Health Essentials
Heart health and employee productivity
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It is estimated that a person will spend 90,000 hours working for a living, which is approximately one-third of a person’s total life.
As this represents a significant part of a human’s lifespan, employers and employees must take care of their health. Today, we will cover one of the most critical aspects of health, namely heart health.
The organ known as the heart is located in the chest above the diaphragm, between the lungs. It works as a pump to transport oxygenated blood throughout the body and flushes out deoxygenated blood. The heart beats over 100,000 times daily and pumps about 1.5 gallons of blood every minute.
Other Functions of the Heart
Apart from pumping blood throughout the body, the heart again performs the following functions:
- maintaining normal blood pressure.
- working with other body systems to control bodily functions.
Diseases That Affect the Heart
Heart disease is the number one killer worldwide, responsible for 16 per cent of the world’s total deaths. Since 2000, the largest increase in deaths has been from this disease, rising by more than two million to 8.9 million deaths in 2019. The following are some of the diseases that may affect the heart:
- Heart Arrhythmias.
- Heart Failure
- Heart Valve Disease.
- Pericardial Disease.
- Cardiomyopathy (Heart Muscle Disease)
- Congenital Heart Disease.
- Vein and artery disease
- Coronary artery disease
Basic steps to Heart Health
1. DO NOT smoke and don’t inhale smoke from others.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables (get the best you can).
3. Stay Active/Exercise – let your heart work to strengthen it
4. Eat Healthy.
– low in saturated fats such as full cream milk, animal fat
-low in refined carbohydrates such as white bread
-low in salt
– handful of nuts
5. Stay Happy! Self care is a must; hobbies, laugh, breathe
The 29th of September is World Heart Day, a day dedicated to spreading heart health awareness by reducing risk factors for heart disease through various initiatives.
Early prevention is the best way to avoid heart problems later in life, which is why it is so important to help your employees get heart-healthy. Here is some important information and initiatives you can take to promote heart health in your workplace. However, be sure to continue your company’s heart health initiatives throughout the year to have a true impact on your employees’ health and output.
- Offer healthy workplace snacks and food with reduced salt, sugar, and saturated fats.
- Provide easy access to annual medical examinations. Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides which are indicators of possible heart disease that can be detected in routine screenings. Provide free annual screenings on-site or at a nearby clinic for employees.
- Promote exercise both on and off the work premises. Consider organising company fitness sessions if you cannot offer employees free or discounted memberships at a local gym. A monthly walk with incentives could be offered to boost morale.
- Help reduce employees stress. One is more likely to suffer from heart disease if you are stressed. Stress increases your risk of coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Provide some of these services to employees to help them manage stress.
- Provide counselling programmes for employees.
- Offer free massage packages.
- Incorporate working-from-home days.
- Organise heart health education events. Educate employees about heart-healthy lifestyles. Health and exercise professionals can teach engaging classes covering a variety of topics, such as nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and smoking cessation. These events do not have to be organised during heart health month, but can be incorporated throughout the year.
- Get employees wellness services from an experienced team. Health Essentials has a robust corporate wellness programme and an experienced team of professionals that can help with this. As part of our services, we provide on-site clinics, medical exams, virtual wellness programmes, health education, and training for corporate bodies and can boast of 17 years of experience in the corporate wellness sector.
The heart is an important organ that helps with our output. This is why protecting it is so important, as a healthy heart means great relationships, great work output, and, above all, great quality of life. It is important that all of us, but especially employers, promote employee health and wellness since this is the ONLY proven way to reduce healthcare expenditure.
TODAY SOMEONE WILL ACHIEVE HEART-HEALTH; WILL IT BE YOU?
Reference:
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm
https://www.gettysburg.edu/news/stories?id=79db7b34-630c-4f49-ad32-4ab9ea48e72b
Put together by
Maureen Masopeh and Augustina Amarh
Content Creators
Health Essentials Ltd
These last few months of 2026, I am embarking on a new journey. Over the past several months I have tried out some aspects of my “new way of life” but not in the manner I am doing now and I am sure you are doing same too. Draft your own points based on what is important to you and let us begin the journey together. It is never too late.
Many of the things I am working on now are guided by years of interaction with different people, what may be my purpose in my opinion, great family and friends and the type of wisdom that comes only with years.
- Self-Care
Quite often we try to take care of everything and everyone without ensuring we are appropriately “charged”. There is nothing to give out if you are empty. Self-care is NOT a luxury and it has taken me years to appreciate this;
- I will add a new hobby I have been toying with.
- Surrounding myself with like-minded people who energise me, make me laugh and be the best version of myself. Building Social capital pays.
- I am spending quality time with God daily
- Spending time in nature is key and I ensure that I take much needed breaks
- Spending a few minutes a day to meditate, exercise and spoil myself sometimes
- I will have some hours each day that will be blocked out as “no phone time”
- Keeping a Goal Diary
Many people have described ways of putting down your goals and seeing them happen. My coach taught me the power of VISUALISATION but over the years I went off that golden path. It’s time to get back. This is what I am doing now;
- In a diary I am writing everything I want to be or do as long as I have breath. No pressure.
- I am writing in the present tense; “I am spending an amazing week in a 7-Star resort with the people I love the most”
- I will look at this list everyday
- Start a Gratitude Bank
I listened to this recently and though it was not referred to as a Gratitude Bank, I believe that is exactly what it is
- I picked a diary to write in but others choose a transparent container to drop in written points. Choose what you are comfortable with.
- At the end of each week I will write something(s) I am grateful for and put in the container.
- Whenever I feel “ungrateful” I will read through them to remind myself how blessed I am and surely I will be holding the “evidence”
- On December 31, I will go through the list irrespective of my mood.
- Practice. Practice. Practice
This is exactly as it is – whatever you have written out in your diary to do from self-care through your goals etc. prioritise or focus on a few at a time. As you practice e.g. meditating, exercising, eating right and the many great things you want to do, these will all GROW. Whatever you practice GROWS.
- Make the world a better place
I believe that we can make a difference in our corner no matter the challenges.
- That smile will change someone’s life
- An act of kindness is contagious and the giver, receiver and all those observing benefit immensely. Let us spread kindness.
- The Blood Bank on my mind for this year and beyond.
What are you focusing on, what are you practicing?
Do share your list with me via email.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Medics Clinic
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week –“Never change your originality for the sake of others because no one can play your role better than you. So be yourself. You are the best.” – Unknown
References:
- Unravelling the Essentials of Health & Wealth; Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
When it comes to cancer risk factors; ALL RISK FACTORS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. Someone may have several risk factors but remain perfectly fine while another may have only one or none yet end up with breast cancer or other cancers.
We cannot say with certainty that we can do all it takes to prevent cancer BUT we can do a lot to reduce our risk.
TEN (10) TIPS TO CANCER RISK REDUCTION
- Weight Control – being overweight or obese increases risk to SEVERAL cancers.
- Smoking – cigarette smoking predisposes one to several cancers including lung cancer. Other forms of air pollutants serve as risks too.
- Alcohol – limit intake or avoid. It has the power to expose one to several cancers as well especially when we can’t apply brakes to how much we consume.
- Healthy Eating
- Limit intake of processed food and sugar
- Limit intake of red meat
- Fruits and vegetables should be a mainstay of our diet.
- An antioxidant rich food like cocoa should be part of our food. The purer the cocoa, the better
- Fibre in your food is crucial.
- Exercise – on its own reduces risk for breast and colon cancers directly and many others through weight control.
- Also increases immunity.
- Cancer Screening – be regular so cancers can be detected early and managed aggressively.
- Vaccinations – take vaccines where needed e.g. Hep B vaccine or vaccine against HPV (human papilloma virus accounts for the majority of cervical cancers)
- Know your Family History
- Anyone in your family with a cancer? Necessary to be on your guard but also remember that you may be the first person in your family with a particular cancer.
- Start your family early and breast feed for as long as possible to reduce risk of breast cancer.
- Check exposure to Ultraviolet Light and other forms of radiation. Protect your skin.
- Practice SAFE SEX
- HPV infection leading to cervical cancer is commoner when one is exposed to sex early, directly or indirectly has multiple partners but NOT everyone follows this rule. As in many situations, outliers do exist.
- Conditions such as HIV/AIDS may suppress your immune system if not managed appropriately.
Do add two (2) others of your choice and send to me via email. Together we can protect ourselves.
Will treating H. Pylori infections be a game changer too?
ALWAYS remember that CANCER PREVENTION HAS NO QUICK FIX – we need to follow these points over and over.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Medics Clinic
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – “WHERE YOU LIVE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE IF YOU LIVE.”- WHO
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
