July 2017

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Showing all posts made in the month of July 2017.

In the news…

We’re constantly seeing articles posted on the world wide web in support of lessening sitting time in workplaces. This is a round up of what we’ve stumbled across lately. The Washington Post wrote a scientific review on the risks of too much sitting. CBS News recently reported on the dangers of prolonged sitting, busting the myth that regular exercise is all you need for optimal health. The Alternative Daily lists a whopping 48 ways to move more at work.

Consider your activity across the whole day

It is well recognised that doing regular exercise has several benefits for your physical and mental health. We should all be aiming to meet physical activity guidelines of at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each day. However, for most adults, exercise constitutes only a small proportion of the day – it is also important to think about the rest of the day. If you spend most of the rest of the time sitting, you may be increasing your risk for poor health. Time to stand up?

Feeling foggy? It might be time to get up…

The following article was published in The Conversation on July 27th, 2017. Could too much sitting be bad for our brains? Sitting affects our glucose levels, which affects our brain. Unsplash/Andrew Branch, CC BY-SA Michael Wheeler, University of Western Australia; Daniel Green, University of Western Australia; David Dunstan, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, and Paul Gardiner, The University of Queensland In many aspects of life where we need to use our brain power, we also tend to sit down: at school, at work, sitting exams or concentrating on a crossword. In a new paper, we explore how prolonged sitting may affect the brain’s fuel supply and have a negative impact on brain health. The brain is a glucose hungry organ. It weighs about 2% of body mass but demands about 20% of our resting energy requirements, which is mostly in the form of glucose, the primary brain fuel. If this energy supply is disrupted it can impair and even damage brain cells. Therefore, the availability of glucose to brain cells may have implications for brain health. Exposure of the brain to both high glucose levels and low glucose levels can increase the risk of developing dementia. Also, switching between a…

Top tips from Champions for Champions

We asked Workplace Champions for their top tips to running BeUpstanding™ and here’s what they said…  Don’t do it alone! Make sure you have a support network of other keen staff members who can step in to help you, especially during busy periods or when you are away. Be creative and try to have fun. Staff respond well to innovative and fun ideas. The more fun you have running the program, the more likely staff will follow your lead. Don’t be disheartened by nay-sayers. There’s usually at least one or two general and/ or management level staff who are skeptical or unwilling to make changes. Try not to let their voices be the loudest in the crowd.  Print out the program overview to help you stay on track and tick off the steps as you go so that you remember where you are up to. Regular reminders in your calendar prompting you to go back into the Toolkit can help make sure you don’t lose momentum. Think about regular ‘re-launches’ and ways to keep people motivated (like themed morning teas, quizzes, competitions and challenges). Perseverance is the key…and you’ll slowly start seeing that standing up, sitting less and moving more…

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