Fresh air, exercise...& time with my daughter!
Adam Riley
I help employers excel in Employee Benefits & ESG by creating a real difference | Bowel Cancer survivor | I post about Employee Benefits, ESG, Gender Equality & Equity, & the outdoors | UN Women UK CSW69 2025 participant
I am more of an off-road, part-time kind-of-cyclist, but when I am with my 7-year-old, I will take any kind of path to watch her enjoying being outdoors and not seeing it as "just exercise or a chore...", but there are wider physical health benefits associated with cycling, from improved joint mobility (helps when you have a total knee replacement!) to better posture as well as improving your mental health!
When it comes to exercise, personally, I am not a gym-goer, but love to either grab my helmet and get on my bike, throw on my boots and go hiking, or pack my diving gear and head underwater.
Why is exercise so important - more than half the world's population to be classed as obese or overweight by 2035 if action is not taken, the World Obesity Federation warns (https://bbc.in/41IoLVt). More than four billion people will be affected, with rates rising fastest among children, its report says. This is pretty staggering numbers, but of no surprise!
Some of the reasons include trends in dietary preferences towards more highly processed foods, greater levels of sedentary behaviour, weaker policies to control food supply and marketing, and less well-resourced healthcare services to assist in weight management and health education.
Specialist health professionals say it is time for #obesity to be regarded as an illness caused by genetics, biology and how we live today. I wrote recently (https://bit.ly/3ZxXlAp) that with our changing living patterns, the “on-the-go” & "24/7" nature of our lives, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge, but the reward is definitely worth the effort.
New research adds to growing scientific opinion that "healthy obesity" does not exist.
The findings show those who are significantly overweight have a 66% higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease, compared with those of a normal weight. But the findings also suggest that obesity is not just about genetics, it is also about psychology, inequalities and the food environment we all live with.
More widely, the importance of physical activity for employee wellbeing is critical. There are both physical health and mental health benefits, and in a recent article from the BBC, a daily walk prevents one in 10 early deaths. The UK analysis suggests that if everyone did as little as 11 minutes of daily activity, one in 10 premature deaths could be prevented.
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We can all do something towards looking after our health. According to the American Heart Association improving your fitness helps reduce the risk of developing cancer, obesity, high blood pressure and a variety of heart conditions.
For employers, embedding ways to maintain a healthy workforce is a challenge. When your people work remotely, or for multinational employers this becomes even more challenging in creating and managing workable solutions which are both locally appropriate, but also relevant to the workforce.
People, by their very nature, can be sceptical when it comes to workplace health and fitness initiatives, so ensuring the strategy, communications, implementation and clear aims and objectives is critical. Inter-company and even inter-team challenges can be one step to motivate a sceptical workforce! A one-size-fits-all approach is no longer appropriate for our multigenerational and generational diverse workforces of today and tomorrow.
Campaigns, (which align with the wider company Health, Fitness & Wellbeing strategy which incorporating #financial, #physical, #mental and #social pillars) such as cycling / running / walking / hiking / step targets, coupled with a combination of mindfulness and resilience training are just some examples.
There is a clear relationship between sleep, physical activity, diet, and #mentalhealth outcomes, and it is clear, action must be taken to curb the growing #obesity numbers. Some exercise every day is better than none!
Sportkurs Assistentin at Gymnathlon | Beden E?itimi ve Spor ??retmeni
1 年Thanks for posting ??
Senior Advisor HR & Employee benefits- International business p? S?derberg & Partners Suomi- Multilingual International Insurance professional with +22 years in the field of Employee Benefits and HR
1 年I couldn’t agree more ??, set the example by doing sports with your children, setting an healthy example for the future as by taking care of your health, kids learn what you do, and at rhe same time have precious time together ??.
Co-founder & Chairman at MELP
1 年Thanks for sharing
CEO & Co-Founder @ MELP | HR-Tech, Employee Benefits and Engagement
1 年Totally agree! The consequences of obesity were demonstrated during pandemics - more than 70% people who got to ICU with COVID were overweight.. And the only factor about physical activity that I think is working with children is lead by example. We can talk as much as we want, but if we don't get off the couch ourselves, they will not either.. The same goes to businesses: I think leaders of the companies are the ones that can get this positive habit of movement into everyone's head. That would mean more engagement, less sick days, better productivity. So, let's move ourselves and others will follow ????
Voted 2025 ‘Male Advocate of the Year’ (Great British Businesswoman Awards). Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Wellity Global. Co-Founder of the Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards & IAMH Global.
1 年Exercise is so important for young people in terms of mental health / gaining perspective / connecting with nature and disconnection from social media and the digital world. If these benefits are narrated and communicated in terms of the other enjoyable physiological and psychological factors including connection and fun, then the physical health benefits will undoubtedly follow. Also as a single dad myself to two teeneage ladies, these moments of togetherness are priceless!