SouthSide Athletic Clubs and Shapes Total Fitness have implemented Corporate Fitness and Wellness Programs to help local companies lower health care cost.

Clearly, there's a need for corporations to help their employees establish a healthy lifestyle!

People not only want to live a long life, but they also want to enjoy a healthy life. As the baby boom becomes the senior boom, quality of life will become a central issue for our health system. At Shapes Total Fitness and SouthSide Athletic Clubs, we want to add years to your life and Life to your years.

Why is this so important? Because Americans are getting heavier -- 55 percent of adults are either overweight or obese and nearly one-quarter of adolescents and children are overweight or obese. Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. In fact, we could reduce the incidence of Type II diabetes in this country by one-third if everyone would get active for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

According to a recently released study, the lack of physical activity is "one of the major underlying causes of premature death" in this country. Physical activity also leads to stress reduction, and it can help seniors maintain their balance and flexibility and stave off the debilitating effects of arthritis.

At Shapes Total Fitness and SouthSide Athletic Clubs, we found that employers around the country have acknowledged the importance of physical activity by offering their employees on-site facilities and information about diet and exercise. We decided to start a Corporate Wellness Program with local Companies to help them lower health care cost. Healthier employees have a positve impact on a company's bottom line.

The companies working with us have lower health care cost and turnover rates, improved productivity, better morale, fewer medical claims, reduced absenteeism,etc. The result is a win/win situation for individual health and company gain.