Somewhere between the holiday office party and New Year's Day it hits you, "I should have laid off the Figgie Pudding." With the holidays come office parties and eggnog, but there are alternatives, and the New Hampshire Healthy Eating Active Living Initiative (HEAL) has suggestions for NH businesspeople to have healthier, happier holidays.

"It can be a challenge for businesses to balance their desire to spread holiday cheer while offering healthy options and watching their bottom line, especially this year," says Terry Johnson, HEAL Director. "The holiday season is a great time to think about ways to create a healthier worksite. There are simple steps businesses can take from offering healthier options at holiday celebrations to supporting healthy new years resolutions through policy."

The HEAL Initiative recommendations include:

1. Incorporate healthy options at holiday parties, in the cafeteria, and in catering contracts to increase the choice of nutritional items through healthy offerings and reasonable pricing.
2. Start your business's New Year's resolution list with the goal of creating a healthier environment. Motivate employees with discounted worksite wellness services such as educational workshops and health coaching for disease and lifestyle management.
3. Look for creative ways to thank employees for a productive year while promoting healthy living. For example, hold a stress relieving yoga class at your worksite, provide discount admission to a recreation facility, or develop a personnel policy that encourages flexible time enabling employees to fit in physical activity.
4. Create an environment and culture of wellness that supports healthy lifestyles, and encourage participation in healthy activities throughout the New Year by creating challenges and celebrating goals met.
5. Hold a "health fair" onsite to kick-off the New Year and get employees excited about creating and maintaining healthy habits.

The HEAL action plan, the first-ever statewide plan for a healthier NH, identifies top priorities and recommended interventions, which include employee incentives for engaging in activities that lead to healthy lifestyles, providing discount worksite wellness services, incorporating healthy food choices in cafeteria and catering offerings, and educating employees about healthy eating and active living. A copy of the plan can be downloaded at www.HEALNH.org.
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