Why ‘in-office’ fitness helps the mental health of your staff

It’s easy to use just about any excuse to get out doing exercise. Modern technology has given us plenty of benefits and conveniences, however that means many of us are sitting at a desk for longer periods every day.

One of the most important benefits of exercise is on your mental health. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal and healthy staff means less sick days.

How does Exercise help mental health?

In your brain, exercise stimulates chemicals that improve your mood and the parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning. It releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood.  It also pumps blood to your brain, allowing you to think more clearly. This equals happier, focused and productive staff.

It can also get you out in the world, help to reduce any feelings of loneliness and isolation, and put you in touch with other people. So, if you have been working remotely, taking regular exercise breaks will help you feel both physically and mentally stronger.

If you exercise regularly, it can reduce your stress and symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety and help with recovery from mental health issues.

Too much sitting can be blamed for health ailments such as weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions.  The numbers speak for themselves.

• 2.6% of the total disease burden in Australia was due to physical inactivity (using 2011 data)
• If all Australians did an extra 15 minutes of brisk walking for at least five days each week, this would reduce disease burden due to physical inactivity in the population by approximately 13%.
• The seven diseases most closely linked to physical inactivity (in descending order) were diabetes, bowel and uterine cancer, dementia, breast cancer, coronary heart diseases and stroke.

We are taking a ‘no more excuses’ approach. We genuinely care about your business and that includes the health of you and your team so we have a list of exercises that you can do in your office every day. We call it the 10 in 10

Try the 10 in 10

These exercises don’t require any sort of investment and will help you stay fit and maintain energy throughout the working day. The more you move, the better you’ll feel.

1. Tricep dips
2. Arm pulses
3. Arm circles
4. Desk push ups
5. Calf raises
6. Chair squats
7. Seated bicycle crunches
8. Lower ab lifts
9. Chest stretch
10. Wrist & finger stretch

Do by yourself and get your team together to take regular breaks and do your 10 in 10 exercises. Remember the big impact this will have on their physical and mental health and the positive benefits that has for your staff and business.

We’d love to see some photos of you getting fit at work, so please share with us.

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