Around 20 million adults in the UK are physically inactive [1] and globally 1 in 4 adults are not active enough. [2] World Obesity Day is on the 11th October and provides people with practical solutions to help people achieve and maintain a health weight to reverse the obesity crisis. Organised by the World Obesity Federation their mission is to lead and drive global efforts to reduce, prevent and treat obesity.
Physical activity is vital to leading a healthier life and the benefits of investing in physical activity in the workplace include maintaining a healthy body weight, reduced accident rates, increased productivity, improved morale, reduced risk of illness, and improved concentration and focus.
Did you know that?
- Lack of physical activity is costing the UK an estimated £7.4 billion a year. [3]
- Physically active workers take 27% fewer sick days. [4]
- The average time an employee takes each year due to physical inactivity related sickness is 9 days. [5]
- The average man in the UK spends a fifth of his lifetime sitting - equivalent to 78 days a year. For women, it is around 74 days a year. [6]
- 90% of employees believe they should be more active at the workplace [7]
How to tackle it?
Offer discounted gym membershipsGym memberships can be quite pricey so it’s easy to understand why people would rather opt for working out outdoors. Why not make going to the gym more affordable for your employees? Offering discounted gym memberships with Incorpore will save your workplace money at over 3,200 gyms, leisure centres, health clubs, bootcamps and yoga studios in the UK. The wide variety of choice allows employees to choose the gym they actually want no matter where they live or work. Incorpore have two gym products: a voluntary discounted gym benefits scheme, My Gym Discounts and a salary deducted discounted gym benefits scheme, GymFlex.
Motivate people with activity trackersEnable employees to track and measure their activity levels with a fitness tracker. Fitness trackers allow individuals to track activity, monitor heart rate, sleep patterns and much more. Most importantly within a work environment, they encourage a strong sense of team spirit and healthy competition as wearers can connect with their work colleagues to share progress and goals.
Garmin has been developing mobile products for fitness & outdoors, automobiles, marine and aviation for the past 26 years. Garmin Health is the digital health solution for use in corporate wellness management, sports and medical applications.
Organise office workoutsOrganising an onsite group workout for your employees is a great way to show them you really care about their health and that you are committed to creating a culture that encourages exercise. Not only will the class make people feel fitter, happier and revived, you will see that the class is a great way to build team spirit and enable your employees to engage with one another. BMF's mission is to get the UK's workforce fit and healthy by delivering a bespoke package to suit your companies shift patterns, environment and budget. Nothing bonds a workforce quite like group exercise and fun! We will help you find a location, onsite or nearby, we will inspire your workforce to take part and we will improve the overall health and wellness of your company.
If you are looking to implement a wellness strategy into your business, please visit Your Wellness Hub on www.yourwellnesshub.co.uk or email us on info@yourwellnesshub.co.uk.
References
[1] The British Heart Foundation Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour Report 2017
[2] World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
[3] Public Health England - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-getting-every-adult-active-every-day/health-matters-getting-every-adult-active-every-day
[4] British Heart Foundation – Health at Work: Economic Evidence Report 2016
[5] British Heart Foundation – Health at Work: Economic Evidence Report 2016
[6] British Heart Foundation - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39457993
[7] Get Britain Standing - http://www.getbritainstanding.org/research.php
