Start!

 Nationwide Insurance did a study on current health trends and their impact on businesses and the results were quite staggering.  They found that, with current numbers, that by 2019 almost every company in American would be spending more on employee health care than on combined employee wages.  And after 2019 the numbers became even more drastic.  The American Heart Association reports that the annual cost of heart disease is a whopping $448.8 BILLION and that 80.7 million Americans have some form of heart disease.  With this in mind, the American Heart Association has created the Start! program.

 So, what is Start?  It’s really quite simple.  Start! is the American Heart Association’s way for businesses to get employees out from behind their computers, up on their feet and MOVING!  By creating at-work walk teams, Start! allows companies to encourage and reward their employees for making personal health a part of their work day experience. Did you know that simply walking – with no major change in your diet, no extra hours beating yourself up in the gym – can help you get on the path to better heart health?  It’s true!  Walking is something virtually anyone can do and it has the lowest dropout rate of any type of exercise.  Not only that, but walking 30 to 45 minutes a day, five days a week, can help you drop weight, lower your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol.  Healthier employees are also happier, more productive employees.  They are also absent less and spend less time in hospitals or doctors’ offices.  All of this adds up to a win/win situation for the companies as they are spending less on health costs and seeing more productivity from healthier employees!

 Best of all, Start! is a completely FREE program for companies.  Just contact your American Heart Association at (304) 720-9001 to find out how your company can sign up for the program.  American Heart Association staff will bring your company your Start! kit, complete with materials for all of your employees, posters to hang up around the office and stickers that can be placed around your office to create a walk path.  Your teams can even work to raise funds for our annual Heart Walks that take place all around the state.

 So, call your American Heart Association today!  Get up!  Get moving!  Get START-ed! 1.800.926.4278