Category: exercise

Warm up for work. Your body will thank you.

Just like cranking a car, a warm up gets your body working and ready for the day ahead.

Many people think that warming up is done only before playing sport. This is not the case. Warming up prepares both the body and mind for more strenuous activity such as the tasks you perform every day at work.

Think about how you start your day: In the mornings our bodies are generally cool. We have been in bed for the past 8 hours, gotten up, had some breakfast and then driven to work – not really considered strenuous work. Therefore, the body and its muscles are not necessarily prepared to handle the work tasks ahead.

A warm up is a great, refreshing way to start your shift. Additionally, if you’ve just finished your lunch break, blood flow is being diverted from your muscles to your digestive tract to help you metabolise your food. Therefore, a brief warm up before you return to work will help you get the blood flowing back to your muscles and brain again – which leaves your mind and body ready for work. Similarly, if you’ve hit a mid-afternoon slump, try an afternoon warm up instead of a chocolate bar or coffee!

Some of the specific benefits of a short warm up include:

  • Fatigue busting: a warm up increases the hormones that help regulate energy production. An effective warm up can also initiate sweating signals which will improve the cooling mechanisms and assist in thermoregulation while they work. Both of these are excellent at helping to delay the onset of fatigue.
  • Heart: increased heart rate and improved blood flow from a warm up reduces cardiovascular strain and improves nutrient delivery to muscles and joints.
  • Brain: mental preparation can enhance task focus for improved efficiency and decreased accident risks.
  • Improved range of motion: more ‘elastic’ muscles make for less resistance and reduced internal strain on your joints. Movement also stimulates joint lubrication.
  • Muscle temperature: warmer muscles contract smoothly and more efficiently, reducing the risk of straining.

 

Preparing muscles for a day’s work can also alleviate seemingly unrelated body aches because a tight muscle in one spot can lead to pain in other areas.

For example, consider you are experiencing tight hamstrings. When hamstrings are tight it can lead to lower back, knee and hip pain. Tight hamstrings can prevent the knees from straightening or the pelvis from ‘untucking’. A tucked pelvis is the primary cause of pelvic floor disorders and lower back pain. For a strong pelvic floor and back pain relief, lengthening the hamstrings is a requirement.

In summary – Warming up before you start your day can help build and improve your muscle strength. It helps muscles become more pliable, flexible and ready for movement as well as increase blood flow. More blood means more oxygen to the muscles meaning they can work more efficiently at less risk of injury. In addition, the brain needs oxygen to function well so a warm up is also a great way to stay focused and mentally sharp.

 

 

Find out more – Would you like to learn more about how a proper warm up for work routine can benefit your workforce? Or are you ready to implement regular warm up for work routines? We can help educate your staff, train ‘warm up for work champions’ to run regular warm up for work routines, or we can deliver them for you. Chat to us today about the many options available.

Why walk or run? (aside from the fun)

“If exercise could be packed in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.”

– Dr. Robert Butler, founder of the National Institute of Aging.

 

Aside from diet, exercise is an extremely important factor in longevity. A large study of over 600,000 people found that those doing the recommended amount of exercise had a 20% lower risk of death than those who were physically inactive.

But you don’t have to hit the gym. Walking and running are great ways to improve or maintain your health. They are activities which require minimal equipment, are free or low cost, and can be done almost anywhere at whatever pace you feel comfortable with.

Regular walking or running improves aerobic fitness which make them very beneficial for cardiovascular health. If you are new to exercise, then it doesn’t need to be vigorous or lengthy in order to improve your health. Some studies have shown that inactive people that begun low levels of exercise – around 75 minutes of walking per week – improved their fitness levels significantly.

 

Aside from cardiovascular fitness, regular weight-bearing aerobic exercise like walking and running can:

  • strengthen bones, posture, and balance.
  • help manage body fat.
  • boost muscle power and endurance.
  • improve the management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain.
  • reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

 

You may have heard of these physical health benefits before. But did you know regular aerobic exercise like walking and running also induce many physiological and psychological changes which help your mental health? Some of these include:

  • changes in your brain which help you become more resilient to stress.
  • improvements in working memory, focus, and task-switching abilities.
  • enhanced sleep quality and ability to focus during the day.
  • improved mood and decreased depressive symptoms.

 

So now you know the why, how do you get started? Just like a toddler, you should walk before you run. For beginner walkers, keep the following tips in mind:

  • Walk short distances – start with a five-minute stroll and slowly increase your distance.
  • Forget about speed – start off walking at a comfortable pace. Focus on maintaining good posture, by keeping your head lifted and shoulders relaxed.
  • Swing your arms naturally and breathe deeply. If you can’t catch your breath, slow down or avoid hills.
  • Be sure that you can talk while walking. If you can’t speak, you are walking too fast.
  • Spend 15 minutes exercising during your lunch break. You’ll eat less while clocking up more active minutes.

 

Becoming physically active after the age of 40 can reduce your risk of heart disease by 55%, compared to those who had been inactive all their lives. Get walking (then running) to reduce your risk.

 

Our group exercise sessions or fitness-based competitions are a great way to promote physical activity and health and wellness while generating enthusiasm and enjoyment amongst your employees. Sessions cater for all levels of fitness and strength to help your employees meet their overall wellness goals. Contact us to learn more.