San Francisco Health Coach Promotes Benefits of Workplace Exercise

Please Don’t Take a Seat!

Move your body and exercise…if you want to be smarter, more creative, more productive…and a lot less stressed!

By Laura Putnam

Laura Putnam
CEO Motion Infusion

There’s no getting around it, we sit a lot. We sit at our desks. We sit and watch TV. We sit and eat meals. We sit in our cars.

All this sitting is taking its toll in the forms of chronic back pain, neck pain, stiff knees, bad posture, obesity, high stress levels, low energy—just to name a few. According to the World Health Organization, sedentary lifestyle is one of the ten leading causes of death and disability in the world. And, Joseph Pilates, inventor of Pilates, identified the office chair as the leading cause of poor health in men.

So, What’s the answer to these problems? Stand up and exercise, please don’t take a seat!

As human beings, we’re designed to exercise. In fact, our bodies thrive on it. Movement keeps our blood circulating, our lymphatic system, a.k.a. our “sewer system” working, our muscles tuned and our brains firing. When we exercise, we feel better, think better, and look better.

Even though we live in modern society, our bodies are no different than they were thousands of years ago when we were hunters and gatherers. Just like back then, when we’re under stress, our bodies go into the “fight or flight” mode. In preparation for the anticipated need to fight or take flight, our bodies automatically divert blood to our legs and away from our brains.

It’s only by exercising that we’re able to re-circulate the blood back and start to think clearly once again.

Exercise is Not Just an After Work Thing

With all of the recent trends in fitness, people have been doing a lot of movement outside of work – biking, hiking, bungy jumping, you name it. But, truthfully, we need to be moving all the time—especially at work. Not only is it good for us as individuals, it’s also good for companies. Research has shown that promoting exercise in the workplace is great for morale, productivity, and ultimately the bottom line.

One of the leaders in promoting wellness at work is Johnson and Johnson. As part of their health and wellness program, they have installed sit-down/stand-up desks for all of their call center employees. At the beginning of the workday, these employees are sitting, but by the end of the day, they are all standing at their desks. Just allowing this amount of moving around has helped them to manage their stress better.

Move Your Body…Leads to Improved Health

Companies often hesitate to invest money in promoting well being at work, but the irony is that companies end up paying more if they don’t. According to the National Business Group on Health, US employers are paying $12.7 billion dollars a year in healthcare costs. Meanwhile, companies that have invested in wellness programs report having saving millions. In fact, Johnson and Johnson saved $8.5 million dollars a year as a result of their health and wellness program.

Of course, we don’t all have access to the resources that Johnson and Johnson does, but there are simple steps that we can all take to get moving at work. Please read 7 Ways to Add Exercies to Your Day for a few easy tips to get you started.

Each of these seemingly insignificant movements add up, not only for individual health, but for a company’s bottom line. You’ll be amazed by how much better you feel at the end of the day and how much more productive you can be. It just takes a little to make a huge difference.

Exercising our bodies not only helps us physically, but also mentally. By moving our bodies, we move our minds.

Laura Putnam, is founder and CEO of San Francisco based Motion Infusion, an organizational consulting and wellness company. She provides training on learning, leadership, human performance improvement and well being. Laura utilizes a movement-based approach to facilitate learning and promote wellness. To learn more, please visit her website, MotionInfusion.