Most of us are guilty of it
Katrina Johnston
Workplace Wellness Strategist, Speaker, Trainer & Wellness Enthusiast!
Most of us are guilty of it. I know I am. Sitting too much. We now sit for longer than we sleep each day. We’ve known for some time that excessive sitting has been linked to diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, musculoskeletal problems and even early death.1 So detrimental are the health effects, it’s been labeled ‘the new smoking’.
We are becoming increasingly sedentary in both our personal and working lives creating a double-whammy effect. The transport industry, highly mechanised roles and office-based employees are particularly at risk.
Think exercising every day gets you off the hook? Think again. Those like myself who exercise daily are just as much at risk. New guidelines released by the British Journal of Sports Medicine urge employers to change their workplace culture and practices to avoid prolonged periods of sedentary work. The guidelines recommend desk-based workers spend at least two hours of their working day standing, gradually progressing to a total of 4 hours per day. For an in-depth review of the guidelines click here.
So what can you do to encourage your employees to quit the sit? Check out the recent television episode on 60 minutes, click here for an excellent Youtube clip from VicHealth, download the workplace toolkit from Comcare or read here the great blog post by our guest contributor Anetta Pizag.
I’m currently undertaking the exciting task of designing our new office from scratch. It’s not often that you get such an opportunity. I’m looking forward to putting some of these tips into practice to create a work space that will enable us to thrive in all respects!
1. VicHealth. (2012). Reduced prolonged sitting in the workplace. Victorian Heath Promotion Foundation, Melbourne, Australia. Available at: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au.
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9 年So the answer is to make work harder by forcing people to stand all day. Why stop there? Get out the whip and "whip" people into shape too? How horrible, that people get to sit down instead of digging ditches like they did in the past. We have employers who begrudge their employees basics like a decent salary and raises. They also begrudge them decent health care benefits, forcing employees to pay more of the cost, and have higher co-pays and deductibles. Maybe if people could afford to see doctors on a regular basis instead of providing "health insurance" that they cannot afford to use. Oh. That makes sense. That's why it won't be done. So blame "sedentary" work instead. No need to think, just blame the usual suspect.
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9 年Introducing a culture of health is the next step
A good overview of the key information (& thanks for the Comcare plug!). Its gaining momentum and there's still lots of promotion to be done
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9 年Video 3 is excellent with a nice clear aim - stand or walk for 2 minutes every 30 minutes!
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9 年Great article Katrina. Employers need to significantly shift their thinking in this regard. Love the idea of trying to do walking meetings for one-on-one meetings