KUALA LUMPUR – Employees play games, shop, donate blood, screen their health and more in the NSTP health awareness programme.

New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) staff turned up for some healthy fun at the workplace yesterday. The NSTP Health Awareness Programme started at 10am. Employees received an apple each at the registration counter and many made a beeline for the WakaLab booth to try for another Apple — the iPod nano — in a contest.

To win, they had to spin a wheel for a challenge, which could be doing sit-ups, push-ups, yoga poses, and meet it. The booth was crowded with both participants and spectators, who were amused by their colleagues’ attempts to rise to the challenge.

There were 16 booths in four zones, said organiser Valerie A. De Mello, who is the human capital department recruitment, compensation and benefits head.

“We have a relax zone with massage and virtual games booths, health zone with blood donation and health checks booths, beauty zone with beauty product booths, and dietary zone with nutrition supplement booths.

“We want our staff to have fun while checking on their health,” she said.

NSTP chief executive officer Mohammad Azlan Abdullah, who officiated the fun-filled event, shared his personal experience of trying to eat healthily.

“I used to eat rice once a week, but now I eat it almost every day.

“We have to fight the temptation of nasi lemak and try to be healthy and fit as that is very important,” said Azlan.

He visited the booths after the opening aerobics performance.

Body Shop business development manager Mohmed Shariff said this was the brand’s first collaboration with NSTP in a health event.

“People might ask, what does Body Shop have to do in a health awareness programme?

“But keeping our bodies clean can help to prevent infections. People fail to realise that hygiene is important for health,” said Mohmed.

On that day, NSTP staff were offered special discounts on Body Shop’s environment-friendly products.

The programme is organised up to four times a year to increase the health awareness of NSTP staff. Employees can donate blood, have their health screened, receive foot massage by a masseur or Ogawa machines, play virtual table tennis and buy health drinks and supplements, among others.