February is American Heart Month.

Given the stats behind heart disease, it’s important for employers to participate in education this month. Heart disease claims more American lives than any other health condition.

In fact, every 37 seconds, someone in the U.S. dies from cardiovascular disease.

Since matters of the heart are important, now is the time to discuss risk factors for heart disease with your employees. Cardiovascular disease is ranked as one of the most expensive medical conditions for employers thanks to the costs of medicine, health care services, and lost productivity. This post will cover risk factors for heart disease and foods to eat to lower heart disease risk.

Want to share with your employees how to improve heart health?

Here’s how to reduce risk factors for heart disease:

Diets are all the rage in the new year, but one particular diet technique is gaining traction as a way to boost overall health while also losing weight.

Enter intermittent fasting.

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found intermittent fasting is one way to maintain a healthier lifestyle. If you’re looking to lose weight, you may want to turn to intermittent fasting.

But not so fast. 

As with all diets, there are potential risk factors that some individuals may need to keep in mind. Consulting with a health professional will help you decide if the pros outweigh the cons.

Here’s a look at what intermittent fasting is, the benefits of intermittent fasting, and potential risk factors to be aware of before trying this trending diet.

Want to know more? Read on.

We’ve all gotten bad nutritional advice from time to time.

With the wealth of information out there, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to sort through and choose what to apply to our lives. That’s especially true when it comes to nutrition and diets in particular.

Keto diet. Paleo diet. Vegan diet. Plant-based diet.

Eat this. Don’t eat that. Sugar is bad. Bread is ok.

It’s enough to make even the most internet-savvy researcher’s head spin.

This post will examine several nutrition myths and discuss the truth behind the most common nutrition fallacies like, "To lose weight, you have to give up all of your favorite foods."

Here we break down some of the most common nutrition myths out there.

Happiness at work is not a myth. 

Your employees really can be happy, healthy, and fulfilled in their professional lives.

While you may not need to hire a Chief Happiness Officer – yes, that’s an actual job — you can make tweaks to boost workplace happiness. Not only is a happy workplace a nicer atmosphere for everyone who enters, but it also makes productivity levels shoot through the roof.

A study from The University of Warwick found joyful professionals are up to 12% more productive than unhappy workers. More importantly, being happy at work is also tied to overall better well-being and health. 

Interested in keeping your workers happy? 

Here’s a look at five ways to create more joy and real smiles in your workplace this year.

Yes, the flu is still around.

And no, it’s not too late to get flu shots in January.

Flu season typically starts at the beginning of fall and tapers off toward the end of spring. Given that this flu season got off to an unusually strong start  — with flu-related deaths being up more than 65% in 2020 so far — considering a flu vaccine isn’t a bad idea.

So far, 9.7 million people have gotten the flu this season. 

Not interested in being a statistic?

Preventative measures — like the flu vaccine — are still available.

Below we dive into the flu season so far this year and tips for employers to avoid the spread of it in the workplace.

Is getting in shape on your New Year’s resolutions list?

Even if you have no equipment and no gym membership, you can do it.

Thanks to our below list of exercises without equipment, now you have no excuses. These 10 exercises can literally be done anywhere. These are also the perfect at-home workouts for beginners because it can be done at your own pace.

If you're ready to tone up and feel stronger, this post is for you. We offer step-by-step instructions on how to do each exercise, plus a beginner’s tip for each move.

Keep your New Year’s resolution to get in shape once and for all with these exercises you can do anywhere.

Are you tired of making New Year’s resolutions that don’t stick? You’re not the only one.

One study by the Journal of Clinical Psychology discovered most goal-setters make the same resolution 10 times without success! Unfortunately, that’s a recipe for feeling a whole lot of shame and disappointment.

If you’re ready to make this your habit-sticking, big-goal achieving year, then this post is for you.

Creating good habits isn’t an all-or-nothing process. You have to be a bit forgiving along the way of achieving your goals. Plus, there’s a bit of science behind how habits are formed.

Below, we’ve got some strategies and tips you can explore that will help them stick.

Read on to learn about the timeline it takes to make or break a habit (hint: it’s not 21 days) and tips to nail your big goals for 2020.

A health fair is a great way to kick off wellness campaigns.

Health fairs are interactive educational events that offer outreach for wellness and health initiatives. It’s also an opportunity to provide free health screenings and connect individuals to valuable health resources in your community.

Employee health fairs can also introduce your employees to your wellness committee and local resources they may not have heard about before.

Ready to start planning your first health fair?

Check out our health fair ideas and tips on how to make your event memorable and successful:

When you think of a plant-based diet, what comes to mind?

Tofu? Hippies? Grazing on the plants in your front yard?

While there may be a lot of misconceptions about what a plant-based diet looks like, one thing is crystal clear: Research shows it can supercharge your health. Eating a whole foods diet centered on plants brings about perks like weight loss, lowered blood pressure, and more.

Best of all, it’s not an all-or-nothing lifestyle. You can make the diet fit your personal needs. If you prefer plants to pills to heal your ailments, then a plant-based diet may be for you.

In this post, we detail plant-based diet benefits, plant-based foods to avoid, and how a plant-based diet isn’t as restrictive as you think.

Ready to learn how to heal your gut with food?

Your employees are the heartbeat of your company.

Yet, most of them aren’t taking care of their own hearts.

A 2019 study found that nearly half of Americans have some type of cardiovascular disease, often a result of high blood pressure. Worse yet, heart disease continues to rank as the number one cause of death in the U.S. Stroke trailed closely behind as the fifth leading cause of death.

Both of these conditions are also the most expensive medical conditions for employers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While you can’t force your employees to exercise or quit smoking to improve their cardiovascular health, you can nurture a heart-healthy workplace culture.

Here we take a look at the impact cardiovascular disease has on the workplace.

Plus, we’re sharing easy-to-implement ideas and activities to promote during American Heart Month to help your employees learn to show a little love to their hearts.