Analysts: Future jobs to be mainly high- or low-skilled
Whenever companies start hiring freely again, job-seekers with specialized skills and education will have plenty of good opportunities. Others will face a choice: Take a job with low pay — or none at all.
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Future jobs: More skills or less pay
Whenever companies start hiring freely again, job-seekers with specialized skills and education will have plenty of good opportunities. Others will face a choice: Take a job with low pay — or none at all. That’s the sobering message American workers face as they mark Labor Day at a time of high unemployment, scant hiring and a widespread loss of job security
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As a fitness professional you have the ability to apply your knowledge and experiences in a variety of settings to help increase your revenue. One such area you can apply yourself is in the corporate fitness setting with worksite health promotion.

Businesses everywhere have been feeling the squeeze as health care costs have risen over the past several years. According to an article published on CNN’s Money website, “Over the past decade, the annual cost of family coverage has risen 131% and the annual cost for single coverage is up 120%” (website article “Family health costs jump 5%). As a result, they are looking for ways to save money. Sometimes it involves screening out potential job applicants that are not healthy, or finding reasons to fire a current employee that is unfit. An alternative method to help combat the rising health care costs is worksite health promotion.

In short, worksite health promotion is “the combination of educational, organizational, and environmental activates and programs designed to motivate and support healthy lifestyles among a company’s employees and their families” (Worksite Health Promotion, pg. 5). How does this benefit you as a fitness professional? Well with a little bit of knowledge in worksite health promotion, you can approach local businesses to see if they would be interested in your services.

There are several steps involved in creating and implementing a health promotion program for a given business. They include:

*Identification and Assessment – The first step is to meet with the company to get an idea of the specific type of program(s) they will need (smoking cessation, diabetes education, etc) Part of this can involve speaking with the employees, sending out simple health surveys via email they can respond to, etc. In addition you will want to evaluate the employees in terms of what types of programs they feel would work best. Would they prefer payment assistance at a local gym, be motivated by receiving a reward for reaching their goals, etc.

*Planning the programs – This step includes goal setting, budget setting, figuring out how the program(s) will be implemented, who will run it, and how long it will take before results are apparent. This stage at times also includes proposal creation as you may need to present your information to the company to see if they give it a final okay.

*Program implementation – If you make it past the proposal, you will be in the green to implement your health promotion program.

*Program Evaluation – Your program should be evaluated on a regular basis. This way if you find the current program is not living up to expectations, you can immediately revamp it. If not, the company could feel you are wasting their money, and stop giving some of it to you.

In a way worksite health promotion is not a static system. You may find after you have evaluated the program (the last step) that you need to go back to step one and re-identify and re-assess the employee’s. Or you may find that you have to go back to the program planning stage to re-create some of the employee’s goals. Worksite health promotion is definitely an ever-changing system.

In the end, with a little bit of creativity and research on your part, being able to expand your current business model to include local worksite health promotion programs should be a snap. For additional information on Worksite Health Promotion, pick up a copy of “Worksite Health Promotion” by David H. Chenoweth.

The California Department of Public Health office in Sacramento, California is a model of a work environment that promotes health. The organization has implemented many of the policies recommended by its Worksite Wellness campaign, which focuses on improving nutrition and fitness in places of work. The Worksite Wellness campaign has found that companies save over in health care costs for every invested in wellness programs. The program includes safe bike parking, a fitness room with showers, accessible stairwells and active promotion of taking the stairs, healthy meeting policies that include an abundance of fruits and vegetables and physical activity breaks, walking meetings, high nutrition standards for food served in vending machines and dining services, a fruit and vegetable club that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables twice a week for the subsidized cost of a month, and a work culture that has been fostered to promote healthy eating and living.
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The current spiraling and escalating rate of change within the business and working world, fueled by the events as well as those emanating from September 11, 2001, were the impetus and driving force behind the initiative and development of this new edition. That single event catapulted EA and the support EA professionals can give to work organizations in ways not imagined in the past. This third edition of EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS will add to the existing body of knowledge by helping

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Starting A Physical Activity Program For People With Disabilities- Where Is First Base?

Our list of Clients is growing by the month, as people see the value in the services we provide to people with disabilities and the industry as a whole. We are passionate about assisting organisations and clients gain the best possible outcome with regard to their health and well-being.

Some organisations when trying to start a Physical activity & health and fitness program often ask us “Where is first base?” “How do we start?” “What do we do?”. Great questions,

The first thing we do, BEFORE deciding on what model we will implement, is to take a good history of the clients that will be using he program. What are the disability types, medical conditions, previous injuries etc.  WE follow this with another 7 step system.

We are constantly asked about what should be included in the Program. As a general rule, we incorporate Strength, Flexibility and Cardiovascular Activities. We also do this in a structured way, building slowly and steadily and most importantly, minimising injuries.

Trying to do this on your own is tough work. You are basically re-inventing the wheel and attempting to do this ad hoc. It is like trying to shoot for a target in the dark

We have great systems with tools, checklists and support mechanisms that make the process seamless, and easy to operate. The great thing is that the system also comes with staff training!

If you’re floundering due to time constraints, then you need to contact us ASAP. You will not regret it!

 Call us now on 0419 401 915, or email admin@motivateyou.com.au  to schedule a free consultation.

www.empowereddoctor.com A study from the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, has found a direct link between levels of physical activity in middle age and physical ability later in life – regardless of body weight. Individuals unable to maintain a certain level of physical activity in middle age were less likely to be able to walk distances, climb stairs, maintain balance, stand from a seated position with arms folded, or sustain their hand grip as they aged. Among men and women aged 50 to 69 years across all weight ranges, physical ability later in life was half that among those who were more physically active. Story is produced and provided by Empowered Medical Media, LLC Visit www.EmpoweredDoctor.com to see the full story And if you are looking for a doctor check out our local doctor directory at www.empowereddoctor.com

Exercise and Physical Activities ? Health Benefits

Regular physical activity provides enormous health benefits. It helps reduce heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases and metabolic conditions. Regular fitness exercise is also highly beneficial for weight reduction and weight maintenance, and may improve brain chemistry to reduce depression. By contrast, health studies that have monitored the wellbeing of large groups of people over many years clearly show that inactivity significantly increases the risk of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases.

New brain cell development, improved cognition and memory. Exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells. Researchers found that the areas of the brain that are stimulated through exercise are responsible for memory and learning. For instance, older adults who engage in regular physical activity have better performances in tests implying decision-making process, memory and problem solving.

Heart Disease and Stroke. Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart’s working capacity. Optimizing each of these factors can provide additional benefits of decreasing the risk for Peripheral Vascular Disease.

Cholesterol lowering effect. Exercise itself does not burn off cholesterol like it does with fat, however, exercise favorably influences blood cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides and total cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.

Physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body’s ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases.

Exercise has also been found to increase levels of “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF). This substance is thought to improve mood, and it may play a role in the beneficial effects of exercise. BDNF’s primary role seems to be to help brain cells survive longer; so this may also explain some of the beneficial effects of exercise on dementia

Among the symptoms of depression are feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Physical exercise often leads to a sense of accomplishment that can increase good feelings about yourself when you need it most. Exercise can also help you feel better about your appearance and your self-worth. Meeting small goals is an excellent way to start boosting self-confidence with the feeling of accomplishment you take in completing challenges.

The health benefits of exercise are explicable in terms of favourable physiological, psychological, and biochemical changes and improvements in function. Their scope is greater than has been supposed. Motivating sedentary people to pursue these benefits is not straightforward. They are reluctant to undertake even moderate exercise, and they become immediately aware of their limited tolerance for physical work and the discomfort that it provokes. It takes several weeks of regular exercise to see an improvement in their capacity for effort and for there to be a training effect.

It was found that exercise had the strongest effect on boosting patients’ physical function, such as improving their ability to climb stairs or walk a certain distance. It improved patients’ body composition, increasing the percentage of lean muscle mass to total weight. Exercise reduced some symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting and pain, and modest improvements were seen in fatigue, mood and quality of life. Given the relatively small benefits for exercise identified by their analysis, the researchers suggest combining exercise with other inventions designed to improve cancer patients’ physical and mental health.

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From our show at the 2010 State Fair. We played in the X-Zone over by the skateboarders and BMXers.

This week Rob and Corinne head to the Stitch Rock craft fair that just happened to be right around the corner from their house and encourage you to shop local and handmade for the holiday season. Plus we hang out with our very own Forum member Kate who shows us how to properly sew a zipper. Stitch Rock Craft Fair Delray Beach, FL www.rockthestitch.com Stray Creative www.straycreative.com Adrianne Ruffin www.adrianneruffin.com Tuffbetty Bags www.tuffbettybags.com Kate McFaul www.katemcfauldesigns.com Burda Style www.burdastyle.com Music Video: Wonder Fools “Bright Star Hope” (Director Eric Powers)

Dollar Lower Before Friday’s Key US Jobs Data
Dollar mostly lower before Friday’s key US jobs report; ECB raises growth forecast in Europe European Central Bank – Business – Education – Jean-Claude Trichet – United States
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This presentation was prepared by Dr. Farrokh Alemi, Professor of Health Systems Administration at Georgetown University. It describes a procedure designed by Gustafson and Thesen for assessment of information needs of an organization. The procedure includes a focus on future decisions, group consensus and quantitative rating of relative importance of information items. For more information see: georgetownhealthsystems.com
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Health IT needs assessment project

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Take a dip into the shallow end of the pool and watch these half-hour blocks of classic Mondo Mini-shows and Icebox episodes from the archives. Just dont be surprised when the water turns yellow.
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Take a dip into the shallow end of the pool and watch these half-hour blocks of classic Mondo Mini-shows and Icebox episodes from the archives. Just dont be surprised when the water turns yellow