Poor nutrition is a bit of a hidden cost of the workplace. You might skip lunch to work through because you are "on a roll" or perhaps want to be seen as more productive. Unfortunately, the body's fuel runs out, you end up with a headache and actually become less productive. Or a quick 'fix' of soft drink or coffee might seem just the ticket -- except you hit a slump after an hour or so and need more. It ends up being a vicious circle, and you stagger home feeling terrible and not up for making a healthy dinner - not an ideal way to arrive ready for work the next day.

And of course, habits like this very much increase your chances of being diagnosed with diabetes or other chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition and lifestyle choices.

So what can you do in your workplace to raise awareness of nutrition and its importance? Well, an ideal action to take is to introduce a nutrition program, like our Chews to Change challenge, or hold seminars on nutrition. Including a nutrition stall or cooking demonstration stall as part of your next health expo will also attract employees' attention.

Educating employees is also highly effective. Most people know that eating "healthy" includes veggies and fruit - but how much? What kind? How much dairy is necessary? How much salt? Healthworks can provide easy to understand educational materials such as booklets, DIY seminar kits and for a constant reminder to employees about health and wellbeing, a regular newsletter that features articles on nutrition.

And of course, for an attention grabber, posters on nutrition are a sure fire way to catch the eye of someone making a cup of coffee in the kitchenette, or reaching for the snack in the fridge. Healthworks has several posters currently available on the subject of nutrition, and can create posters with custom content to suit any workplace.

If you make the preparations early enough, you can roll out winter health initiatives on the leadup and indeed all the way through winter. While it's never too late to push a little health promotion in winter, an early start can reap big rewards.

Flu vaccinations are a popular choice for many companies to head up their winter health initiatives. It's tangible, gives results, and employees appreciate the level of care the organisation shows. But there are many other things that you can also do to promote employee health in the winter season.

For starters, why not encourage boosting energy levels with an exercise program? While people do tend to exercise outdoors less in winter, studies have shown that employee energy levels increase just by going for a walk at lunchtime. So why not introduce walking groups? Participants can boost their vitamin D intake (always important in winter), do some exercise and get an energy boost for the afternoon. If a more structured incentive for walking (or indeed, any exercise) is desired, Healthworks currently has two exercise challenge programs available - Fitness Challenge (an online based program) and Outback Walkabout (paper based). Both involve teamwork and promote healthy activity.

But winter health is not just about getting fit and keeping energy up - educating employees about how to stay healthy is just as important. Providing such things as antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser in the workplace near frequently touched items (like copier buttons) is a great start. Posters promoting handwashing and hygiene, educational booklets on all aspects of staying healthy in winter, brochures on cold and flu prevention and recovery - all of these can contribute to a healthier workforce this winter.

Healthworks can also provide miniposters (which double as mousemats) giving ten helpful hints on staying well in winter. And to really give your employees the winter health message, Healthworks has put together a winter health pack. We've included Kleenex tissues, herbal tea, hand sanitiser and Strepsils, along with our Winter Wellness booklet OR our brand new "Colds, Flu & You" twin brochure set.

At the end of April, Healthworks in North Sydney is moving...just down the road. We can now be found at Suite 702, 140 Arthur Street in North Sydney, which is a lovely location (with a harbour view!).

But this does mean that if you send us an email on the 21st to 23rd of April, it may take a little while to get to us. So if you don't get an immediate response, please give us a phone call (our numbers are still the same, 1300 90 10 90) and let us know how we can help you.