Tuesday 19th June 2012 is Workout At Work Day
This is an event championed by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy to promote healthier habits in the workplace and also help people introduce more activity and exercise into their working day.
UK Physiotherapy, the physio clinic based onsite at MediaCityUK, Salford is proud to be part of this day and has organised a FREE fun event that anyone can join in with here at MediaCityUK, Salford. Between 12pm and 2pm in the main Piazza area, we’ll be running:
• Free 20 minute exercise sessions with Get Lean Bootcamp’s personal trainers
• Free health checks including blood pressure measurements and diet and nutrition advice
• Free yoga sessions
• Free demonstrations of easy to do flexibility exercises that anyone can perform at work
• Free specialist advice from UK Physiotherapy's physios for anyone experiencing any musculoskeletal problems or for anyone wanting to start exercising again on a more regular basis.
• Free resources, leaflets, posters and challenges about changing lifestyle to improve overall health and wellbeing.
Benefits of exercise
Introducing more physical activity and exercise into a working day has many benefits such as:
1. Improving circulation to our muscles and vital organs
2. Improving strength in our muscles especially our postural muscles – the muscles that support our spine and pelvis
3. Reducing those aches and pains related to static postures or repetitive posture in work
4. Combating obesity
5. Improving our mental health and wellbeing
In the current economic climate, we understand people may now be part of a leaner workforce where increased demands are placed on them in the workplace. This can lead to taking fewer breaks or working through our lunchtime. Accessing emails or continuing work whilst eating a sandwich at our desks is becoming more the norm. Also with the introduction of flexi-time working and extra overtime work, people are spending longer in work. This all impacts on our physical and mental wellbeing.
Sedentary Work and Wellbeing
If your job is sedentary and involves mainly sitting, exercise as part of your day is highly beneficial. Often workers in these type of job roles sit in their car to drive to work, sit at their desk all day, sit in their car to drive home, sit at their dining table for their dinner then sit down to relax on their sofa in the evening. A whole day is spent sitting, something we, as humans, have not yet evolved to do. Ideally, our spines should maintain a nice ‘S’ shaped curve but prolonged sitting tends to bring our spines into a ‘C’ shape, which places more force through the posterior structures of the spine increasing the likelihood of experiencing back pain or neck pain. Introducing more activity or exercise into a working day allows a change in that posture to improve flexibility in the spine as well as realising all those benefits mentioned above.
Manual Work and Wellbeing
If your job is more manual, it gives you a better chance to take charge of your physical health. Frequent physical activity helps to improve overall fitness and helps get the most from your work and life in general. However, if the job involves a lot of repetitive tasks or heavy lifting then introducing exercise to help improve flexibility and improve muscle strength is still advisable and better protects you from experiencing an injury whilst on the job.
Our Workout at Work Day event will show people the easy ways they can build exercise into their daily routine and hopefully be a launchpad for a healthier lifestyle. We hope you’ll join in with us on Tuesday 19th June at MediaCityUK.
Contact Us
If you can’t attend the event but are interested in information about the day or even would like some ideas about improving the health and wellbeing of staff in your workplace please contact us at our UK Physiotherapy Clinic based at MediaCityUK, Salford by email info@ukphysiotherapy.com. If you have an injury that’s stopping you exercising contact a member of our physio team on 0161 713 3676
