By Andy Waple, editor at First for Business Magazine

Sheffield Hallam University is opening its innovative and successful Employee Wellness Programme to outside companies and organisations. First for Business editor Andy Waple visited the College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences for a lifestyle analysis.

Journalists are not known for their healthy lifestyles. We work in environments where stress levels are high due to constant, pressing deadlines and the highly competitive and often contradictory requirement of getting exclusives while keeping advertisers happy.

Newsrooms are exciting workplaces, but they are not for the faint hearted. Knives are being continually sharpened and woe-betide anyone who takes their eye off ambitious colleagues for just one second.

At work we often spend time writing to advise the rest of the world to reduce stress levels, eat properly, drink in moderation, stop smoking, be nice to people and to take regular exercise.

We tell readers that they will die young if they don't heed our advice. And what of ourselves? Well, of course, we ignore everything we say to others. Instead we like to let our hair down when the pressure is off and we often enjoy ourselves at the expense of looking after our minds and bodies.

But we are open to suggestion and in the interest of research I visited Sheffield Hallam University's College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences as a subject for its in-house Corporate Wellness scheme.

The scheme was introduced initially for the University's staff, but it has proved so popular and effective that is now being offered as a service to larger companies and organisations across the region.

The consultation , conducted in my case by Anouska McConnell, Senior Sport Science Officer, involved completing a lifestyle questionnaire, followed by finger-tip blood testing for levels of cholesterol and glucose. My blood pressure, height, weight, body composition and lung function were measured and there was an exercise bike for aerobic fitness assessment. The whole process took less than an hour and I left with a full written report.

I'm a typical 55-year-old male and considered myself of average health. The tests however revealed problem areas. The facts are that I'm more than a stone overweight, have high cholesterol, blood pressure is slightly high, and my exercise regime is, frankly, well below the necessary.

These are all matters that can be addressed - but the hard bit to face is that they may well require lifestyle changes - a matter, I am sure, that is a problem for everybody.

The college is well aware of this and provides supporting targeted workshops to assist with such concerns. It provides motivation and goal-setting sessions, exercise and lifestyle drop-in clinics, short course and workshops on aspects of wellness, such as exercise adherence and stress management. The programme can focus on a specific aspect of health, including giving up smoking or increasing physical activity. The University even has its own physiotherapy clinic that is open to the public.

Employers would do well to consider this bespoke service offered by experts who are with easy reach of their workplace.

Sheffield Hallam has vast experience is these fields, and what better could a company do than to avail itself to the expertise of its team of specialists including accredited physiologists, psychologists, biomechanists and nutritionists?

There is plenty of evidence to support the view that a happy and healthy workforce is of benefit to staff and employers alike.

Figures show that employees of companies who take part in wellness programmes are healthier and more productive than those who don't In the long term this can have significant economic impact on businesses, through reduced absenteeism, staff loyalty, increased productivity and enhanced profits.

For further information about wellness services for the workplace contact SHU Wellness on 0114 225 2544 or email cses@shu.ac.uk.