It’s important to be stay happy and healthy at work, since the average person spends around a third of their life at work. Being physically active at work can help to improve concentration and productivity and decrease the risk of several health conditions.
Over half of the UK workforce have sedentary occupations, where most of the day is spent sitting. Sedentary behaviour is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as obesity and weight gain.
How can we change this and stop sitting so much at work?
Create a walking culture at work
At Paths for All, we promote everyday walking for everyone, everywhere. This includes at work. Inspire your workplace to make it the norm to go out for a walking meeting, use a standing desk, ditch the lift and take the stairs.
We encourage and promote people to do this through our workplace walking challenge – the Step Count Challenge, and through our Walk at Work training and advice. Check out some of the support we offer to workplaces who want to get active through walking.
Set a route for a lunchtime walk
Find interesting and varied routes close by to your workplace. A route lasting no more than 30 minutes at a casual pace will work best. Tell everyone about the best routes that you identify and invite everyone to join you on the next lunchtime walk!
Travel actively
Could you incorporate some walking into your commute to work? If it’s not possible to walk the whole journey, then maybe you could walk for half then hop on a bus? If you drive to work, maybe you could incorporate a quick five-minute walk into your commute by parking your car further away from your workplace?
Walk more, feel the difference
Once you move more at work you might feel more productive, less stressed and more focused. Workplaces that start walking together tell us that their colleagues bond, their team morale improves and that employees feel generally healthier and happier.
Challenge yourself and your colleagues to sit less and walk more at work!