Corporate Wellness: Productivity and Exercise

It’s something your hear about everyday in school, at work and in your family life. People always look for new and better ways to be more productive. The people who are the most successful all have one thing in common, and it might not be what you think. They are extremely motivated individuals and  maintain a healthy lifestyle with daily EXERCISE. People who exercise are more likely to enjoy their jobs and achieve a higher level of performance and productivity. Besides the health benefits of being physically active, it also benefits other aspects of life. 

• Get a better night’s rest – when exercise is added to your daily life you can get better quality sleep. This is crucial in preparation of a highly productive day. 
• Experience elevated energy – exercise is proven to enhance energy levels and improve focus. All successful people maintain a high level of focus/concentration and stay “in the moment”. You are also less likely to procrastinate and thereby become more productive. 
• You’ll experience less mood swings – one of the best byproducts of exercise is being happy. When you exercise endorphins are released into the bloodstream. The interaction of endorphins with your brain triggers a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. The improved sense of wellbeing makes you more calm and a pleasure to be around. That makes it a whole lot easier to make better decisions and be fully engaged. When you’re happy you’re more productive! 
• Develop healthy behaviors – including exercise into your work day requires a little planning and time management. The behaviors that result are being more task oriented, improved work performance, ability to follow through and being better prepared. 

My view on working is based on time and energy expended. Everyone has a baseline amount of energy they can use each day. Some people have more than others, but with the addition of exercise this level can be altered. The amount of exercise you can handle is directly related to the amount of work you can do. By increasing your level of activity we are actually building the foundation for how much work you can do.

Most people want to exercise to get in shape. There’s no doubt that being fit is the greatest result of working out. However, a very interesting result of daily exercise is the effect on workplace productivity. Employees who exercise avoid procrastination and perform better than employees who are sedentary. Studies have shown that companies that require daily exercise from their staff experience a reduction in rates of illness and injury, which can save $500 per employee every year. Companies should know that implementing a wellness program normally lowers the rate of employee turnover, healthcare costs, disability insurance and sick leave. The increase in overall output from every employee makes this a win-win scenario. 

  

Workplace productivity isn’t purely energy based. It also relies heavily on your mental state of awareness. Sifting through paperwork and a constant barrage of meetings and phone calls can get overwhelming. So just like your body’s energy levels need attention, you need to maintain proper brain function. Exercise enhances the body’s ability to transfer glucose and oxygen to the body and brain. By creating stimuli such as physical activity and proper nutrition we can give the brain what it needs to function optimally. This can have a drastic effect on your performance and workplace capacity. 

Corporate wellness programs are essential to long-term success of any business. 

Here’s an example of what my corporate wellness program would look like: 

Crevfit Corporate Wellness Initiative: goal is to increase employee awareness and benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Fitness Activities:

Fitness and Mobility testing

Onsite exercise room or fitness center
Walking and/or running club (during lunch hour or breaks)
Onsite bike rake

Mind and Body classes (yoga, tai chi) initiatives

Team sports (basketball, volleyball softball)

Host an exercise equipment swap

Behavior Change or Lifestyle Change Programs:

Smoking cessation
Weight management initiatives

Substance abuse initiatives

Fitness activity

Stress management initiatives

Safety and Prevention Programs:

Back-injury training and prevention
Education about Ergonomics

Exercise Equipment awareness and tutorials

Awareness, Health Education, and Support Programs:

Lunch & Learn or brown-bag wellness seminars
Diet and Nutrition information, plus make available healthy food alternatives in your vending machines and cafeteria, and make available food storage and preparation facilities to encourage healthier eating

Prenatal care initiatives

Work-Life Balance initiatives

Financial education

Stress-Relief Programs:

Laughter bulletin board where employee can post jokes and cartoons (in good taste)
Visiting massage therapist

Stretch breaks

Group lunches or celebrations

  

Proper work desk posture: part of the back pain/injury prevention and Education about Ergonomics.

Being an Olympic athlete makes me an expert in the areas of health and wellness. Inviting me to your workplace could be a motivational catalyts or at the very least a great team building experience. Any inquiries can be directed to the CONTACT tab on my site Crevfit Online Coaching or my email ccreveling@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

-Chris Creveling

Olympic Silver Medalist, Founder of Crevfit

Silver in Sochi

We knew our friends and family would be watching from home. We did it!

View our thoughts on our Olympic medal here, at the USA house

This was easily one of the best nights of my life. We took home the silver medal in the men’s relay on the last day of competition. I guess you could say, “better late than never!” It was the only medal for team usa in speed skating. I’m extremely glad I got the opportunity to win my first Olympic medal.

We raced on Saturday night at 10:30pm Sochi time. The arena was sold out with thousands of Russian fans who made their presence known. But I always knew where to look in the stands for my team usa cheering section. Especially where my mom and girlfriend were sitting, anxiously waiting for the race. All season long we had waited for this moment, and the other four guys on my team had fire in our hearts. We had only one thing to do, go out there and win. 

Going into the race there was no nerves, no worries at all. When we had a pep-talk that day, the only thing we talked about was just skate confident. We were the world cup Champions going into the race, so it was ours for the taking. But to prepare for the race we made sure to have a team moment and watch Warrior. The stage was set and our team was ready. 

At the start of the race I was on the outside position. We knew that I needed to get to the front of the race, so I just imagined what we had gone over in practice the day before. The gun went off and as I made my way around the first corner there was a crash! Two teams fell directly in front of me and I hustled up the inside into second place.

The relay had literally exploded in the first lap and the cheering was intense. We had second place in our grasp, so I moved up right behind the Russian team to make the first relay push with Jr. We made sure to stay behind them for most of the race, making them use all of their energy to lead the race. But make no mistake, every move in that race was hard fought and difficult. It was probably the roughest ice I raced on all year, since we were the last race of the competition and there was no time for ice repair.

Here is a good shot of Jr as we moved to take the lead of the race. After letting Russia lead most of the race, we had to pick up the pace to win. It came down to the last exchange, and we were edged out by Victor Ahn. He had a crazy Olympic performance claiming 3 gold medals. If I could be edged out by one person I would go with Ahn. Needless to say, winning the silver medal brought tears of joy to our eyes. We did everything we could to win that race and that is all that matters now.

We celebrated on the ice, during the flower ceremony, and back at the USA house. Actually the next the days were a celebration for us! I couldn’t sleep and it was basically a whirlwind of media, medal ceremony and podium hijinks, and the buildup to closing cerimonies. It was the end of my Sochi experience, but definitely something I will never forget.

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Sochi, we’re here!

The games are upon us.  When I arrived in Sochi I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’ve seen everything, it is amazing and  beyond what I thought was possible.  Opening cerimonies are tomorrow and we are gearing up to walk as TEAM USA! Take a look at the Olympic village and keep in mind that I took these pictures a few days ago. 

These are the apartments we are living in for the next two weeks.

Short track and figure skating venue

Opening cerimonies

I have to say that these Olympics are going to be great. The venues are awesome, the food and facilties are up to my standards.  Actually the best part ofmy trip d so far has been using our team bikes. BMW donated bikes for the alleys use in the Olympic village. Each country had their own b bikes and it’s are the best I’ve seen.

View from my apartment

These pictures are just a hint of what Sochi is like. Please stay tuned for more posts coming soon.

For more info on events and athletes please visit NBC Olympics

World Cup 5, Sochi

We have the second day of racing in the books. The Sochi World Cup has been a crazy experience. But this isn’t your normal World Cup because it’s the trial run for the 2014 Olympic Games. I am part of a 6 man team that will skate as the US “Olympic representatives”.
I have already raced the 1500m and I had a huge race, qualifying for the A final. Only after the race was over and I sat down the refs went to instant replay. I was called (penalized) for impeding, so I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to race again. I’ll be racing out of the reps in the 1000m.
As far as the competition goes, i think the Russian federation has done a great job. They are preparing for the Olympics next year and doing everything in their power to make us comfortable. They greet us at every door with hello or “privet”. The security is very tight and we feel extremely safe everywhere we go.
In the time that I’ve been in Russia it has been a pretty cold and rainy. So for those of you that don’t know, Russia is a pretty dreary place. I mean I wasn’t hoping for a tropical paradise when arriving in Sochi. Never the less, it is a tourist destination for beach goers. It seems a little weird that there is a warm climate and just a few miles away, snow on the mountain. That is how this winter Olympic Games are going to be done. The Olympic stadium will be right on the beach, and the skiing events will be just a few miles away.

In the midst of all this, there will be an F1 race track. That’s right, the following year there will be an F1 race through the Olympic park! But for now, it is still under construction.
The construction effort for this project is mind bottling. There will be a high-speed train to travel between the mountain and short track venues. I believe it can go as fast as 90mph. It is scheduled to be finished by September. It’s hard to put into words what it actually looks like, so here are some pictures to show how much progress they are making.

Here is a look at the Iceberg short track/figure skating venue.

My guess is that the construction won’t be finished in time. If there are no hold ups or problems along way, they will finish within a year. When we travel back and forth from the rink there is terrible traffic. Thanks to constant construction our travel takes anywhere from 20min to over an hour… Most of the time highway lanes are shut down during construction, which causes accidents.
Apart from the inconvenient construction that’s going on, the beach is a sight for sore eyes. Here’s a look at the Black Sea.

Now this is supposedly what it will look like later on.

In the ware months this will be a full-fledged tourist destination. But for now it’s almost reminiscent of the winter months of the Jersey shore.

That is all I have for this post, but expect more in a couple of days when we finish here and move on to world cup 6 in Dresden, Germany.

Pre- World Cup

Hello everyone, it’s my pleasure to bring you my next update on the world cup season.This was the week of preparation for world cups 5 & 6. It’s also the week of world sprint championships for long track. Here is a look at the oval.

As you can see they have made a few changes to host the world sprint championships. I’m a little bummed that we won’t be able to watch the events since we are leaving for Sochi, Russia. But I will try to keep you all informed on what’s happening.
Here is a link for the usspeedskating post
short track team assists in world sprint championships prep

The best way to train is with the fastest skaters. now that we are all together it’s a perfect training environment. We have all been working extremely hard and it has paid off. I skated my fastest lap time at practice (8.28 sec.) and made some great improvements. It’s really exciting to be leaving for Sochi and feeling physically ready and healthy.
I am very pleased that we have great coaches and staff to help us athletes. Guy Thiubault, now our short track head coach, has been a great addition to our team. Steve Gough is also back with us- I don’t know where I would be without him as a coach. We are blessed to have a fantastic group.

When we were finishing up an ice session one day, there was a crowd gathered in the lobby. Jr. Celski was placing his world record on the wall at the oval. I was witness to his sub- 39second 500meter and it was a great experience. We were posted up on the pads cheering for him like crazy. When will we ever see another 39sec 500? Perhaps at one if the next world cups.

Our team is now off to Russia, where we will race at the olympic venue. It’s going to be an amazing experience and eye opening as well. After the Sochi World Cup we will fly to Dresden, Germany for World Cup 6.