It’s National Workplace Wellbeing Day today. A day that is marked to emphasise the importance of health and happiness in workplaces. If you remember, Ireland is the first country in Europe that has devoted a day to wellbeing moving it to centre stage. The real benefit is that companies, big and small are now trying to promote health and fitness.
Employers are now offering flexible work hours, insurance policies and organizing seminars to talk about it. In fact, many companies have planned for different events to celebrate this day. But is that enough? Are employees really taking health and fitness seriously?
Workplaces are changing dramatically with employees working different shifts, spending most of their time in their jobs. Longer working hours, involvement of technology, constant need for multi-tasking and struggling to achieve their personal commitments are all symptomatic of the modern workplace.
All these new features are leading to high stress levels, impacting the mental well-being of employees. In addition, employees’ unhealthy eating – snacking, rushed breakfasts and skipped lunches all affect their physical health and fitness.
Obviously, this results in increased employee absenteeism, high turnover and decreased productivity, hitting both the employee’s and company’s performance. So, simply conducting one-off events, perhaps once a year, may not really benefit you. The core need is that you understand why employees are not taking it seriously. Here are a few reasons why employees are resistant towards health and well-being initiatives.
“No time to work out”
Employees spend long hours at work. They have their personal commitments, kids etc. They are so busy that they do not have time to exercise for hours. However, it is also a myth that one should spend hours every week to become fit and healthy.
Studies have proven that 15 Minute work-out, just three days a week can help you lose fat, gain muscle, improve health and even longevity. Educogym’s fitness model is designed to help busy professionals get healthy in a very short amount of time This gives people more time to focus on other parts of their lives.
“I am stressed and not overweight”
Well, fitness is not just about getting into shape. Unfortunately, many people define fitness as physical health and appearance, including most fitness gyms. Fitness is more about keeping your mind and body healthy and having lots of energy for whatever you do. More energy is more life!
Not all fitness models focus on these aspects including mindfulness. People need training on how to use more of their mind for fitness. This can help with relieving stress and boosting mental energy, while improving their physical appearance.
“What Training should I choose?”
Human bodies keep changing as we age. People start losing muscle mass every year after the age of 30. This loss of lean tissue hinders the functioning of the main organs, resulting in all sorts of health problems. It also impacts the metabolic rate, increasing fat in the body, making them look older and out of shape.
Research shows that this situation can be reversed with weight training. Weight training is a type of resistance training where weights are used for exercise. Weight training provides a positive stress to muscles, helping to retain lean tissue and even making them stronger. Not just that, Educogym’s fitness equipment, ‘The Time Machine’ can help people regain muscle and rejuvenate from inside, making them look and feel younger.
“Working hard but no result”
One effective tool that people forget is the importance of attention. Imagine what would happen if you were trained to pay more attention while training or even on your goals? Educogym has pioneered and trains people how to apply a deeper level of attention, now known as Unconscious Attention.
Understanding Unconscious Attention and how to apply it will dramatically improve results. You will quickly see from people’s reviews that they could achieve seemingly impossible fitness and health goals by training their mind towards a much deeper level of attention.
“Not sure where to start”
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Each person is different, in terms of health, fitness and the ideal solution. So, they need a customized training and nutrition plan. They need personal trainers who can understand and set goals for them, make a plan, design the work-outs and motivate them constantly.
But remember, this should not be too costly for them as that will discourage them to think about fitness. Educogym trainers offer supervised sessions tailoring result-oriented fitness experiences.
In summary, it’s very fair to say that adopting a healthy lifestyle is an employee’s individual choice. However, encouraging participation and even subsidising effective proven solutions will have numerous benefits to a company. It is therefore worth thinking about promoting health and fitness culture in your work place. You can start by understanding why employees are not showing interest in it and help them with choosing the right options.
