As we edge ever closer to coming out of lockdown, being reunited with our loved ones and once more being able to head back to a normal semblance of life, we’re here to help you find the motivation to turn your attention to your health and wellbeing.
Across the country, many of us have now spent the best part of a year working in make-shift offices as we have adjusted to home working to try and prevent the spread of the virus. But what impact has this had on our health?
“A sedentary lifestyle (where we spend four or more hours sitting down each day) has significant implications for both our mental and physical health,” says Nursing Services Lead Kath Savage. “It may increase risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 Diabetes, obesity and musculoskeletal pain, especially in the lower back. Sitting for so long can make us feels stiff, sore and sluggish. It causes us to lose motivation and can increase the pain we feel. Things we really could do without under the circumstances of what we’ve been living with for the last year.”
So we thought, after a year spent living indoors, we could definitely do with blowing off the cobwebs. Which is why we’re taking part in Move in March, and we invite you to join us.
“Moving more helps our heart, blood pressure, strength, quality of life, weight and general wellbeing,” says Kath. “It helps us manage pain, is a quick commitment and becomes a lot easier to do when it becomes habitual. Put simply, we should all try to sit less and move more.”
The concept of Move in March is very simple. We encourage you to commit to movement, finding alternative ways to get your blood pumping, release those feel-good hormones and reverse some of the effects of a year spent largely sitting down.
To illustrate this point, we invited our employees to think creatively and show us how they work movement into their daily routine. And they did not disappoint.
“You don’t need to get changed into gym clothes or invest in loads of fitness equipment in order to get moving more during the day,” says Kath. “As our video shows, just doing simple things to raise your heart beat can have significant health benefits. Maybe you could work in some squats while waiting for the kettle to boil, set a reminder for an hourly stretch, or just do an extra lap of the stairs every now and then. However you choose to do it could have a hugely positive result on your mental and physical health.”
If you’re looking for some inspiration on more ways to get moving at home, check out some of our exercise videos you can do as a household. We’ve also created indoor and outdoor versions of a scavenger hunt designed to get your family moving and spend some time together that doesn’t involve any discussions about home schooling or what to have for tea. As we continue to work from home for the time being, you might want to check out our healthy habits for home workers, or find out more about how you can work 150 minutes of physical activity into your week.
So with Spring on the way, the number of people receiving vaccines increasing by the day and the roadmap out of lockdown agreed, there is no time like the present to make some healthier lifestyle choices.