One of the nation's greatest public health policy successes of the past ten years may be the widespread implementation of corporate wellness policies.

In fact, a recent notice from the Federal government states, "The Departments believe that appropriately designed wellness programs have the potential to contribute importantly to promoting health and preventing disease." In this case, "the Departments" refer to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Department of Labor, and the US Department of the Treasury.

The same notice reports that "wellness programs have become common among employers in the United States...[and] overall, employers largely report that workplace wellness programs are delivering on their intended benefit of improving health and reducing costs."

So, how are corporate wellness programs promoting physical activity?

According to a recent survey by Kaiser/HRET, 30% of all firms surveyed offer gym memberships or provide an onsite fitness facility. This includes 64% of large employers.

The importance of promoting physical activity as a core component of a corporate wellness program was underscored recently by a study published in the November 2012 issue of Health Affairs, which found that employer health care costs are 15.3% higher for physically inactive employees than active employees.

But persuading employees to adopt healthier behaviors, such as regular physical activity, can be exceedinly challenging and simply offering gym memberships or building an onsite fitness center is not likely to convert many employees from inactive to active.

"The key to success," says Bryan O'Rourke, IHRSA member and CEO of Integerus, "is a combination of facility design, and more importantly, an organizational commitment to a comprehensive wellness program."

And that commitment, according to fitness industry experts, must significantly impact the corporate culture.

"The percentage of participation of the workforce that participates in a wellness program or company-built fitness facility is really dependent on the company culture," notes Vaughn Marxhausen, Area General Manager for Houstonian Lite. "This culture starts at the top and filters down. It is usually difficult to increase participation or grow a program, if the culture of wellness is not present." I highly recommend his "The 3 Ps of Participation" strategy.

In this excellent video, Christine Thalwitz, Director of Communications & Research at ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers, discusses specific strategies for creating a culture of wellness. The video is a must-see for any fitness company interested in corporate wellness.

From a corporate policy perspective, the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity's CEO Pledge, which not only confirms a CEO's commitment to providing a supportive environment for employee physical activity, but also asserts the CEO's own intent to be physically active, may also be one of the most meaningful and effective strategies for creating a corporate culture of wellness.

"With most working adults spending roughly half their waking hours on the job on the days that they work, it is incumbent upon business and industry leaders to become part of the solution," says IHRSA President/CEO and CEO Pledge signer, Joe Moore. "By promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles within the workplace, CEOs help their company's bottom line, but they also help society."

There are many great programs that help people engage in physical activity for a period of time - everything from group exercise classes to walking clubs. But in order to ensure that ALL people are able to reach the recommendations for physical activity as outlined in the national Physical Activity Guidelines, these programs need to be supported by policies that ensure that physical activity is within reach to people in their everyday lives so that they might stick with the behavior they are trying to achieve.

Policies can range from community-wide strategies such as "complete streets" initiatives, that make streets safe for everyone - whether they are on foot, in a wheelchair, on a bike or in a car - to worksite policies that open access to and ensure the safety of stairwells so that people can climb the stairs rather than take the elevator.

Communities across the country are part of this movement that is focusing on how policy and environmental change strategies affect health. The Y's Healthier Communities Initiatives are part of that movement, convening leadership teams in more than 200 communities to engage in strategies that promote healthy living. To date, participating communities have made more than 10,000 changes that promote physical activity.

For example, in Marshalltown, Iowa, changes included the allocation of $50,000 in the city budget for sidewalk maintenance (annually) and a $1.5 billion bike trail extension project linking two present trails to make one continous trail for community members to use throughout the community. In Brattleboro, Vermont the town plan included, for the first time, language related to community design in support of walking and cycling for routine physical activity. In Port Huron, Michigan the team convened by the Y was successful in working to increase the amount of physical activity time offered throughout the school day - doubling the required amount of physical education times in elementary schools from 1 to 2 hours per week, beginning in the fall of 2012. Wilton, Connecticut designated an area near a high school track to be used as an outdoor fitness center for use by the public.

Other examples include improving and building sidewalks; addressing safety concerns such as traffic, lighting, and police enforcement; influencing zoning guidelines to encourage physical activity; adding or expanding recess in local schools; creating or enhancing Safe Routes to Schools programs; and offering workplace incentives to engage in physical activity.

As we encourage individuals to engage in physical activity, we must remember that they often need support to make it happen. Making the healthy choice the easy choice will ensure that those healthy behaviors stay with them for a liftime.

What policies have you seen in your own community that encourage physical activity? Tell us a story about someone who has been impacted by these policies.

The obesity epidemic is a well-known crisis. Polling indicates that overwhelming majorities of the public are aware of the crisis, particularly as it relates to children. Obesity may be a resilient and notoriously complex issue to address, but it's no longer developing in the shadows of the public health landscape.

In contrast, the American inactivity crisis seems to swell beneath the public's consciousness. Of course, physical activity is often cited as a treatment or secondary preventive option for a range of chronic diseases, including obesity, but rarely is inactivity presented in popular media as a serious, widespread condition unto itself. Too often, the message received by the public seems to be that physical activity is something you do to "get better" from another condition.

The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is committed to engaging communities with a new message: a sedentary body is a sick body. Physical activity is not just something you do to "get better," it's something you do to avoid getting worse, even without any other underlying condition. Indeed, physical inactivity alone is a harmful disease, not just another risk factor.

We are certainly not the only organization intent on raising the volume of calls to fully address the inactivity crisis, but we aim to be one of the loudest.

We hope that our new message resonates with a broader cross-section of community members than existing anti-obesity campaigns, which may be overlooked by individuals of healthy weight. We want the public to understand that physical activity is important for everybody, regardless of BMI. Healthy weight does not necessarily equate to "healthy."

As a trade association for health clubs, we engage with thousands of communities through our member clubs. All across America, IHRSA clubs are serving their communities as true wellness providers, providing safe, fun and effective opportunities for physical activity. In many ways, these clubs are amplifying the dangers of inactivity at a very local level while teaching communities about the joys of an active lifestyle.

IHRSA has been a long-standing ally in the fight against obesity and our support for that effort remains steadfast and true. But we are looking forward to engaging communties with an urgent call for more physical activity for the sake of it. Just as the obesity and inactivity crises developed in tandem, so too may they be eradicated.

How do you think our message would resonate with your community?