More and more organizations are focusing on promoting physical activity and exercise (either individual or teams) as part of the work day. Employees, even if they are working from home, are spending more and more time to operate absurd behavior. To ensure that employees have enough physical activity daily and they are physically fit, the individual and the bottom line can achieve a variety of benefits for both the individual and the bottom, which increases the stress and anxiety, from increased productivity.
Is physical inactivity a problem?
The human body was not easily built for stupid lifestyle. From our skeleton structure, to our muscles, joints, blood and respiratory system, humans were clearly “designed” to move. Our stupid lifestyle is becoming a real problem for health and it is also linked to many chronic conditions of health, including obesity, anxiety, diabetes and heart disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that physical inefficiency is the fourth leading cause of global death, which is related to more than 3.2 million deaths every year worldwide.
Physical activity is defined by the WHO “a physical movement created by the skeletal muscle that requires energy costs”. WHO, WHO recommends that healthy adults should collect aerobic physical activity at least 150 minutes in the age of 18-64.
In today’s society, it is not difficult to understand why the pursuit of these guidelines can be a challenge because most of our waking hours are sitting at a desk at work or entering the computer. In fact, research suggests that only 21 % of adult weekly activity guidelines meet 150 minutes.
Employers have a great opportunity to play an active role in incorporating physical activity opportunities for all employees while living in workplace.
Investing in physical activity is good for health And For business
Physical activity is essential for good overall health and has many specific benefits to both physical and mental health. Physically dynamic employees have strong immune systems, are more concentrated and fruitful, have more positive attitude and can cope better with stressful conditions (this is due to body -issued endorphins during exercise).
It can also help:
- Improve mental work
- Low blood pressure
- Provide high quality of sleep
- Control healthy weight and physical fat
- Manage stress
- Improve the cardio-rhetorical work
- Increase muscle strength and endurance and reduce the chances of injuries
- Reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes
Therefore, we know that there are clear benefits to the people, but there is also a large number of businesses that are in the interest of any organization to gain fit and physically healthy workforce. Research has shown that employees who receive a minimum of 75 minutes of rich physical activity per week lose an average of 4.1 less days each year.
Having physically active employees can cause:
- Low disease and sick day (reduce absences)
- Better productive capacity, performance and enthusiasm
- The lower employee business
- Improves creative abilities and problems
- Workers’ compensation costs decreased
- Reducing work -related tension
- Increase team construction in employees
- Reduce the offering of employees
- Forming a health culture
Employer can do 7 things to promote physical activity at work
Employers have the opportunity to increase the amount of physical activity by combining their people “individual” (awareness, knowledge, behavior) and “environmental” (facilities, technology, policies) strategies.
You can stimulate and promote the increasing level of physical activity in many ways.
- Promotion Policies Allowing staff to keep more Elastic work times. Later, to finish first, long break in lunch may be able to fit some physical activity between your employees – so it should not be taken lightly.
- Standing or walking meetings – If global pandemic has taught us something, it is that more work can be done, including meetings. Encourage your managers and employees to implement more “walk and talk” meetings on the phone either personally or on the phone.
- Presentation Facilities This makes your employees engage in physical activity more visible and easier. Clearly, there are gym and shower facilities in a house, but it can be prohibited from small to middle companies. A good alternative is to offer a corporate gym membership at a discounted rate.
- Offer Motorcycle storage facilities More employees can also encourage cycling to work. Even better, it can be linked to the “Cycle Two Work Day or Saturday” across the company.
- Office / / Team activity challenges And lunchtime walk or run club – these are terrific and easy to put into practice some technologies and step -by -step steps and give employees an opportunity to gather. More on it in the next section.
- Stand the desk – It has been said that sitting is just as bad for our health as no one is doing physical activity. It encourages better currency and more often intervals and spreads.
- Education -Although it may be more known than simplicity, further movement can be encouraged for high lifestyle risks and in a way to highlight the risks of a stupid lifestyle, and in the informational and non -threatening way.
Walk – an activity that is accessible to all that can also strengthen the relationship
The first benefit of walking is just that it “works”. Studies suggest that the energy used for moderate intensity and intensity has resulted in a similar reduction in cholesterol, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and heart disease risk factors. It has also been proven that some mental health benefits such as better mood, scientific functions, focus and creativity.
At the top of all these benefits of health, walking is one of the most likely physical activity. It has a low effect, ideal for any fitness and determination levels, does not require any special skills or equipment outside proper shoes and is not a non -threatening (accessible for every employee). It can eventually be performed at any time of the day and can be done at different speeds and intensity.
Even despite all these amazing upsides, it can be difficult for people to go out for a walk and encourage it. This is the place where a well -designed phase challenge can be a huge investment. Taking advantage of technology and human behavior science, these challenges are fun and help your staff mobilize. Like a healthy competition, no one encourages activity. Since the important thing is that these team challenges can help improve the team’s harmony and create a sense of integration (so much important to counter the isolation that is far -fetched from a lot of work).
Take a look at our official 10,000 steps team challenge. You can choose between the African Safari map, walk on the trail, or even the best, you can create your own map. Which would you choose?
So if you haven’t already done so, it is time for you and your organization to focus on promoting more physical activity at the workplace. Your people will thank you for this, but your business will also give many prizes.
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