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Active at Work
Workplace physical activity programmes
Regular physical activity is one of the main factors which reduces your risk of heart attack, along with not smoking and having a healthy level of blood pressure and cholesterol. Being active is the one factor that you can influence and change yourself without medication or treatment and usually at very little cost. All adults need moderate intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on 5 days a week or vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes on three days a week, or a combination of both e.g. 2 days x 30 minutes brisk walking and 2 days x 20 minutes jogging.
Studies show that active employees take less time off work, suffer less workplace injuries and are more productive at work than a less active workforce. Replacing minutes of sitting and moving about more in the workplace, walking to a colleagues’ desk instead of emailing , arranging walking meetings, parking the car as far as possible from the company, are all steps in the right direction.
As an employer there are a number of things you can do to encourage employees to be more physically active.
Active@work has a number of physical activity programmes to encourage employees to be more physically active at work, at home and during leisure.The programme was developed by the Irish Heart Foundation based on feedback and evaluations from Irish companies. These programmes are easy to implement and encourage goal-setting and self-monitoring by employees to help them stay motivated, to achieve the recommended physical activity levels and to encourage them to stay active.Specifi cally through the Walking, Step and Slí na Sláinte Time or Distance Challenges, active@work encourages walking, which is the most popular and accessible form of physical activity.Active@work also encourages activity of any kind by promoting
the Heart Point Challenge.
active@work programmes include:
1. Walking Challenge
2. Step Challenge
3. Slí na Sláinte (Path to Health)
4. Slí na Sláinte Time or Distance Challenge
5. Heart Point Challenge
6. Desk Work-Out
1. Walking Challenge
The Walking Challenge is a simple, practical and easy to organise fiveweek walking challenge, which encourages employees to build up to the recommended 30 minutes or more of physical activity five days of the week. Employees are encouraged to become active at home, at leisure and during their working day by making walking a regular habit. All employees who do the challenge receive a walking diary card to record their minutes of activity. Those who complete the Challenge receive a certificate of achievement. If you want to encourage and organise employees to walk during lunchtime or before or after work the Irish Heart Foundation provides training to company representatives wishing to lead walking groups.
2. Step Challenge
Based on a very similar approach to the fi ve week Walking Challenge but with the added incentive of a step counter, the five-week Step Challenge encourages individuals to achieve and maintain the target steps of 10,000 steps per day. Most people only take on average between 3,000 and 5,000 steps and the Step Challenge is designed to encourage employees to build up their level of activity to reach the 10,000 steps. Al participants receive a diary sheet to record their steps. Pedometers can be purchased from the Irish Heart Foundation at a nominal price.
3. Slí na Sláinte (Path to Health)
Slí na Sláinte is a walking initiative with two dimensions to the programme. In the community Slí na Sláinte has over 150 walking routes around the country. Routes are marked at kilometre intervals and are designed to encourage walking at any time. Slí na Sláinte is used on established walking routes and maps are available from www.irishheart.ie/sli. In addition, the Irish Heart Foundation website www.irishheart.ie/sli has an extensive list of community walking clubs around Ireland. The clubs accommodate various levels of fitness, from beginner walks to more demanding hill and mountain hikes. Slí na Sláinte has also been adapted for the workplace with signs mapping out time and distances, motivational posters for display and maps of indoor and outdoor walking routes. The signs and posters inform people about the benefits of physical activity and aim to encourage activity throughout the day, such as walking short distances or taking the stairs instead of the lift. Workplaces that introduce Slí na Sláinte are helping to create an environment that encourages physical activity.
4. Slí na Sláinte Time or Distance Challenge
Similar to the Walking Challenge, employees are encouraged to build up the recommended distance or minutes of walking. Employees can do the Challenge in their own time and are given a wallet-sized card to record their walking. To complete the Challenge they walk either 100km (or 1,000 minutes) or 500km
(or 5,000 minutes). On completion of the Challenge they receive either a silver or gold pen.
Combining activities
Any activity is good for health. However, it is recommended to combine aerobic, stretching and strengthening activities for overall health. To encourage employees to combine all three types of activity the Heart Point Challenge or Desk Work-Out offers alternatives. They are also ideal to offer choice and variety in promoting physical activity to employees.
5. Heart Point Challenge
This programme encourages employees to build up to the recommended 30 minutes of activity five days a week by earning 15 Heart Points a week. The challenge is set over four weeks and employees are encouraged to record their daily activity. All activities must be done at a moderate intensity for 10 minutes or longer to earn 1 Heart Point. A sample planner provides examples on how to record activity. General information on physical activity is provided throughout the booklet. Employees receive a certificate of achievement on completion of the Challenge.
6. Desk Work–Out
Desk Work-Out is a web based physical activity programme with a series of aerobic, stretching and strengthening activities to encourage movement and activity at the desk. As many employees work at sedentary jobs this programme is a great way of energising and stretching the body during the working day or at home. Download the programme at www.irishheart.ie.
Cost of the programme
active@work programme has a co-ordinator guide which sets out the steps to help you plan, implement and evaluate your physical activity programme. It also provides ideas on how to get started and how to keep employees active. The guide is supported by sample questionnaires, programme plans, a factsheet and a contact list. The cost of this guide is €15, however if you decide to implement any of the following programmes this will be deducted from the total amount.
The following programmes are charged as below:
- Step Challenge
- Walking Challenge
- Heart Point Challenge
Companies with less than 50 employees: €100
Companies with 50-100 employees: €150
Companies with 100-200 employees: €200
Companies with 200-300 employees: €300
Companies with 300-400 employees: €400
Companies with over 400 employees: €500
We supply:
- active@work co-ordinator guide
- Promotional programme posters
- Physical activity promotional posters
- Challenge cards for all participants
- Heart Health Information Leaflets
- Achievement certificates for all those who complete the challenge
Slí na Sláinte @work programme will cost between €300 - €800. This can include indoor/outdoor walking routes, ‘Time to Walk’ signs, motivational posters and all artwork, with your company logo.
Support
We also offer telephone support and follow up advice to the co-ordinator of the programme, as required.
For more information on the active@work programme telephone 01-6685001
Please fill out this form to enquire about the physical activity programmes
Information about our walking programme - Slí na Sláinte
