Health education is essential to aid understanding and recognise benefits of health and wellbeing. Often employers can have all of the right tools in place but without their staff acknowledging the importance and the understanding of a healthy regime, the best wellbeing initiatives will be futile.

The benefits of promoting health education within an organisation are vast. Simple changes to an employee's lifestyle can have significant effects on days lost through sickness, motivation and stress levels. Most companies who promote health education will tell you it is well worth investing the time and cost needed for the bottom line results including productivity and retention of staff.

The work involved in educating health is down to much more than simply advising or persuading individuals to make lifestyle changes. It needs to be instilled in employees through captivating and appealing ways.

Despite a tough year for many UK organisations, Health & Wellbeing initiatives are now more popular than ever to enhance employee wellbeing, tackles stress, engage employees and improve performance.

The power of Employee Health is huge. When you consider a healthy employee is 20% more productive than an unhealthy colleague and twice as likely not be absent through illness, the benefits to any organisation are very clear.

There are a number of factors that can be attributed to the health problems of the UK workforce including poor diets, obesity, and workplace stress amongst others. Although the government must play their part in promoting and educating individuals to lead healthier lifestyles, employers and employees also have a role to play. For individuals it means taking a more proactive approach and responsibility for their own health and lifestyle choices whilst employers must go beyond the legal 'duty of care'.

An increasing number of organisations are implementing Health & Wellbeing Programmes in the workplace. Until now these initiatives have been regarded as 'perks' or employee benefits but the health and wellbeing of an organisation's employees is of paramount importance for future success and growth. Employee health is fast becoming a 'factor of production' with the government and economists arguing that Health & Wellbeing needs to be taken as seriously as research & development, marketing & advertising and technology. The business benefits of a healthy workforce mean reduced sickness and higher productivity.

Water is one of the most important elements on earth - We use water for almost every function that takes place within our body. Surprisingly however, it is often the most overlooked substances in the body.

Our bodily fluid status is truly a delicate balance, so much so that experts rank water only second to oxygen as the most essential ingredient for life. In fact our bodies can only last around 48 hours without water, whereas we could go a whole month without food!

More shocking news has surfaced in the world of football - this time in the form of leukaemia. The Aston Villa captain, Stiliyan Petrov, 32, has been diagnosed with an acute type of the disease. Petrov’s leukaemia was only uncovered when the Aston Villa squad underwent heart screening and blood tests in the wake of Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest a few weeks ago. 48 hours after the tests, he was told he was suffering from leukaemia and was booked in for treatment to begin immediately.

Onsite health screening for retaining/recruiting quality staff

The wellbeing of your employees is probably the single most important factor to be addressed as an employer. Wellbeing programs are becoming increasingly popular in the workplace, as employers recognise the direct correlation between healthy employees and overall company performance.

We spend, on average, approximately one third of our lives asleep.  Along with eating, drinking and breathing, sleeping is one of the pillars for maintaining good mental health, wellbeing and physical health. 

One of my best training weeks without doubt.  I’ve had loads of energy, was quite motivated and definitely have the exercise bug back.  I’ve just got to be careful to not overdo it and set myself back (a very easy mistake to make when you start feeling like this).