Shine a spotlight on employee wellness while fundraising in support of life-saving research
This article was provided by Heart & Stroke.
Employees are the heart of a business – their efforts and passion are what help drive an organization’s development, growth, and success. But in order for employees to be successful at work, they need to feel engaged, motivated and supported by their employers.
One of the ways organizations can achieve this is by prioritizing employee health and wellness.
A culture of health and wellness has the power to foster a positive workplace environment that can increase engagement, tackle burnout, and reduce absenteeism and turnover – and most importantly, it prioritizes employees’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Fuelling employee health and wellness with Ride for Heart
Heart disease and stroke impact millions of people in Canada. In fact, nine in 10 people across the country have at least one risk factor for heart disease, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment. These risk factors include medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as lifestyle risk factors like physical inactivity, unhealthy diets or even stress.
On average, adults in Canada spend more than nine hours of their day sedentary – meaning they engage in behaviours that don’t require much physical activity such as sitting at a desk or driving a vehicle. And research shows that having a sedentary lifestyle can be associated with an increased risk of poor health outcomes such as heart disease and stroke.
The good news is that 80% of premature heart disease and stroke cases are preventable through healthy lifestyle behaviours – and the Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart is a great place to start.
Back for a second year, the Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge provides employers with an easy, free way to engage their employees and prioritize their heart and brain health. As a month-long program in June, employees are encouraged to work together to tackle physical activity and fundraising challenges that can be tailored to those who work from home or in the office.
Participating in the Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge offers numerous benefits that directly contribute to employee well-being. Here’s how:
- Physical activity: Whether employees choose to ride, walk or run, they will work towards strengthening their cardiovascular health – reducing their risk of heart disease and stroke – while boosting their engagement, productivity and cognitive function at work.
- Health education: Employees will learn more about the importance of taking care of their heart and brain health, get insights into their risk factors and ways to prevent heart disease and stroke, and why it’s important to make healthy lifestyle choices to incorporate at home and in the office.
- Personal empowerment: Participating in Ride for Heart will allow employees to take control of their own health journey while joining the fight to beat heart disease and stroke. By setting goals, overcoming challenges, and working with their colleagues, participants will be inspired to adopt healthier habits and prioritize self-care long after the challenge is over so they can be their best selves.
Put your employees’ health and wellness first today!
Ensuring employees are leading a healthy, happy and fulfilling life – both at work and at home – is a powerful catalyst for any companies’ success. Ride for Heart offers employers a unique way to empower their employees with the knowledge of how to protect their own heart and brain health for years to come, while making a positive impact in the lives of people living with heart disease and stroke across Canada.
Companies can sign up, create their teams and start fundraising by visiting RideForHeart.ca.
