FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CELEBRATES GLOBAL EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND FITNESS MONTH

TALLAHASSEE—May is Global Employee Health and Fitness Month and the Florida Department of Health is working statewide to make the healthy choice the easy choice for Floridians in the workplace.

“At least 36 percent of adult waking hours are spent in the workplace each week,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. “Global Employee Health and Fitness Month reminds employees and employers to make healthy choices easier at work.”

Across the state, local county health departments are leading by example and finding innovative ways to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to employers and their employees. Some examples of local efforts include:

• Providing wellness and nutrition-related materials, such as healthy recipe cards or daily email tips, to employees;
• Implementing weight loss, walking or other physical activity challenges for local employees and employers;
• Promoting community walks, runs and other sporting events in the area;
• Mapping inside and outside walking routes and offering downloadable maps; and
• Offering office-friendly exercise or stretching demos.

Healthiest Weight Florida has also created a resource with tangible tips to help Floridians make healthier choices at work. Some tips include:

• Take physical activity breaks;
• Don’t use tobacco;
• Treat yourself well: eating healthy can be simple;
• Take de-stress breaks; and
• Make office meetings and celebrations healthier.

Other resources for Global Employee Health & Fitness Month can be found here, including a Global Employee Health & Fitness Month Toolkit, as well as Healthy Meeting Guidelines.

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Healthiest Weight Florida is a public-private collaboration bringing together state agencies, not-for-profit organizations, businesses and entire communities to help Florida's children and adults make consistent, informed choices about healthy eating and active living. To learn more about how to be active and make nutritious food choices, visit www.healthiestweightflorida.com.

The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.floridahealth.gov.