If you skipped yoga this morning to get a jumpstart on your to-do list, you may be hurting yourself -- and setting a bad example for your employees.

"Ignoring your unhealthy habits and their subsequent risk factors is dangerous -- not only to you, but also to your business," according to a recent story in Entrepreneur magazine.

The story follows company heads who embrace a healthy lifestyle, including Jonathan Fields, who started New York City-based Sonic Yoga in 2001 following an emergency surgery brought on by the stress of his career as an attorney. (Sonic now has two locations and sales approaching $1 million.)

"I can't be effective [as an entrepreneur] if my body isn't as healthy as possible," Fields said to Entrepreneur.

At the same time, an increasing number of employers are encouraging employees to focus on health. Brendan Synnott and Kelly Flatley, the twenty-something co-founders of Bear Naked, a $20 million granola manufacturer in Norwalk, Conn., stock the company's kitchen with "fresh fruit, cartons of yogurt, cheese sticks, baby carrots" and plan company retreats that include rafting, biking and basketball.

"We make them better employees and ultimately more productive," Flatley said.

Ready to get started?  Here are some tips from the story:

 • Encourage employee wellness. Some companies provide incentives for sticking to a wellness program, such as prizes and monetary rewards. 

• Provide healthy snacks. Even if all you have is a vending machine, stock it with healthy options.

• Get fit. You're a role model for employees. They look to you for direction within your company. 

• Meditate and relieve stress. Take a few minutes every day to do something you really enjoy that doesn't have anything to do with your business.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 

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