Encouraging Exercise in the Workplace

The past decade has seen mindfulness become very much popular in America.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention between 2002 and 2012, activities like yoga and meditation have become quite popular among the working class in America.

Nowadays, it’s not unusual to see physical exercises and activities incorporated into the corporate sector. Teams that place importance on physical activities would no doubt reap the benefits. These activities would make employees more confident and focused, ultimately boosting their productivity.

It doesn’t matter if your team is yet to tap into this potential. However, understanding that a little push would go a long way to encourage this healthy and beneficial practice can make things easier.

Using Height-Adjustable Desks for Standing

You probably don’t consider standing up as an exercise but it’s no doubt better than sitting down all day. With height-adjustable chairs, you’d be encouraging your workers to get out of their chair and stand up from time to time.

In a publication by the US National Library of Medicine, it was revealed that pains to the neck and the upper back were reduced by about 54% after seven weeks of using a height-adjustable desk with sit-stand capability, instead of a sit-only desk.

Respondents in the survey also reported mood improvements and some also reported that their pain returned moments after going back to a sit-only desk. This came as a clear indicator that the sit-stand capability of the height-adjustable desk was definitely an important factor in alleviating their pain.

Desk & Chair-Based Exercises

When it comes to chairs and desks in a corporate setting, ergonomics is usually the first thing that goes into consideration. Still, there seems to be a lot more to our desks and chairs than just sitting comfortably all through the day.

Greatest.com made a revelation. The health and wellness website outlined various ingenious ways your team can turn their ergonomic chairs into exercise and fitness equipment.

Take a swivel chair for example. You can just lift your feet off the ground while holding your forefingers and your thumbs against your desk. You can then turn 90-degrees right, and then to the center, the left, center, right again, repeatedly.

A non-rolling chair can also act as a prop that can be used for triceps dips.

By standing in front of the chair, with your hands placed on the edges while also facing away, you can easily position your feet in front of the chair, just a few steps away. You can then lower yourself till your elbows are at 90-degrees. This can also be done repeatedly, lifting your body back up each time, until the arms are straight.

Creating Opportunities for Physical Activities

Incorporating this into your corporate culture has a lot of benefits.

Only when there’s a room or opportunity for this can your employees feel encouraged to do it. Consider creating a space for employees to meditate or practice yoga or those other activities that can help them renew their concentration and focus during the day. Providing basic equipment like yoga mats, balance balls, blocks, etc, will also go a long way.

It makes sense to ask if any member on your team does yoga or meditate personally. With someone willing to lead the group, the benefits of group exercise can easily circulate to every individual on the team.

• Few of these benefits include;
• Enhanced health and wellness / lower absenteeism
• Enhanced focus and motivation to boost productivity
• Reduction/elimination of burnout, stress, and anxiety
• Enhanced bonding among team members

Final notes

There is a lot to be gained from getting your team more active through physical exercises. The benefits within and outside the workplace extend far and wide for both the company and the workers altogether.

Here at Jefferson Group, we are all about helping you unlock workplace productivity through innovative office designs. Contact us today if you would like to design your workplace to promote physical activity and boost productivity.