Iris' Eye Blog

In launching our new website, I have reflected on the amazing journey of not only Fitness Works at Work but on the evolution of the whole corporate health and wellness industry and the culture changes companies experience when they bring wellness to the workplace.  This March, we will be celebrating our 28^th year, quite an amazing feat for a company that began with just me teaching group exercise in a small high-tech company in Cambridge.

I started teaching corporate fitness in 1982 (hence the name Fitness Works at Work) and had a passion and gift for teaching a unique type of class which gave participants a good work out but also focused on body alignment and provided cautions and options for those with body problems, all of which made me sound like a freak in the 80’s.  Think back to that time of do-it till-you-die, body pounding aerobics, Jane Fonda and leg warmers.  Ok, I did wear the leg warmers (and matching leotards), but I had a very different approach to teaching that really spoke to people and was a perfect match for the corporate world.

Teaching these classes in that organization then led to my offering other wellness programs to all of its employees, not just those who took my classes. From this high-tech company our client list grew and I got to experience firsthand the transformation that occurred by bringing employees the opportunity to improve their health and fitness, right at the workplace.  Companies’ cultures changed, the employees who participated in the programs lives changed and with each new client we got to witness this wonderful transformation and how the program became such an important, highly regarded and indespensible benefit.

So back to the launching of this new website 28 years later. We have stayed firm in our roots and belief in the importance of bringing health and wellness to the workplace.  It is more than just a way to help contain health care costs.  It is how you change the culture of your company, one employee at a time.

To Your Health,

Iris