Viking Becomes Front Runner with Health & Wellness Program

Victoria, British Columbia, April 26th, 2016:  Considered one of Greater Victoria’s largest private employers, Viking is a local leader setting world class standards for employment within the region.  Embracing a workplace environment that provides the utmost in safety and well-being for all employees, Viking has developed a comprehensive “Health & Wellness” program designed to increase overall engagement and productivity by promoting healthy lifestyles for employees, both at work and at home.

Part of Viking’s Health & Wellness program encourages corporate team participation in locally organized active living events, such as Bike to Work Week, intramural sports, 10K, Half and Marathon runs.  Affectionately named “Plane Crazy”, the Viking corporate team comprises representatives from all levels of the organization, from aircraft assembly workers on the shop floor to management executives.

To exemplify this corporate wellness initiative, the Plane Crazy team participates annually in the Times Colonist TC10K Run, having successfully won the award under the Transportation category since the team’s first entry in 2008.  To improve team participation and performance for this year’s event, Viking enlisted the help of professional trainer Yana Hempler.

Upon hearing the unmatched results that Yana Hempler’s running programs have achieved with both individuals and corporations, Viking’s leadership team recruited Yana to lead weekly running clinics.  Designed to improve overall employee fitness and help individuals exceed their race expectations, the weekly clinics comprised a 30-minute discussion on pertinent fitness topics such as strength training and injury prevention, followed by a group run of increasing difficulty over the course of the training program.

The success of the Plane Crazy running clinic program as part of Viking’s “Healthy Workplace” initiative is evident in the dramatic results achieved in this year’s TC10K race, with a team win in the Transportation category and over 90% of clinic participants recording personal best race times.

“We are delighted to see first-hand what our Health & Wellness initiative is achieving amongst our employee group,” commented Dan Tharp, Viking’s Chief Operating Officer and clinic-participant.  “We believe programs such as this are a core element to keeping our workforce healthy, and help Viking maintain our standard of being a world-class organization.”

About Yana Hempler, Personal Trainer:

Yana Hempler is a certified personal trainer, Lydiard Level II certified running coach, and competitive long distance runner, with accolades at every race distance from 800m on the track to full marathon, including the world-famous Boston Marathon.  Throughout her training career, Yana has worked with people of all fitness levels, successfully helping clients to significantly improve their race times and increase strength while maintaining a spirit of fun.  Yana's primary focus is on corporate running clinics where she leads a varied team through a progressive program, creating a comfortable atmosphere for all runners in order to facilitate an exciting, learning-filled environment this is both informative and fun.

About Viking’s Health & Wellness Program:

Under the leadership of Robin Ambrose, Director of People & Wellness, Viking’s Health & Wellness program was developed to increase overall engagement and productivity within the Viking workforce by promoting healthy lifestyles for employees, both at home and at work.  The program includes administration of wellness communication and services, providing monthly newsletters, online courses, webinars and resources in all wellness areas, along with facilitation of healthy living and mental health seminars.  The program also promotes team participation in active living events such as running clinics, Bike to Work Week, and intramural sports.

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