As a business owner, you have a duty to both the well-being of your employees and your profitability, which is why it might be wise to invest in a corporate fitness program. These programs will not only increase the happiness of your employees, but will save your business money. Understanding how can help you decide if they are right for your business needs.

Saves on Health Care

Ensuring that your employees stay healthy can be incredibly expensive: in some states, businesses spend nearly $2 billion a year on employee health care costs. However, a study by the Urban Institute found that dietary and exercise routines could help save those businesses a collective $54 million a year.

How? By reducing the prevalence of common physical ailments, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. The monetary benefits of decreased health care costs allows you to reinvest in your business and increase its profitability.

Improves Morale

While exercise is key to improving the physical health of your employees, it also helps increase their mental health. The emotional benefits of exercise are well documented and include a decrease in negative thinking, lowered stress symptoms, boosted levels of endorphins, and an increased sense of accomplishment.

Happier employees save you money by increasing their working efficiency and effectiveness. An unhappy and mopey employee simply won't work as hard as one that feels active and engaged by regular exercise. Also, pairing up your employees with exercise buddies can also build workplace friendships, one of the most effective ways to build employee morale.

Relatively Inexpensive

Corporate fitness programs may seem like an excessive investment, but they can actually be fairly inexpensive. Even a high-quality corporate trainer can cost as little as $25/hour for each employee. However, the following exercises are among the cheapest, yet effective, programs you can utilize in your workplace:

• Half-Hour Walking Programs
• Fitness Challenges
• Stairwell Initiatives
• "Walking Meetings"
• Free Access to Online Fitness Tracking Programs
• Adding Bike Racks to your Business Front

Some of these programs, such as stairwell initiatives, cost next to nothing to implement, but they will get your employees moving and feeling the benefits of exercise.

Now that you have a pretty good idea of the financial benefits of a corporate fitness program, you're probably interested in getting one started. However, if you're struggling to get one off the ground, contact a gym or fitness center like 180 Fitness and get in touch with a personal trainer. They can help you design and lead a program that is right for the health of your employees and your profit margin.