Kaha Fit Corporate Sessions with Morgan Dunham
2020
Need I say more? The world pivoted to the home front, schedules were changed, and yearly goals became ‘just keep on keeping on.’
As COVID-19 changed social dynamics, and provided additional barriers to being active, the importance of mental health and physical wellness was brought into focus.
With Season 2 of 2020 (i.e. 2021) coming to a close, the SEEK Technology team launched a three-month program of three, 30-minute exercise sessions per week provided virtually over Zoom. This initiative aimed to assist SEEKers to move into Season 3 (i.e. 2022) feeling happier, healthier and stronger, by combatting the sedentary habits that come with living the corporate life. Over this time, Technology SEEKers learned tips and tricks to balance movement and health with an office job.
The Corporate Life + Covid-19
It will come as no surprise that corporate jobs can be hard on the body, due to extended periods of sitting and limited movement. This low physical activity can increase the risk factor for health conditions such as: obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and dementia.
The corporate life combined with the challenges of a global pandemic, further exacerbated mental and physical impacts for individuals. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has found that COVID-19 public health actions, whilst necessary to stop the spread of the disease, has significantly contributed to:
- Increasing stress & anxiety
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Making individuals not feel themselves (feeling ”blah”)
- Higher levels of fatigue and difficulty sleeping.
Despite the challenging conditions during the pandemic, the need and want to exercise actually increased! The British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed a study showing that the Google Relative Search Rate for ‘exercise’ has increased since 2020.
For workplaces that provide incentive or opportunity to incorporate physical activity into their employee’s day, positive outcomes have been found. These outcomes include: decreased sick days, increased productivity, and (best of all) improved employee health, both physical and mental. A recent Australian study showed that on days employees exercised, they noted a 72% improvement in time management and workload completed. Many global employers have increased their commitment to their people by recognising and supporting the need to talk more about wellbeing of their people and invest in encouraging balance and healthy habits.
Taking a break to exercise with fun, energising and team building training can benefit employee health and wellbeing in more ways than one.
Tips and Tricks for Balance, Movement and Rest
Every year when 1st January rolls around, most of us will have Social Media feeds filled with “New Year, New Me” posts from friends and family wanting to prioritise health. But come February — radio silence. Multiple studies highlight that these New Year’s resolutions only last around 3 months on average.
To create healthy habits that are embedded in your day-to-day, Personal Trainer and ex elite Rower, Morgan Dunham from Kaha Fit suggests the following tips:
Make it sustainable — start small
Consistency is key when it comes to achieving your goals. You do not have to go 100% intensity and be on a strict diet every single day as that is much more likely to lead to giving up and falling back into old habits. Start by creating a sustainable, achievable goal and do not be too hard on yourself (we are all human and all have bad days).
Find your why
Thinking of your goals and keeping them in mind will help keep motivation high on those tougher days! It also helps when you hit that tough spot in a workout to remind yourself of your goals and how what you are doing is helping you work towards them.
Plan ahead
It always helps to be prepared, so think ahead and plan your weekly meal and workout schedule. Block out spaces for your daily movement, get your gear ready the night before and prep your food so when you are super busy you have an easy snack and meal to grab on the go!
Setup a routine
Create a routine that works for you! Everyone is different so find what works for you. Having a set routine will help keep you on track and get you in the habit of maintaining your healthy lifestyle changes long term.
Change surroundings
If you find that your current surrounding is not helping you maintain your goals, try making some slight changes to make healthier choices easier. Find interesting walking tracks, remove temptations by not regularly buying chocolate/chips/goodies, carry your water bottle everywhere or try not to have your phone next to your bed.
Rest and Recover
The creation of Healthy Habits should go hand in hand with adequate time for rest and recovery. When you have your game plan, ensure that you add in time to stretch and rest, and that you drink plenty of water.
It’s Never too late
It is never too late to start to find your balance. Implement the tips and tricks above to create sustainable healthy habits.
Reach out to Kaha Fit on Instagram, Facebook or email (hello@kahafit.com.au) to reduce stress, increase productivity and feel energised
References:
- Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 2021, accessed 31 January 2022, < https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/cope-with-stress/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fdaily-life-coping%2Fmanaging-stress-anxiety.html>
- Ding D, del Pozo Cruz B, Green MA, et al Is the COVID-19 lockdown nudging people to be more active: a big data analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2020;54:1183–1184.
- Coulson, J.C., McKenna, J. and Field, M. (2008), “Exercising at work and self‐reported work performance”, International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 1 №3, pp. 176–197. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538350810926534
- Puig-Ribera A, Bort-Roig J, Giné-Garriga M, González-Suárez AM, Martínez-Lemos I, Fortuño J, Martori JC, Muñoz-Ortiz L, Milà R, Gilson ND, McKenna J. Impact of a workplace ‘sit less, move more’ program on efficiency-related outcomes of office employees. BMC Public Health. 2017 May 16;17(1):455. doi: 10.1186/s12889–017–4367–8. PMID: 28511642; PMCID: PMC5434625.
