Having a supportive network is crucial in achieving weight- loss goals, and for people who spend a good chunk of their waking hours at work, coworkers can help make or break a diet.
“We’re influenced by the people around us, and if you’re trying to change your weight or exercise more, you need a social network where people practice healthy behaviors,” says James O. Hill.
Hill, an expert on obesity and professor at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, said he and his co-workers promote a healthy environment with:
Hill, director the Center for Human Nutrition and author of more than 350 articles on obesity, says he thinks companies will do more in the future to encourage employee health, such as:
Give incentives to employees to be healthy, such as offering discounts on health care to those who wear pedometers and walk a certain amount each day.
In cafeterias, use technology that will print on sales receipts the nutritional content of the food a person buys (and offer tips on how to make healthier choices).
