Public Health England launch new Health at Work resource

Public Health England (PHE) have published a fantastic new Health at Work resource this week. The publication presents facts and actions employers can take to ensure the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Musculoskeletal Conditions and Work

Key findings from the report include that in the UK;

  • 131 million working days are lost to sickness absence yearly,
  • 28.2 million days of this are down to musculoskeletal problems
  • and 1 in 10 employees report having a musculoskeletal condition

This of course is a huge cost to the economy as a whole (£100 billion annually according to the report) and to businesses individually.

For employers who take care of their employees health and wellbeing there are huge benefits to be had. A healthy workforce is more productive, will take less time of sick and of course a happy employee will stay with you for longer.

PHE’s Health at Work resource suggests actions all employers can take to support their employees health and wellbeing. From ensuring senior management buy-in to encouraging healthy behaviours –  such as taking breaks, eating well and increasing physical activity.

PHE Health at Work - Call to action for employers
As many of us spend most our waking life in the workplace, one way employers can help staff increase their activity levels is by giving them opportunities to get more active during the day. For example, ensuring staff take their lunch break and encouraging them to leave work on time. Offering workplace fitness classes, such as Pilates or Yoga, is also great for helping staff with musculoskeletal problems (and for prevention). Encouraging staff to take time away from their desks to strengthen and stretch their muscles, can reduce the possibility of them taking sick days for back-pain and other MSK conditions.

Useful links:

Here are our top tips for getting active in the workplace

Find out more about our Workplace Fitness classes – an easy way to help your staff get active!

Download the full Public Health England Health at Work Publication here 

WeAreTheCity – Are you getting enough exercise?

WATC-logo-PlainWeAreTheCity May 2016
Are you getting enough exercise? 
Finding the time to exercise and get active during your working week is so important. Especially if you spend much of your day sat at a desk.

We wrote a blog post for WeAreTheCity  to mark Workplace Health Week stressing the importance of taking the time to fit physical activity into your working day.
Read the full article  

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Workplace Health Week: Win a fitness class at your office

We’re passionate about getting London office workers active and we’re working with London Sport supporting Workplace Health Week (23-27 May) offering you the chance to win a fitness class at your London office.

London Sport

Staff at London Sport getting active with a lunch break Pilates class

The Prize
One of our fantastic instructors will come along to your workplace to teach one of our classes. All you need is a free meeting room or space in your office and some willing colleagues!

How to enter
There are five classes up for grabs… simply enter your details below to be in with a chance to win one!

You can double your chances of winning by Following us on Twitter and Tweeting
@EITCLondon I’m aiming to reach my 150 mins exercise this week & I’d love a fitness class at my office for @WorkplaceChall #MakeaDeal2016

Competition closes midnight on Sunday 29th May 2016
Terms and Conditions


CiFJpDuXEAAb9uzAbout Workplace Health Week
Workplace Health Week is a campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of exercising during the working day.  The focus of this year’s campaign is to ‘Make a deal’, encouraging employers to ‘make a deal’ with their employees, colleagues and themselves to introduce physical activity to their lunchtime routine.

Did you know?
40% of people in England do not exercise enough.

Lack of exercise contributes to an estimated cost of £14.9 billion to businesses in lost working days.

According to recent research from the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC), employees cited that time was the biggest barrier to exercise and commonly said that a working day and a commute left them feeling tired with little time to exercise in the evening.

To overcome this Workplace Health Week is encouraging employers to focus on flexible working and active lunch breaks to help bring physical activity into and around the working day.

Find out more and sign up to the Workplace Challenge by visiting
www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/London

Workplace Challenge flexible lunch break manifesto

The UK’s culture of not taking a lunch break is damaging the nation’s health according to research released last week by the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (BHFNC).

The research highlighted that employees cited ‘lack of flexible working practices’ as the biggest barrier to exercise and commonly said that ‘a working day and commute left them feeling tired and little time to exercise in the evening’.
Teach First - Abs blast class

We at Exercise in the City are passionate about getting workplaces active, and so we were delighted to read and support the Workplace Challenge flexible lunch break manifesto.

Informed by the BHFNC research, the manifesto champions the lunch break as a key opportunity for employees to get active and offers employers ideas and the case for support for enabling their staff to get active.

Highlights from the manifesto included evidence demonstrating the simple shift in culture, where employers give staff time and opportunities to take part in physical activity during the working week, could make a huge difference:

  • Reducing the average of 5.31 sick days currently taken per employee by one sickness day per person per year.
  • This could save businesses across England an estimated £2.8 billion in sickness absence costs.
  • Reduce presenteeism to create a more engaged and productive workforce.

Genesis - Post Abs Blast stretch - CropWhy not support your employees to get active in their lunch breaks by organising fitness classes at your workplace?
We bring a range of classes , Pilates, Circuits, Boot camp, Yoga and more, directly to you at your workplace. It’s easy to organise, you just need a free room or space. Our team of fantastic instructors will tailor the class to suit the space you have available and goals of your staff.
Find out more about the classes we offer and book a class today. 


Workplace ChallengeYour could also sign up to the Workplace Challenge 

A great initiative run by the CSP Network and funded by Sport England aiming to engage workplaces in sport and physical activity.

Read the full Workplace Challenge Flexible lunch break challenge manifesto here

… let’s get your workplace active!!

 

MCF Corporate Finance Pilates classes

MCF Corporate Finance. Practicing Pilates in reception!MCF Corporate Finance are committed to the health and wellbeing of their employees and provide lunchtime Pilates classes for their staff at their London office. 

Classes take place either in the reception area, one of the offices or whatever space is free on the day.  As you can see from the photos no space is too small!No space too small for Pilates at MCF Corporate Finance You really can do Pilates anywhere.

We love that everyone joins in… from Company Director to Interns. It’s so great for team building.

 

MCF Corporate Finance lunchtime Pilates class“We have lunchtime Pilates classes at our office. What a great way to vary the day and recharge for the afternoon.

Pilates takes away the stress that builds up in our shoulders sitting down so much at the computer. It sets us up for the week.”
Clare – MCF Corporate Finance

MCF Corporate Finance Logo

 

http://www.mcfcorpfin.com

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Let us help you keep your ‘Get Fit’ New Year’s resolution

We at Exercise in the City can make it easy for you to keep your ‘get fit’, ‘exercise every week’, ‘be more Active’ New Year’s resolutions for 2016.

Our fantastic team of fitness instructors will bring your choice of exercise class to you at your workplace… so no excuses!3 steps stacked.jpg

All you need is a free room or space in your office, push any desks and chairs aside and away you go. Classes can be held during your lunch break, before or after work. It’s a convenient way to fit exercise into your working day.

Pilates, Yoga, HIIT, Circuits, Zumba, Boot camp, Abs Blast, lunch break 30-minute express classes and more…
We offer your choice of class and will adapt the session to suit your space.

We’re passionate about getting workplaces active and deliver fun classes for all levels. Whether you’re a complete beginner, or a fitness pro, we’re committed to helping you achieve your fitness and health goals.

Classes from just £5 per person. An easy and time efficient way for busy Londoners to exercise… So no excuses not to get, and stay, active in 2016.

To find out more and book a taster class for your workplace contact us today!

Festive Fitness Fun for your office

Looking to do something different for your office Christmas activities? Why not organise a fitness class in your workplace? Great for team building, burn off a few extra calories and engergise your body in preparation for your office Christmas party (or recovery after!)

Our Festive Fun Fitness Classes

Pre Party PilatesPre-Party Pilates
Strengthen and stretch your body to limber up for your office Christmas party dance moves! A series of mat-based exercises to help improve strength, flexibility, posture and help ease back pain after a day spent sat at your desk.

‘The Morning After’ Yoga class
Restorative Yoga sessionThe perfect cure for post Christmas party hangovers. Organise a restorative Yoga session for your team. Detox, wake-up and energise your body the morning after your office Christmas party.

Countdown to Christmas Conditioning  
Full body workout high intensity classes to kick start your ‘get fit’ new years resolutions. Plank against your boss!Circuits or Boot Camp style class which will be adapted to suit your office space.

Desk to Dance and Get the Party Started with Zumba
A calorie-burning dance fitness party in your office! Shimmy, shake and get the Christmas party dance moves started early. Great for team-building fun with colleagues.

How it works
We’ll come to your workplace to teach the class. All you need is a room or space in your office. Push any chairs and desks to the side.
All of our fantastic Fitness instructors are highly qualified and insured.
Prices start from just £5 per person.

Email info@exerciseinthecity.com to find out more and
book today

NHS calls to employers to take responsibility for workplace health

The NHS are looking to employers to take responsibility for their employees health. Simon Stevens, NHS England Chief Executive, has suggested the possibility of offering incentives to businesses who offer health and wellbeing programmes for their staff.

At yesterday’s Institute of Directors Annual Conference NHS England Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, spoke about some of the challenges facing the NHS and set out a five year plan of solutions.

We’re so fortunate to have a tax-funded National Health Service, rather than employer based health insurance, as in the USA for example. On the role of employers in workplace health Simon said: “we don’t saddle business with the costs of health care. But one by-product (of this) is that we tend to neglect workplace health.”

“The NHS will therefore now work with the Institute of Directors, and other employers and staff organisations to explore whether there is a case for suggesting to Government consideration of fiscal incentives – perhaps an employers’ national insurance rebate – for those small employers who provide their employees with credentialed health and wellbeing programmes proven to cut long term costs to the NHS.”

Pilates in the workplaceWe at Exercise in the City are passionate about getting workplaces active and have seen first hand how offering fitness classes for staff in the office can improve staff’s health. Pilates classes are proven to help with back pain and muscle tightness – the results from sitting at a desk all day.  And offering more active classes, like Circuits and Boot Camp, help to improve staff’s general fitness levels.  So we’re delighted to see that the NHS are looking to work with employers on more workplace health initiatives.

Offering fitness classes for your staff can be just a small investment – with the proven benefits far outweighing the costs. Classes can be held before/after-work or in a lunch-break. You just need a free meeting room or space in your office.
Find out more about organising classes in your workplace. 

If you would like to book a taster fitness class for your staff contact us at info@exerciseinthecity.com to find out more.

Did you know? The NHS spends over £40 billion a year on treating working age adults, much of which could be prevented. That’s on top of the estimated £32 billion cost of sickness absence caused by 130 million days off work.

References:
– NHS England Press Release  Simon Stevens speech at the Institute of Directors Annual Convention
– ‘How exercising at work really could pay off‘ Daily Mail Article
Institute of Directors Annual Conference 2015

It’s National Fitness Day!!

National Fitness Day

Naturally one of our favourite days of the year…
it’s National Fitness Day today! 

Why we’re getting involved? National Fitness Day is about raising awareness of the benefits of being active and kick-starting people to start regular exercise so we have a healthier, happier nation overall! We’re passionate about getting busy Londoners active and improving the health and wellbeing of workplaces. We do this by making it easy for employees to get active by bringing fitness classes to you at your office …. so no excuses!

Today we’ll be teaching classes for staff at… graze, Transport for London (TFL), The British Council, Girlguiding, Genesis Investment …and lots more taster classes planned through September.

So why not get active with your colleagues and book a taster session this September? It’s a great opportunity to try out a new fitness class or motivate yourself and your staff to get away from your desk and get active!  Our team of fantastic instructors teach Pilates, Yoga, Circuits, HITT plus more.

Get in touch today to find out more and book your taster session today.
Email info@exerciseinthecity.com 

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What is National Fitness Day? National Fitness Day takes place on Wednesday 9th September and is organised by ukactive, the UK’s leading not-for-profit health body for the physical activity sector.  The day aims to encourage everyone in the UK to try a new fitness activity, get moving, or see what new classes they might enjoy. Find out more about National Fitness Day 

Would you like to win a free class at your office?!

National Fitness DayEnter our National Fitness Day competition to be in with a chance to WIN a free fitness class at your London office.

It’s National Fitness Day on Wednesday 9th September and we at Exercise in the City are supporting the day helping to get London office workers active offering you the chance to win a fitness class at your London office.  

One of our fantastic instructors will come along to your office on National Fitness Day to teach one of our classes.  All you need is a free meeting room or space in your office and some willing colleagues.

To enter simply email us at info@exerciseinthecity.com with ‘National Fitness Day’ in the subject. Include your name, phone number and the name/address of your company where you would like the class to take place if you win. There are ten classes up for grabs… so enter now to be in with a chance to win!

You can double your chances of winning by Following us on Twitter and Tweeting‘@EITCLondon I’d love a fitness class at my London office for @NationalFitnessDayhttp://www.exerciseinthecity.com #nationalfitnessday’

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What is National Fitness Day? National Fitness Day is organised by ukactive, the UK’s leading not-for-profit health body for the physical activity sector.  The day aims to encourage everyone in the UK to try a new fitness activity, get moving, or see what new classes they might enjoy. Find out more about National Fitness Day 

Why we’re getting involved? National Fitness Day is about raising awareness of the benefits of being active and kick-starting people to start regular exercise so we have a healthier, happier nation overall! We’re passionate about getting busy Londoners active and improving the health and wellbeing of workplaces. We do this by making it easy for employees to get active by bringing fitness classes to you at your office …. so no excuses!

More about the prize One of our fabulous instructors will come to your office on National Fitness Day – Wednesday 9th September – to deliver a free 45 minute fitness class. Winners will be contacted by Wednesday 2nd September and we’ll arrange a mutually suitable time on the day to come to you.

Competition closes 6pm on Friday 28th August.
Read the full terms and conditions of the prize here

Contact julia@exerciseinthecity.com to find out more about booking classes at your office.