47 More Indiana Companies Considered Fit-Friendly

The American Heart Association is recognizing 47 Hoosier companies for promoting fitness.

This is the second group of Indiana companies being recognized as Fit Friendly. The Association’s Program honored 60 others in the first half of 2013.

Indianapolis Board Chair Jim England says those recognized are adopting practices that keep employees active.

"It has to do with having walking paths, exercise facilities, fit-friendly or heart healthy food in their vending machines.  Those kinds of things," he said.

And a more active workforce often leads to more production.

"It could lead to savings on health insurance coverage if it reduces the number of cases of illness, insurance claims, and those sorts of things," said England.  "Companies can save money on their benefits program and we know that things keep getting more and more expensive."

The American Heart Association says companies are losing more than $225 billion a year because of health care expense and loss of productivity due to poor health.