In case you missed it, February is American Heart Month!
Throughout the month, look at all the ways your company can encourage employees to work on their cardiovascular health. Sadly, heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the United States.
If your company wants to drive the point home, consider the heart-healthy policies, changes, and encouragement that can be offered to employees. Chances are, your wellness committee has missed opportunities for promoting heart health. Your company may even be making some critical mistakes when it comes to healthier employee hearts.
Want to know how to create a more heart-healthy atmosphere?
Here’s a look at how to honor American Heart Month in your workplace and tips for making valuable changes that can change lives, too.
Why Celebrate American Heart Month?
American Heart Month is an ideal time to educate about high-risk factors for heart disease and to promote healthy living advice.
Heart disease doesn’t discriminate and can take a toll quickly on a person’s health. In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women as well as most racial and ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Spreading awareness and implementing active health campaigns and wellness challenges can make a difference — especially for those who smoke or sit too long at work.
Heart disease can impact any individual in your workplace and their ability to do work, too. Between 2016-2017, the CDC estimated that heart disease costs the U.S. $363 billion annually due to medicines, healthcare services costs, and lost productivity due to death.
If you’re looking for a new health angle to approach at work, take heart and focus on cardiovascular health.
5 Huge Mistakes Companies Make Around Heart Health
Without knowing it, your policies and atmosphere may be contributing to employees' poor heart health. Luckily, with some smart adjustments to policies and encouragement, these can easily be rectified.
Here’s a look at some of the mistakes companies make that don’t help heart health:
Mistake #1: A Missing Smoking Policy
If your workplace doesn’t have a smoke-free policy, it’s time to implement one. Asthmatics and non-smokers will always appreciate a strong work campus with a no smoking policy. It’s important to be especially clear with statements outside of entrances where others should be able to walk in without walking through a cloud of secondhand smoke. Those who experience secondhand smoke may get ear infections, lower respiratory infections, and other health issues.
A Smart Fix: Create a strong enough policy that may encourage smokers to quit.
Mistake #2: Not Supporting Smokers
Smoking is a difficult habit to quit; it often takes up to 11 attempts to quit and workers need support to do so. If your workplace doesn’t offer smoking cessation tools, look at investing in those. Hosting regular smoke cessation workshops with advice and resources to quit can be motivating.
A Smart Fix: Consider participating each year in the Great American Smokeout, too.
Mistake #3: Too Much Sedentary Work
Another HUGE mistake is one that many of us are guilty of: sitting for way too long each day. By not encouraging movement (especially for office workers), it can damage the heart. One study compared those with similar diets and lifestyles to those who sat and stood daily for work. Those who sat were 2x more likely to have heart disease, according to WebMD.
A Smart Fix: Buy your team stand-up treadmill desks, under-the-desk bikes, or pedometers to encourage movement.
Mistake #4: Serving Unhealthy Food
Workplace meetings and potlucks aren’t exactly known for being a center of healthy food choices. The junk food at meetings (donuts, bagels, candies, etc.) is processed, full of sugar, and can make employees feel lethargic. Foods high in carbs and sugar can cause heart palpitations. Too much sugar too often can also lead to clogged arteries and that can result in a stroke, heart attack, or other heart issues.
A Smart Fix: Offer fresh fruits and veggies over the typical heavy carb and sugar options.
Mistake #5: Too Much Overtime
We all know too much stress is not good for the body. But did you know it can also cause problems for the heart? A June 2019 study published in Stroke found that employees working 10-plus hours daily for more than 50 days a year have a 29% increase in having a stroke. Too much stress can lead to serious heart conditions, or worse, a catastrophic heart event.
A Smart Fix: Encourage your team to take vacation days. Clock out with the rest of the team when they do after (or before) eight hours. Make self-care a priority.
Related: 7 Heart Health Facts to Share During American Heart Month
Make Big Changes During American Heart Month
Given that heart disease is a massive problem here in the United States, there’s no doubt that it deserves a place in your wellness programming. Take the time to make big corrections in your workplace this month — like working on the above policies and changes — to encourage steps toward preventing serious and debilitating issues like heart disease.
A few more ways to do it:
- Have a fitness class on-site - Aerobic exercise is paramount to excellent cardiovascular health. Sometime during American Heart Health Month, bring in a fitness instructor to teach dance, kickboxing, martial arts, or other cardio class. The Mayo Clinic recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly.
- Remind employees of lifestyle choice consequences - A heart condition doesn’t pop up overnight. It may seem that way for some, but it’s years of smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor eating habits that all add up. While polishing off a bag of chips doesn’t seem terrible, it is if you do it several times a week for years. Our daily choices compound and can create issues with plaque buildup in the heart’s major blood vessels. Share these details with staff often to remind them their daily choices matter.
- Skip alcohol at social events - Sadly, more than 14 million Americans struggle with alcohol use disorder. For many workplaces, after-hour events and parties often include alcohol use. Consider swapping out alcohol for mocktails or other flavorful beverages. Too much alcohol use can lead to raised blood pressure and heart muscle diseases.
When it comes to heart health, taking action sooner rather than later is helpful in preventing serious cardiac events. Help your employees understand the seriousness of issues like high blood pressure with events like biometric screenings and regular discussions on heart health. Health monitoring, medication, and simple lifestyle changes can make the difference between a productive, healthy employee and one who is on the verge of a heart attack.
Aside from the above ideas, wellness committees can also offer a variety of fun heart-healthy activities to raise awareness. Consider ways to make learning about heart health and positive lifestyle changes a fun yet educational experience this month and all year long.
How will your company honor Heart Month? Share your ideas below!
