25 Ways To Celebrate World Heart Day in the Workplace

A number of risk factors contribute to developing cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease—affecting the heart or blood vessels (veins and arteries)—is the world’s number one killer.² There are a number of factors that increase one’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight or obese, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, diabetes, smoking and alcohol misuse, among others.³ Family history, ethnic background, sex and age can also affect someone’s risk of heart disease.⁴

New on the list of heart disease risk factors: sitting.

Yes, sitting. Studies have shown that sedentary behaviors (i.e., sitting for extended periods of time without standing or walking) have increased in the last two decades, with many adults now sitting an average of six and a half hours per day.⁵ Human beings were not meant to sit for so long, and we are starting to see the negative health effects. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) noted that “individuals who predominantly engaged in sitting at work exhibited a higher risk of mortality from all causes (16%) and cardiovascular disease (34%) compared with those who predominantly did not sit, even after adjusting for sex, age, education, smoking, drinking and body mass index.”⁶

Data from our health coaching calls indicates this is a real concern for employees who must sit to perform their jobs.

The good news?

There are many things we can do to reduce our risk of developing cardiovascular disease by getting the right preventive care and screenings, and making healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle choices. With a little creativity, we can also counteract the effects of prolonged sitting at work!

World Heart Day activities for employees.

Here are some suggestions for activities employees can participate in on World Heart Day and beyond to bring attention to this important health issue:

Encourage healthy eating.

1. Host a heart-healthy lunch-and-learn. Bring in a speaker to talk about heart-healthy foods and how employees can make healthy choices at home and at work. If budget allows, offer a healthy catered lunch.
2. Organize a heart-healthy potluck. Encourage employees to bring dishes low in saturated fats, sugar and sodium and high in lean protein and colorful vegetables. Employees can share their recipes if they like.
3. Provide heart-healthy office snacks. Offer fruits, nuts, yogurt and veggies with hummus in place of sugary and processed options.
4. Host a heart-healthy cooking class. Partner with a local chef to teach employees how to prepare heart-friendly meals.

Promote a culture of physical activity.

5. Encourage co-workers to form activity groups. These groups can walk during lunch breaks together or participate in wellness challenges. 
6. Organize a heart-healthy wellness challenge. Let World Heart Day serve as the kick-off to a steps or other wellness challenge. Our popular Invitational Steps Challenge has long been a way for employees to engage in more physical activity and boost camaraderie among coworkers.
7. Encourage active meetings. Suggest walking meetings when appropriate to incorporate more movement into the workday.
8. Host a charity walk or run. Support a heart-related cause while promoting physical activity and teamwork. 

Counteract the effects of sitting.

9. Aim for breaks every 20-30 minutes. Stand up, stretch, walk around the office or home or engage in light exercises like calf raises or squats.
10. Integrate movement into tasks. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to a colleague’s desk instead of emailing or stand while talking on the phone.
11. Utilize standing desks or desk converters. Alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day, adjusting the desk height to maintain proper ergonomics.
12. Consider active chairs. Explore options like stability ball chairs that encourage core engagement and subtle movement while seated. 
13. Share stretching and strengthening exercises. Neck, shoulder, back, hips and hamstring exercises improve flexibility and counter the effects of prolonged sitting. Suggest squats and lunges to target glute muscles that can weaken from sitting too much.

Raise awareness and education.

14. Host educational workshops. Invite health care professionals or nutritionists to discuss heart health topics.
15. Start a messaging channel devoted to heart health tips. Whether on Slack, Teams or another collaboration platform, create a heart health channel where employees can share what they do to stay heart healthy. 
16. Create a heart health visual campaign. Decorate workspaces with heart-themed posters, banners and infographics highlighting key facts about heart health.
17. Host a virtual heart health trivia quiz. Remote and in-office employees can participate in a trivia competition to highlight heart health, lifestyle choices and interesting heart facts. 

Support mental and emotional well-being to reduce stress.

18. Promote stress reduction activities. Host workshops on mindfulness, meditation or effective time management.
19. Offer a quiet room. Dedicate a quiet space for employees to recharge and reduce stress.
20. Promote work-life balance. Encourage employees to take time off and offer flexible work options.
21. Encourage testimonials. Foster empathy and community by asking employees to share personal stories related to heart health. 

Things you can do all year long.

World Heart Day lasts just 24 hours, but good heart health is something we should practice all year long. Your organization can integrate heart-healthy practices into company culture by: 

22. Encouraging employees to get regular health screenings. Employees should take advantage of medical benefits that regularly measure blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, stress and body mass index (BMI). 
23. Providing smoking cessation support. Smoking is one of the top risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Offer programs to support employees who are trying to quit tobacco. Many well-being programs provide this service.
24. Offering a robust well-being program. Well-being programs offer activities and education to keep employees focused on heart health. Many also provide the services of trained health coaches who can devise plans for healthy eating and exercise.
25. Promoting a supportive work environment. A culture of well-being starts at the top. Ensure leaders model heart-healthy behaviors like blocking time on calendars for movement, spending time with family and friends and engaging in self-care activities.

By actively engaging in World Heart Day and prioritizing heart health, organizations can positively impact employee well-being and contribute to a healthier future for all. 

For help prioritizing all aspects of well-being for your employees, contact us at connect@webmd.net.