As a doctor, I think employee health and wellness programs are absolutely critical to the health and success of any company. I’ve long suspected that healthy employees are good for the bottom line. Over time, research has proven me right, with employee health and well-being linked to increased productivity, reduced disability costs, lower turnover, and higher morale.

It’s time we recognize who’s doing employee health and wellness right (because a lot of companies are doing it wrong). Not only will this raise awareness about the value of healthy employees, it will also help us understand the elements of a strong employee wellness program, and the practices that have the most impact on people and organizations.

I have partnered with some people to develop the HEALTH-Certified™ designation. It is a brand new designation for Canadian companies that want to ensure that their wellness programs are meaningful and making a difference to employees, as well as to the organization in terms of return on investment.

Getting certified involves a comprehensive review of your company’s programs and policies related to employee health and wellness. If you make the grade, you’ll see lower insurance premiums, and be able to promote your best practices and your designation, which can be a big advantage if you want to attract and retain employees who care about health. You’ll also have a chance to be recognized as one of Canada’s 50 healthiest companies.

Even if your employee health and wellness programs aren’t robust enough to earn the HEALTH-Certified designation, your company will still benefit significantly from a review. Evaluations come with improvement recommendations, and the detailed analysis that is done provides a wealth of information you can use to effectively build and measure future initiatives.

According to a new study by University of California-San Francisco psychologist Elissa Epel and colleagues, comfort food is a bad habit that results in high levels of abdominal fat (a.k.a. love handles), a dampened-down stress response system, and with it, less secretion of the hormone cortisol.

Epel goes on to state that “Food is used as a cheap drug. It makes us feel better, at least for a very short while.” CEOs and executives may be more prone to experiencing chronic stress due to the nature of their positions. Multiple deadlines, heavy workloads, and fast-paced lives afford leaders little personal time to deal with ongoing stress. What do many of us do when we’re stressed? We eat foods that are too sugary and fatty or that are convenient rather than healthy for us.

The article continues: “In another recent study, Epel and colleagues found that heavy women who practiced stress reduction and mindful eating techniques decreased their stress levels and didn’t gain weight over time, while those in the wait list group did gain weight.”

As a busy executive (female OR male), if you find that you’re constantly stressed out and reaching for a donut or that bag of potato chips on an all-too-regular basis, you may want to “kick” the habit by making healthier food choices. Consider dealing with the factors that are causing you stress NOW rather than 40 pounds later. Your waistline, and your life expectancy, will be better for it.

Call me today to book my personal and corporate wellness talks, which include effective stress-reduction strategies.

But how many of us can rattle off numbers that may mean life or death? According to a recent Edmonton Journal article titled Healthy Heart, Happy Heart, “High blood cholesterol is a key risk factor, yet 70 per cent of Canadians don’t know their cholesterol number.”

Knowing your cholesterol number could save your life. Consider Measha Brueggergosman, the young opera soprano profiled in the article. (You might remember her performance at the Opening Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.)

Brueggergosman has a family history of heart disease, but she didn’t know her “numbers” (cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight). She was lucky to survive a tear in her aorta at age 31 and is now “…urging other women to learn their [numbers] too.” In the article, she talks about how she reprioritized her busy career and life after her near brush with death. How many of us will get that same chance?

Countless studies, including this one, are showing that women as young as Brueggergosman (only 34 this year!) have as much risk as men of developing heart disease. “One in three Canadian women die of heart disease and stroke.”

Heart disease, not breast cancer, is the number one killer of women in our country. So, ladies (and gentlemen, knowing your numbers applies to you too), please talk to your doctor and find out your numbers. These ones are worth knowing.

Call me to book my newest talk, Second Opinion: The Numbers You Need to Know.

This is especially true for professionals whose careers limit their exposure to sunlight. People in such positions may get only a few minutes of sunlight for days at a time. This lack of sunlight has been scientifically linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder, but there are ways to prevent the “winter blues.”

The Healthy CEO encourages people to pursue a healthy balance in their lives; even minor improvements to one’s lifestyle can have significant benefits. The weather is obviously beyond our control, but there are other things within our power that can help us fight off winter depression.

Important aspects of the total health and happiness that is central to The Healthy CEO philosophy can be applied. They include:
-exercising
-eating healthy
-avoiding binge drinking
-treating yourself
-staying well-rested

You’ll notice that these are not new solutions. If you were looking for a miracle solution, there really isn’t one. You’ll just find basic common sense guidelines for maintaining health and happiness. But the power behind these basic steps lies in one’s own innate need to change, to take action. If we take control of our everyday well-being, as recommended by The Healthy CEO, it only makes sense that we will be better equipped to handle a trigger of the “blues,” such as lack of sunlight, in stride.

More than any other season, now is a good time to take responsibility for our health and happiness. After all, we still have quite a few more short winter days before spring arrives.

However, when examining the relationship between their personal lives and their physical health, people seem more inclined to focus on the former impacting the latter. Right on cue, a new study has been released reminding us of the interdependence between healthy bodies and, in this case, healthy bank accounts.

The study shows that cancer patients and recovering cancer patients are more likely to file for bankruptcy–up to four times more likely within five years of diagnosis. This shouldn’t be surprising, but it offers us an important reminder. For starters, it reminds us that causation between our health and, in this case, our finances works both ways. This is nothing new, but again, it helps to put things in perspective.

It’s so easy to get caught up in a vicious cycle when we fail to maintain balance in our lives. Physical sickness can cause financial stress, which can lead to stresses in our relationships, which can lead to, well, more physical sickness. The cycle continues and is not easily broken.

Nobody wants to go through this, and yet many of us continue to neglect areas of our lives that could potentially put us out of balance. As with most things, prevention is the best treatment. Take a moment to ask yourself how you can better balance what’s important in your life. Use common sense to create the balance that is within your reach. You’ll be a happier and healthier person for it.

In a recently published Globe and Mail article, Schumacher, a successful middle-aged author, mother, and wife, shows us how she started a chain reaction in her life by engaging in just one small physical activity – cycling. The physical benefits of cycling are the most obvious advantage as her body became really fit. So, Schumacher focused the majority of her article on cycling’s peripheral benefits.

She discusses her family and the ways in which physical activities help to bring a family together. Cycling to work in the morning not only improved the quality of her family relationships, it also allowed Schumacher to approach her work with newfound energy and enthusiasm. Managerial professionals who work demanding hours and hold high levels of responsibility can appreciate this benefit, I’m sure. Exercise helps improve mood, as Schumacher notes. When we feel healthy and energized, we are more likely to interact positively with others. This, in turn, contributes to our overall health. The positive energy gained from cycling naturally transferred into the other important parts of Schumacher’s life without Schumacher putting in any extra effort or work.

It took Schumacher tremendous courage to incorporate the simple activity of cycling into her everyday routine. Her results are personal but are a relatable illustration of how the various aspects of our life are connected, and how minor lifestyle changes can lead to chain reactions that improve our overall health and happiness.

The only clear story I could get from the translation was the concern of the mother that her daughter had a fever. Trying to confirm that the only concern of the mother was a fever, I was a bit animated in my attempt to confirm the only concern was that her daughter had a fever. When the word fever was spoken loudly, several of the passengers near by got out of their seats and moved away. Remember, this was the season of H1N1. I realized I now had more to deal with than the “ill patient”.

At that time, the nation seemed to be on the brink of a vaccine crisis for the H1N1 condition. Production delays led to shortages, people were confused about who needed that vaccine as well as the regular annual flu shots. Health agencies could have been clearer in there messaging to the public. The quick manufacturing process led to uncertainty about its safety and effectiveness and resurrected concerns about vaccine safety in general.

Research continues to document the benefits of other vaccines, in particular, two problems that plaque older people, pneumonia and shingles. However, immunization rates for adults still lag far behind those for children. Many physicians still under value vaccinations for adults. Adult patients need to take the lead in talking with their healthcare provider about the shots they need; be the CEO of your health.

This season, there will be just one influenza vaccine for almost everyone older than 6 months. It is best to get vaccinated soon after the vaccine become available, usually in September, so you will have protection for the whole flu season. In June 2010 the CDC reported preliminary results that showed that for every 1 million vaccinations, there was less than one extra case of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Additional studies found that people who get the shot have a strong immune response to it, which indicates that the vaccine provides substantial protection against the virus. People who regularly get vaccinated against the flu reduce their risk of developing potentially deadly complications from the disease.

Shingles, a recurrence of the chicken-pox virus can trigger rashes and nerve pain. Even though the vaccine has been available since 2006, it is reported that only 2 to 7 percent of eligible adults have had the shot. People 60 years and older and who don’t have a weakened immune system should discuss this vaccination with their healthcare provider.

Pneumoccus bacterium which causes a serious form of pneumonia, has a better record with about 35 percent of adults over 65 not being vaccinated. Younger people at high risk of developing respiratory problems are candidates for this vaccination, since complications from the infection hospitalize or kills a significant number of people.

Are you up-to-date on your vaccines? The following vaccines can cause mild side effects, including redness, soreness or rashes around the injection site. Occasionally, more serious side effects might occur, especially in those who experience an allergic reaction. Vaccines recommended by the CDC have a very good safety record, and all offer benefits that far outweigh any risks.

You should review your vaccination history with your healthcare provider. The vaccines to be addressed should include the following;
- Hepatitis A and B
- Chicken pox
- Human Papillomavirus
- Influenza
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella
- Meningitis
- Pneumonia
- Shingles
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis

After a thorough physical examination I explained to the mother, that her daughter was fine and had NO fever. As this information was translated by the flight attendant, the surrounding passengers smiled and returned to their seats. The Captain wanted to know the status of the passenger, as if I had any concerns of H1N1, we all would be quarantined on the airplane for 4 hours, once we landed at our destination.

My diagnosis confirmed as I noted the young girl was wildly running around the airport while we waited patiently for our luggage. My wife and I enjoyed the bottle of Champagne presented to me, by the Captain, as we deplaned. It was a great start to our vacation.

“The customer ahead of you does this every morning. He pays for his coffee and then leaves behind enough for the next customer. It’s his way of brightening up someone’s morning I guess.”

I thought that was a great idea and handed over my money. “That’s for the next one in line.”

Random acts of kindness seem to have a way of spreading, and it usually doesn’t take much to bring a smile to an unsuspecting stranger’s face.

Speaking of people who don’t get what they expect when they place an order, check out this Japanese restaurant where you receive the order of the person ahead of you.