Five Questions With: Matt Espeut

The business of being healthy has moved from the gym to the workplace. Having a productive and healthy workforce often translates into improvements in the company’s bottom line, in reduced health care costs and in a happier workforce.
Providence Business News asked Matt Espeut, the owner of Fitness Profiles, a personal trainer and nutritional consultant, to share his recommendations for workplace wellness, personal fitness and better nutrition.

PBN: What are the components you recommend for a successful workplace wellness campaign?
ESPEUT:
For wellness campaigns to be successful in the workplace, the commitment and participation from company leadership goes a long way to long-term acceptance by employees.
Leading by example is key – from the top down. Make the workplace a healthy environment – this includes healthy choices in vending machines, use of a workout room either during work hours, or after the workday is completed.
Companies can offer to pay part of employees’ fitness programs, or offer incentives for accomplishments – a cash incentive, a parking place, gift certificates for local businesses, and don’t forget that important recognition before fellow employees.
Wellness campaigns help employees jump start their own fitness and health programs – and they also help employers have strong, cohesive, and happy teams of employees. Make it fun! You’ll reap the rewards.

PBN: What are the techniques you recommend to maintain a balance in the design of an exercise or strengthening regiment?
ESPEUT:
I first seek to do no harm – which means assessing the individual to help with injury prevention and movement skills.
For employees doing repetitive motion work or physical labor, my exercise regime builds on the movements people are making in their day-to-day work: how to strengthen the lower back, how to bend, and how to stretch and reach.
Then I incorporate dynamic stretching and progress into body weight resistance exercises.
The last step is strength and metabolic training. I’m not a big proponent of intense cardio – you can jump on an elliptical machine or a treadmill and work up a sweat – and you still haven’t done anything to be more fit.
The best cardio is done like sprints – intervals of short bursts or cardio as part of your full workout.

PBN: How important is nutrition as part of wellness? How does a change in diet fit in with personal health?
ESPEUT:
You can’t exercise out a bad diet. Eighty percent of any wellness program is the food you eat. People need education to get back to basics. You need to be aware of what has happened to our food supply, and why low-fat foods aren’t good for you – and why sugar is more important to be concerned about than natural fats.
People need to eat whole foods, natural foods, not necessarily organic, but that’s a good guide for someone who doesn’t know how to choose. I like to tell people – if the food you are eating would not have been found on your grandparents’ plates, then don’t eat it.

- Advertisement -

PBN: Team exercise programs, such as Shape Up RI, have enjoyed an initial success. Do you think that these programs will have staying power in the workplace?
ESPEUT:
Shape Up’s concept of building team competition and working together as a team is a positive use of peer pressure and peer support.
Creating contests and team-building exercises, and having fun together can go a long way to creating the motivational mindset for success in a wellness program and in behavioral modification – i.e., stopping smoking, eating better, exercising, etc.
Shape Up and employee-based programs have shown us what is possible – now we need to dig deeper, as employers should be more highly motivated in helping their employees have optimal health.

PBN: How important is it to be comfortable with your own body image?
ESPEUT:
Let me reframe the question. It’s important to feel comfortable with how we feel and how healthy we are; it’s not just being comfortable with how we look.
Eating disorders are a big concern among some of our young people, which is a psychological issue.
I find it interesting that the rates of obesity have skyrocketed right along with the rates of serious eating disorders. I know that once my clients are feeling good about the way they look, that good body image helps with maintaining their program – looking good – and feeling good, too.

Espeut can be reached at matt@fitnessprofiles.net, or at 401-301-6254.

No posts to display