The Effects of Breaking up Prolonged Sitting Time: A Review of Experimental Studies. In this study, considerable evidence of the positive effects of breaking up prolonged time spent sitting on metabolic outcomes was found.  To read more about how to counteract the detrimental effects of prolonged sitting, click here.

2 minutes of walking each hour can make a big difference.  In a recent article in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers found that trading sitting for 2 minutes of walking or other light intensity exercise results in a 33% lower risk of dying.  

High Intensity Interval Training.   If you've found yourself wondering what this is and how to fit it into your cardio schedule, the American Center for Sports Medicine has put together a helpful article on this topic. For a complete reading, click here.

Workplace Exercise Works!  Researchers designed a randomized controlled trial to look at a workplace program and found that during the 4 months of exercise training in 15-minute sessions, improvements were seen in body composition, abdominal strength and flexibility.   This article was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the abstract can be found here. 

Which modifiable health risks are associated with changes in productivity costs?  In this Population Health Management article, researchers discovered that worker productivity was tied to emotional health and obesity.  Both these risks are modifiable and the workplace offers an ideal setting.  For more, please click here.

Low Back Health - David S. Rubendall, DO, Medical Director, UVA-WorkMed; Marian Gross, RN, UVA-WorkMed; Thomas Miller, UVA-WorkMed Supervisor/Exercise Physiologist

Talk about a real pain in the back. The leading result of accident to those under the age of 45 is low back injury.  In 2004, the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission report cited that $53,183,275 was attributed in total expenditure to lower back injuries.  Low back injury is pretty common and there are many factors that contribute to it.

Health and Wellness Programs Provide Return on Employer Investment

Most successful financial investors will acknowledge the merit of the following:  In order to make money, you generally have to spend money.  Any company attempting to survive or grow will examine and re-examine avenues to maximize cost savings and minimize cost expenditure.  Employee health care premiums generally represent a significant expenditure for employers.