Are you active at work? If your job itself is physical in nature, such as a labourer, personal trainer, a dancer or a roofer, then chances are you’re getting your recommended minimum of 30-minutes of physical activity each day to get the blood pumping. Now, then, how about all you office workers out there? Silence. Tumbleweeds. Crickets chirping.
I don’t mean any disrespect in that statement. Hey, I’m an office worker, and it used to be that the only exercise I got was going to the fridge and back. For far too many of us, the only exercise we get is lifting a brew to our lips and the only machine we’ve used at the gym is the vending machine. As someone who is rapidly approaching a ‘special’ birthday, I’ve been made viscerally aware of this recently by the growing bulk where my waistline used to be, and the way I make a straining noise every time I bend down (usually to get a chocolate bar out of my bottom desk drawer).
How many times have you sat at your desk for hours on end, your metabolism moving at the speed of continents, and your brain has leaked out of your ear and gone on a package holiday? You may be in this exact sloth-like state as you read this. Never mind, it’s nearly home time – that means you can take a break from a hard day of staring at a screen and spend the evening staring at a much smaller one instead.
It’s Time to Turn this Mush into Muscles
But where am I going with all of this? If like me, you don’t have a very active job then you need to make time to get some exercise in. If you can get to the gym for a quick blast in your lunch hour, then this is perfect. You get your daily bout of exercise in, freeing up precious time once you get home after work, and it also makes you more awake for the second half of your shift. You get fit and you’re more productive at work. Win-win.
If You Don’t Find the Time, if You Don’t Do the Work, Then You Don’t Get the Results
Not only that but keeping fit helps to fight off all sorts of ailments; coughs and colds, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, the list is endless. This is the reason why more and more workplaces are offering subsidised gym subscriptions as part of their benefits package. By either having their own on-site gym or paying a small monthly fee to keep their employees fit, companies are reaping the rewards of a healthy workforce in terms of increased productivity, less sick days and a stimulated workforce.
Put That Cookie Down, Now!
Fitness is vitally important to our overall well-being, both physically and mentally. Exercise has been clinically proven to get the endorphins and blood flowing, which stimulates the muscles and the amount of oxygen that is circulated around the body. You just can’t get that by sitting at a desk for eight hours a day.
What is Best in Life?
It’s all well and good a company offering free fruit as a perk, (and, yes, vitamin C will help with battling a cold), but wouldn’t you rather your workforce be physically fit, mentally stimulated and raring to go? Encouraging their physical and mental well-being also makes your employees think that you genuinely care about their welfare, and a workforce that feels valued will work harder as a result. Think about it…
Right, I’m off to squeeze into my Spandex and headband.
I might even make it to the gym this time.
