The numbers of people who are overweight or obese are at an all time high¹ and the need for personal, effective health management has never been greater.

Evidence of an increased risk of developing diseases related to being obese, including type 2 diabetes, hyper tension, heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, osteoarthritis and reproductive problems is undisputed².

People are feeling pressured to work longer hours³ and at the same time leading more sedentary lives⁴. Stress in the workplace is becoming more prevalent⁵ and lifestyles constraints factors are driving up the demand for convenience foods and which have seen sales rocket⁶.

Aside from poor health for the individual, these worrying trends manifest themselves in greater healthcare costs, insurance premiums, absenteeism and lost productivity⁷. And in some recent cases, work-related stress claims have resulted in litigation for the employer⁸.

There is good evidence to suggest that making small changes to one's lifestyle can make big improvements to one's long-term health⁹.

¹NAO Tackling Obesity in England 2001
OECD Health Data 2005, June 05, OECD, Paris, 2005. (62% of UK population)
²NAO Tackling Obesity in England 2001
³Info-Tech Research Group 2006
⁴BHF - Physical Activity http://www.bhf.org.uk/hearthealth/index.asp?secondlevel=78&thirdlevel=162&artID=429
⁵TUC - November 2006 figures (international Stress Awareness Day)
⁶Mintel May 2006 - Eating Habits: Sacrificing Quality for Convenience?- UK
⁷Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award - 2004
⁸Stress litigation and training. Ian Campbell. Management Development Review 1995
⁹European Prospective Investigation and Nutrition (Epic) study 2006