I always thought I was a pretty fit person…over the years I have tried exercise classes, squash, cycling, swimming and for the last decade – running. I was typically active about 3 times a week, so that’s good – right?
WRONG! – Well, not entirely wrong – that level of exercise is good but sadly, it is not enough.
I was what you could call an ‘Exercise Couch Potato’. Someone who does exercise but still sits down for hours on end due to work. Unfortunately, for me, and many, many others in office-based or driving roles we are still far too sedentary.
According to current guidelines, adults should be active every day (totalling 150 minutes in a week) and also incorporate strength-based exercise at least twice a week.
BUT… I’m too busy to be active more often… can’t go out in an evening due to child care….and rest days are important aren’t they? And here come all the excuses!
This is why the answer doesn’t just have to be about exercising before or after work, but can be incorporated at active workplaces during the working day too.
Here’s just a few ideas of how you can incorporate being active into the working day.
- Walking meetings
- Heel raises while waiting for the kettle to boil or sat at your desk
- Removing all the office bins, except one, so you need to walk to get to it
- Taking the stairs instead of the lift
- Where is your toilet or water cooler? Can you walk to one further away?
- And where do you park? As close to your work as possible or at the far end of the car park or street in the space reserved for people who want to live long and healthy lives?
Create an active workplace
At Energize we are working with businesses across Telford and Wrekin, and also Shropshire, to help teams understand how crucial being active is to our physical and mental health and to introduce ideas, large and small, to create healthy and happy workplaces.
If you would like to find out more, please come along to one of our half-day workshops.
By Suzy O’Shea
Marketing and Communication Manager at Energize Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.