It’s an established fact that sedentary lifestyles have a negative impact on our health. Studies show that sitting at a desk for 4-8 hours of the day is damaging our overall health and wellbeing.
To make matters worse, many of us go from sitting down in the workplace to laying down or sitting at home watching TV. On-demand TV and dopamine-inducing dramas are not motivating us to be more active in the evening.
It’s little wonder the rate of obesity is on the rise. Sedentary jobs often involve less physical activity, leading to a decrease in calorie expenditure. This can contribute to weight gain over time.
Unsurprisingly. prolonged sitting has been linked to a series of poor health outcomes including increased risk of chronic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome.
Sitting for extended periods can also lead to muscle weakness, particularly in the core, back, and leg muscles. Weak muscles can affect posture and increase the risk of musculoskeletal issues.
Poor Posture, particularly when sitting for long periods without proper ergonomics can result in back, neck, and shoulder pain. In turn, this can affect your general comfort and could disturb sleep.
A 2017 study published by medical researchers at the University of Colombia and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that sitting increases the risk of early death. Sedentary behaviour is associated with a higher risk of certain types of cancer, including colon, breast, and endometrial cancers.
We desperately need to encourage well-being in the workplace.
Encourage Walking For Wellbeing in the Workplace
Whilst researching strategies that can improve health and well-being among collective workforces, I discovered a great article published by Sweatcoin. The company promotes walking and has designed an app which converts steps into a digital currency that can be traded with over 300 online merchants.
The idea is to motivate people to walk more often by making walking a form of currency. And because walking is such a low-entry barrier to exercise, you don’t need to invest in any special sporting equipment.
The article I referred to also has some helpful advice about how you can encourage people to walk in the workplace more often. It’s clear these guys practice what they preach.
The list of walking strategies to encourage health and well-being in the workplace includes:
Hold “walking meetings”
Work in remote locations starting from the office — (you have to walk across town and back)
Walk whenever you are talking on your mobile phone
Encourage a 10-minute walking break every hour
The number of employees that are absent from work each year is growing each year. Sedentary jobs are a contributing factor. It’s, therefore, in the best interests of employers to encourage well-being in the workplace and after office hours.
Making your staff aware of the health issues that can develop by not exercising is a good place to start. But actively implementing strategies that encourage well-being in the workplace will help your team members to get into the habit of walking and exercising in general.