Health Insurance Daily

When Your Boss Says Jump

Mike Bowling, a network administrator at Discovery Communications, spends a typical day at his Silver Spring, Md., office troubleshooting E-mail systems, restoring data, maintaining network security--and crunching out dozens of push-ups and sit-ups. He and his fellow competitors in the company's fourth annual Body Challenge meet after hours for "Boot Camp" class with "the Sarge," who pummels them into shape during an hour of calisthenics, weight training, and running. "I could only do about 10 sit-ups and 20 push-ups last month, but now we're doing 70 to 100 push-ups in every class and about 150 sit-ups," says Bowling, 35, who is also running wind sprints for the first time since high school. He's down 13 pounds since January.
As the cost of employee healthcare grows by 10 percent or more each year, corporate America is instituting preventive measures: everything from Pilates class to belly dancing to lavishly equipped gyms. "We are trying to do whatever we can to encourage employees to stay healthy," says Evelyne Steward, vice president of Discovery's LifeWorks department, whose wellness program consists of health and nutrition classes, weight-loss groups, and an on-site clinic as well as the eight-week-long Body Challenge.

To read this article in its entirety, click on U.S. News and World Report.

posted by Mike @ 3:20 PM