In the 1970’s some ground-breaking research emerged from Dr Roy Shephard’s book, which placed the health of a 30-year-old male Canadian equal to that of a 60-year-old Swede
In the 1970’s, some ground-breaking research emerged from Dr. Roy Shephard’s book, which placed the health of a 30-year-old male Canadian equal to that of a 60-year-old Swede.
ParticipACTION, a national non-profit organization, was established in 1972 to help increase and support the physical activity of Canada as a whole, through various initiatives and projects. After many great programs and thought leadership initiatives promoting physical activity as a way for Canadians to live a health life ParticipACTION recognized the workplace as a key area to address.
“UPnGO is our workplace wellness initiative,” explained Natalie Toman, Senior Implementation Specialist for UPnGO at ParticipACTION. “It began in 2015 when we worked with our research advisory council, sector partners, and behaviour change academics to determine what would make a really effective workplace wellness program. In 2016, we piloted it to 22 sites and following on its’ success, we have created a year-long program, rooted in Behaviour Change Theory.”
Organizations can sign up for year-round monthly challenges helping employees find practical ways to fit physical activity and movement in their day. We know that being more physically active has a host of benefits both for the employee and their employer from overall productivity, mental acuity, and improved feeling of well-being.
As Toman told us, employer attitudes toward physical activity and its link to employee happiness and productivity, are going through some major changes.
“I think there’s a driving force behind it – statistically, we know only 18% of Canadians are meeting their physical activity needs, and this is concerning. We’re sitting up to ten hours a day, most of which is in the office. Employers are starting to realize that investing in an employee’s health and encouraging their employees to be physically active can have direct benefits in the workplace and a happier more productive workforce overall.”
An investment in employee health is an investment in a company’s productivity. Having the top talent in your office is no good if they’re overly stressed, ill or unmotivated. By encouraging your staff to flex their muscles as well as their brain power, Toman believes organizations will reap some worthwhile rewards – especially in relation to mental well-being.
“There are so many academic articles out there which link physical well-being to mental health. By encouraging employees to get fit and active, you’re also helping improve their mental well-being too.”
Mental wellbeing is an essential part of safeguarding your employees – but are employers guilty of tiptoeing around the big issues? Find out more here.
How do you encourage your staff to stay physically fit? Tell us in the comments…
