Eat your veggies. Go outside and play. Stretch your legs (or shake out your wrists) several times a day. Don't stare at the computer screen too long.

This might sound like Mom, but according to this AP article, forward-thinking employers are trying to introduce healthy habits at the workplace. The idea is to help stave off diseases and medical conditions that are caused by eating poorly and being overweight or inactive.

Among other things, they are implementing exercise breaks, establishing walking programs, loaning out bikes, hiring dietitians, and working to educate their employees about portion control and other health-related concepts.

They are lowering prices for salads, fruit, and healthy sandwiches at their cafeterias, and hiking the costs of burgers, fries, and other fatty foods. This move — nicknamed the Twinkie tax — has already shown tangible results. Their workers seem to be buying more salads and fruit, and more companies are testing the idea. However, banning junk food from cafeterias has backfired in the past.

Other approaches include encouraging employees to use the stairs, rather than the elevator and to hold "walking meetings," rather than gather their staff around the conference room table.

The reason behind such workplace innovation, of course, comes down economics. Health insurance costs are rising so quickly that employers see the benefits of creating healthier workplaces. It's a lot better than responding to the rising costs by cutting back on coverage.

I know that a lot of people are opposed to the idea of our governments, bosses, or anyone else interfering with our diet and other personal habits. I have to admit, I'm not sure where to draw the line.

But personally, I'm glad to see the trend towards legislating (New York's ban on trans fats) or corporations encouraging their workers to exercise and eat well. So many aspects of our culture make it harder to make smart choices, so maybe these initiatives will provide some balance.

That said, I think that initiatives like these will work if the programs make sense to their employees. After all, the idea of a "walking meeting" sounds like a premise for next week's episode of The Office. But if fresh fruits (rather than leftover brownies) are offered at office meetings and steak salads are more affordable than burgers, what's not to like? After all, Twinkies might not taste that great once you know that they're taxed.