From staff and wire reports

Margaret Brady and her co-workers at Morrissey & Co. practically have to chase after their boss when they join him for walks along Boston's Charles River.

The two- to three-mile jaunts are CEO Peter Morrissey's version of an employee wellness program for his 11-worker public relations firm.

"The 45 minutes to the hour that I'm out, I just feel that ... the cobwebs that you get after the coffee buzz wears off are gone," Brady said.

As health care costs increase, a rising number of companies are using workplace wellness programs to improve employees' health and reduce medical claims. These programs generally provide health information, and many also offer free or low-cost services such as medical checkups and weight management and smoking cessation classes. Some include fitness centers or subsidized memberships to local gyms.

Main Street Fitness in Jackson, Mo., Universal Health and Fitness Center and HealthSouth Rehabilitation, both in Cape Girardeau, all offer corporate plans that give reduced membership rates to employees of participating companies.

Fifteen local companies offer the reduced membership rates and another 30 to 50 nationwide firms are part of a national program recognized by Universal Health and Fitness Center.

And trainers see a lot of those companies' employees at the fitness center, said Shawn Nesler, the fitness center coordinator at Universal.

The health club gets numerous calls from companies seeking information about corporate fitness plans, he said. "We send one of our employees to their firm to talk with them about the options."

Six Cape Girardeau-area companies are taking part in a cardiovascular risk project that will screen them for heart disease and help them make healthier lifestyle choices. The program is being administered through Main Street Fitness and the Southeast Missouri Hospital wellness department.

While the aim is for people to get fit, it also shows how important wellness is to employers, said Debbie Leoni of Main Street Fitness in Jackson.

One factor in rising health costs is Americans' growing tendency toward obesity. Moreover, said David Hunnicutt, president of the Wellness Councils of America, "the vast majority of Americans spend the vast majority of time at work. And it's sedentary."

Leoni said the key to getting people into better shape is to start simply. She suggests using a pedometer to see how many steps you take in a day. Walking to the copy machine a few times a day is different than a walking stride for exercise, she said. "It helps people become more conscious of taking the extra steps."

And seeing that you only walk 3,000 steps a day at work reminds of the need to be more active before or after work. "We are still aiming for 10,000 steps a day," Leoni said.

Health experts say it's incumbent on employers to find ways for workers to get exercise and information about their health.

Many companies agree. So autoworkers at General Motors Corp. relax and stretch with yoga and Tai Chi classes offered just floors above the assembly lines in Flint, Mich.

Union Pacific Railroad workers can use a center at even the most remote spots; the company used to have traveling fitness railcars before workers started staying in hotels.

Chrysler Group offers incentives for its employees to use its programs, giving out "well bucks" that can be redeemed for gym bags, golf balls and other gear. Employees earn the well bucks if they get a health screening, check out a book or video from the company's healthy life library or get a workplace massage.

Morrissey pays for half the cost of his employees' walking shoes. He also offers an office bicycle for those who don't want to walk.

"At first, honestly, I thought, 'I have to get out there, I have to hurry, I have to get back," Brady said of the three-day-a week walks. But without them, she said her chances to exercise are "slim to none."

Leoni said it's great motivation for employees who see their bosses exercising. "It's important to be diligent and if they see their managers here, there's more of a chance they'll see it as a positive thing."

A National Center for Health Statistics report released earlier this month said seven in 10 adults don't exercise regularly and nearly four in 10 aren't physically active at all.

Meanwhile, a federal government survey in 2000 found that 56.4 percent of Americans are overweight. Obesity can result in higher health claims and employee absenteeism.

Companies say wellness programs have proven effective, with reductions in blood pressure, smoking and cholesterol levels.

Features editor Laura Johnston contributed to this report.