taking a pronounced role in public health care. It is reasonable to expect that new incentives will be passed along to employees to motivate them to maintain their personal fitness. Why wait and react to these measures? Take the initiative and get proactive about your own wellness and that of your employees and coworkers.
The terms reactive, preventive and proactive, used in facility maintenance, can be enlisted to describe fitness and personal health maintenance. Reactive maintenance is as it sounds — a reaction to mechanical or system failure. Often, healthcare and fitness concerns are heightened when something in our body fails or becomes diseased. These failures are frequently due to the neglect of taking the necessary precautions in the ongoing care of our health through proper diet and exercise.
Preventive maintenance is simply keeping up with the normal protocols of maintaining facility equipment for continued safe and peak performance. When it comes to the human body, as amazing as it is, we should utilize an "ounce of prevention" through
GM' MOVING
Fit Facts to Consider
Body fat and lean muscle mass can be managed through conscientious attention to a healthier calorie-conscious diet and a proactive fitness lifestyle. Personal Benefits
• Improved self-confidence.
• More goal-oriented and an improved attitude.
• Have improved strength and range of motion for daily tasks.
• More energy for every endeavor.
• Better body composition.
Professional Benefits
• Fewer sick days, due to overall function of the body and its defense mechanisms.
• Shorter recovery time if stricken with seasonal aliments.
• Fewer insurance claims.
• Improved productivity.
Be patient with yourself, and get moving, reducing calories and creating a calorie balance between energy in and energy out. ISE
WWW.PLANNING4EDUCATION.COM
improved diet and purposeful exercise to "defer a pound of cure" in health care costs.
Certain body failures are due to an indulgence of empty calorie intake verses an unbalanced expenditure via physical inactivity. Type II diabetes, joint stress due to obesity, even certain digestive issues and a host of aliments may well be prevented with a fitness-conscious lifestyle.
Prevention is better than reaction, and both are realities in maintaining a facility. However, the superlative term in facil-
ity maintenance is proactive. A proactive approach includes a preventive maintenance regime, with a goal of fewer reactive maintenance calls.
Applied to the worker, a proactive approach to fitness translates into a dedicated plan for a fit lifestyle through diet and exercise. The proactive approach means you take an active role in your own health care via a fitness program. You seek to maintain a daily calorie balance between intake and expenditure. According to ISSA, "70 percent of the daily energy we expend goes toward non-movement-related physiological activity. Highly physical people may consume up to 30 percent more, while relatively inactive, or sedentary people
use only 10 to 15 percent. That 15 percent difference determines weight management, body composition, joint stress, cardiovascular condition and a myriad of preventable chronic conditions."
The benefit of a proactive approach to
fitness will not just impact personal health
and well-being, but job performance as
well. Physical limitations and wellness are
linked to the daily operations of a facility
being maintained by its staff. The facility
support staff, especially those who are
in physically demanding positions, must know that their fitness level has a direct impact on the performance of their duties. Risk management provides training for proper body mechanics and safety for such things as lifting and climbing ladders. Even ergonomically designed tools and appurtenances help the worker, but noth-
ing replaces the personal and proactive care of one's own body. All the resources and training to the employee is limited by the level of flexibility, range of motion and energy level to perform daily workload. The fitter worker has enhanced potential for a fitter facility. SPM
>>J.P. Moore is plumber/maintenance tech 3 with Fayette County Public Schools in
Lexington, Ky. He holds Elite Trainer status with International Sports and Sciences Association. He holds certifications as a personal fitness trainer and is a specialist In fitness therapy and sports nutrition. He can be reached at JPEItnessave.com.
