FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Some state agencies in Kentucky allow
their workers to have paid exercise breaks.

Department of Financial Institutions employee Lisa Clark said being able to extend her lunch break to work out has been so beneficial she hasn't had to visit her doctor for low back pain and fibromyalgia, which causes body-wide pain, in a year.

"Nothing has helped me like exercise has," said Clark, an administrative coordinator. "For me to be able to incorporate it into my lunch hour, motivates me to go to the gym."

At least three other agencies also allow employees to exercise on the clock - the Department of Military Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Personnel Cabinet, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Personnel Cabinet spokeswoman Crystal Pryor says the "wellness
breaks" are cost effective because they result in "reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, higher employee morale and lower health care costs for the Kentucky Employees' Health Plan, the state's self-funded insurance program."

Pryor noted a Harvard University study published last year that found that "medical costs fall about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, and absentee day costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent."