Workplace Wellness

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) -- Paul Cofoni remembers taking short breaths and still being winded. He says he felt like he was sucking wind. These were the first symptoms, he says, that he was having a heart attack.

"I'm not getting my breath back and then I got as far as the lobby and I passed out," explains Cofoni.

Next, he explains, "I went into cardiac arrest and was brought back with a defibrillator paddles."

Ironically, the day Cofoni almost died, he had just left his doctor's office minutes earlier with a clean bill of health.

"I was getting an executive physical and I finished the physical and I passed with flying colors. They said great job and see you next year," Cofoni explains.

Instead the CEO of Arlington's CACI Corporation would need immediate angioplasty and then double bypass surgery.

His experience made him realize regular doctor visits are no guarantee of good health unless you've got healthy habits for the 364 days in between.

He admits,"I had some lifestyle problems at that time, I was a smoker, probably not getting as much exercise as I should have been." 

Today, that's changed. This year, Cofoni is leading the Annual American Heart Association Heart Walk Campaign.

He also carries his powerful personal story into his own workplace.

It's a cautionary tale--don't wait for disaster to strike before eating heart healthy, giving your body the regular workouts it needs, and knowing crucial blood test numbers that affect your risk for a heart attack like Paul's and don't think changing your lifestyle can't begin on the job.

"At lunchtime, I'll go to a location and we'll do a lunchtime walk. It's amazing to see that a number of innovative things have yielded results for people in terms of personal health and fitness, but also have created a new spirit of engagement within the company," says Cofoni.

These ways of wellness can be simple for all. Like CACI they started walking at lunchtime. Other organizations have hired fitness trainers to come to the office once a week. Also starting a fitness challenge at work is a good way to have a little friendly competition and get people motivated.