Missouri American Water's 36 water line construction and maintenance crews made their commitment to a healthy new construction season with a new wellness program tailored to the demands of outdoor construction and maintenance work.
Missouri American Water worked with HammerBodies, a St. Louis corporate wellness and personal training organization, to develop the customized program which is based on on-site observations and conversations with the crews about their unique fitness needs.
The new program's focus on cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, conditioning and body composition is modeled on successful athletic training models. Crews put the initial eight-hour training to work as part of their daily work routine and then return for an additional two hours of follow-on refresher training and discussions.
Members of the water line construction and maintenance crews for Missouri American Water take part in an program to improve their strength and flexibility.
The conditioning aspects of the program focus on short, dynamic warm-up and cool-down exercises at the beginning and the end of the workday. The six-minute and 15-minute work-outs are designed to prepare muscles and joints for the flexibility and strength needed to transition to and from extended periods of demanding construction and maintenance work. The program's nutritional guidance, along with instruction for at-home strength training, are designed to help employees be healthier, reduce their risk of injury and improve the overall quality of their lives.
"Day-to-day, these utility athletes may work longer and harder than many of their peers in sports do on gameday," said Coach Hammer, President of HammerBodies. "We developed this new wellness program with Missouri American Water to provide these employees with the tools and resources that have proven successful in enhancing the health and performance of sports athletes."
Missouri American Water President Frank Kartmann believes that initial results of the program are promising. "Our primary goals are helping these construction and maintenance employees stay safe and healthy on the job. In the long-run, we believe in the promise that these programs have delivered in the sports arena – fewer injuries, better team performance and athletes who live healthier on and off the field, or in our case, on and off the job."
Approximately 200 of the 350 employees have completed the program to date. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com. WW
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