Tell employers to start yoga or spinning at lunchtime, say health officials

Employers should encourage workers to exercise during their lunch break to combat levels of obesity and increase staff satisfaction, health officials said.

The National Institute for Excellence in Health and Care (NICE) has published these guidelines as part of a larger goal to increase physical activity levels among British workers.

Employees should be offered subsidized subscriptions at the gym so they can take yoga or spinning clbades to separate from their days, says NICE.

The organization also suggests that employers ensure that offices have a bicycle storage room, locker rooms and access to a nearby pool to make physical activities as accessible as possible. .

About two-thirds of Britons are obese or overweight. In England, Wales and Scotland, the number of people suffering from morbid obesity is expected to double by 2035.

According to government statistics, 15.4 million days of work were lost due to stress, depression and anxiety in 2017-18, a figure that, according to NICE, could be significantly reduced if employers took a more active role in promoting physical well-being.

"If the 5.7 million small and medium-sized businesses in the UK encourage their staff to be more active, they will be more likely to reap the benefits of having engaged, more productive employees and less likely to take sick leave, "said the professor. Gillian Leng, Deputy Director General and Director of Health and Social Services, NICE.

"As a society, we are facing an obesity crisis caused in part by people who are not doing enough exercise. We need people to change their lifestyle and do more exercise. If they can do it during the working day, they will benefit not only, but also their employers and the NHS. It's a win-win for everyone. "

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, added that the exercise "can have an extremely positive impact" on our mental health, in addition to our physical health.

"It is therefore essential to help patients be more active in their daily activities, both at work and in their leisure time, to help them lead long, healthy lives," he said. she said.

"We urge employers to seek to implement these recommendations quickly, as long-term, a healthy workforce will be more productive and, hopefully, happier."