Corporate wellness presenter Dan DeFigio is the director of BASICS AND
BEYOND, a health and fitness education service based in Nashville,
Tennessee. He has over 15 years of experience designing employee wellness programs and conducting health fair workshops
around the country.
Dan DeFigio
Corporate Wellness Presenter and
Internationally Certified Fitness Professional
www.gettingfit.com
Please email us for information on our corporate health and wellness programs, or telephone (615) 386-0434.
Dan DeFigio is the Director of Basics and Beyond, LLC, and the host of the television show Fitness Basics and Beyond. He is certified as a Personal Trainer, a Sports Nutrition Counselor, a Post-Rehab Conditioning Specialist, and a Continuing Education Specialist. Dan is a frequent consultant to The Tennessean's Health and Fitness section, and is a contributing editor of the journal of the National Federation of Professional Trainers. Dan has been featured on The Dr. Phil Show, SELF magazine, and Personal Fitness Professional. The continuing education workshops that he presents to other fitness professionals have been featured on the cover of Personal Trainer Magazine. Dan is recognized by the American Council on Exercise® as one of only a handful of Continuing Education Specialists in the state of Tennessee. He is also a State Exam Official for the National Federation of Professional Trainers. In addition to teaching exercise and nutrition, Dan studies and teaches martial arts and self defense.
Sample topics for presentations during a company health and wellness day:
FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE
Which exercises for which muscles, and which exercises can improve various movements. How to get an effective workout in a short amount of time.NUTRITION
Eating for body fat loss -- low-carb unraveled.
Which supplements are helpful, and which are worthless.POSTURE AND FLEXIBILITY
Postural analysis and flexibility techniques to improve problematic conditions.HOME FITNESS PRODUCTS
An analysis of several home fitness products, their potential uses, and the pros and cons of each.KNEE, BACK, AND SHOULDER
Injury prevention techniques, and post-injury exercise advice.
The Benefits
Companies are increasingly implementing corporate wellness programs in order to improve the overall health of their workers and to increase the bottom line. In fact, 86% of companies with more than 50 employees have incorporated wellness programs. Companies who have implemented wellness programs are experiencing major benefits -- from lower health care costs and reduced absenteeism, to greater productivity, higher morale -- and a positive return on investment. Many companies are reporting double digit decreases in sick leave, hospital admissions, disability days and per capita workers compensation costs as a result of their implementation of a corporate wellness program.
Reduced Health Care Costs
Companies who implement wellness programs
consistently find that their health care costs are reduced, and
that there is a significant difference in medical claims between
exercising employees and non-exercising employees.
Increased Productivity
Medical professionals often recommend
regular exercise to their patients as a means to improve one's
ability to perform, reduce stress, and to enhance one's self-image.
These improvements to the individual, and how they relate to improved
job performance are sometimes hard to quantify. However, many
organizations credit the implementation of corporate fitness programs
for productivity gains in the following areas:
Improved Decision-Making
Improved Efficiency
Reduced Mental Errors
Reduced Employee Turnover
Improved Staff Quality
Decreased Absenteeism & Disability Time
 The cost-effectiveness
of corporate wellness programs is based on the premise that employees
with health risk factors, such as high blood pressure or a sedentary
lifestyle, are more likely to incur medical expenses. And recent
research has revealed that "psychosocial" risk factors
are associated just as closely -- if not more so -- with high
costs. One study showed the following results:
Given these statistics,
it makes sense for employers to provide a means for employees
to improve their health. The most effective way to reduce the
costs of your health insurance benefits, while still providing
comprehensive health care coverage, is to integrate a corporate
wellness strategy into the health plan. Hundreds of studies have
been published over the last 10 to 15 years on the cost-effectiveness
of Corporate Wellness programs.
In 1999 a major study of Citibank employees sought to determine
the financial impact of a wellness program. The corporation realized
a return on investment (ROI) greater than $4.50 for every dollar
spent. Additional studies have shown similar results, with ROIs
ranging from 3.40:1 to 4.75:1.
A review of 32 studies of corporate wellness programs, published
in 1997, found that for all participants included in the studies:
Besides the reduced
use of health insurance, other benefits of Corporate Wellness
programs include:
References Fries, JF, Koop, CE et al: Beyond Health Promotion:
Reducing Need and Demand for Medical Care: Health care reforms
to improve health while reducing costs. Health Affairs, 1998;
17 (2); 71-84. |