There is so much going on with parkHIIT and in the workplace wellness space at the moment. It’s been a really exciting and very active couple of weeks! Here’s a snapshot of what’s been going on over the past 10 days alone:
Both parkHIIT and the Workplace Wellness Ireland community formally joined the Healthy Ireland network
It’s been a really exciting few weeks for parkHIIT with lots of developments so I wanted to take the time to quickly bring you up to speed on all of them. I’ve summarised as much as I can in the attached video.
Check out the video for the full update!
Read MoreOn Tuesday September 4th we held the inaugural meet up of the Workplace Wellness Ireland community at the Bank of Ireland in Grand Canal Square in Dublin. I was blown away by the attendance and by the positive feedback following the event. The atmosphere and energy in the room was something I had hoped for so it was extremely pleasing to see my expectations not only met but exceeded on the night. Thanks to everyone that came along and contributed to the positivity.
Read MoreIt feels like we are on the crest of a wave with workplace wellness in Ireland. Lots of companies are talking about it, millenials are specifically seeking out employers with wellness programmes in place and three healthy workplace accreditations are being launched on the island of Ireland within the space of twelve months.
There was a gaping hole though. Where could an Irish employer go to find out where to start with a wellness programme or how to improve one? How could they learn from Irish companies that have developed successful programmes? Where could they hear about mistakes made and lessons learned? Who could best support their organisation’s specific needs in this area?
Read MoreWe all need a little bit of resistance in our lives. Resistance exercise that is. Twice a week at least seeing as you asked.
If you don’t believe me then take a look at what the World Health Organization has to say on the matter:
“Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.”
Read MoreFinding the time, energy and motivation to exercise is one of the great challenges faced by the busy office worker. I've found that juggling work, family and social commitments with your health goals requires dedication, planning and preparation. I haven't discovered a 25th hour in the day but there are some simple tactics that I employ to find the time to exercise during my working week.
Read MoreLast week I wrote about where to get started with a wellness programme for the workplace. The response has been fantastic so it's clear there is genuine interest in this area at present. In keeping with this theme and understanding that not everyone has time to read a full article I've put together a short video that reiterates the 3 key takeaways from the article.
Read MoreThere’s quite the buzz about workplace wellness at the moment. Organisations of all sizes are switching on to the fact that healthy and happy employees have a positive impact on company culture, morale, engagement and productivity. Ensuring the wellbeing of staff can increase employee attraction and retention, reduce levels of absenteeism, improve team spirit and reduce costs. Why then are so many companies reluctant to start a wellness programme? And for those that have started, how come so many of them have been unsuccessful?
Read MoreAn overview of Irish demographics tells us that the average age of Ireland’s population will increase significantly over the next 20 years (by as much as 85%). It is projected to be the fastest increase in Europe. Add to this the projected upturn of 40% in the incidence of chronic disease between 2007 and 2020 (cancer is now categorised as a chronic disease). This will result in increasing healthcare costs and significant impacts not just on the healthcare systems but also for our health in general.
Read MoreHealth promotion in the workplace has come a long way in Ireland in recent years. The vast majority of employers that I work with now appreciate the fact that a yoga class and a lunch and learn here and there does not constitute a wellness programme.
The reason why organisations introduce wellness initiatives is slowly changing too. Historically the end goal was simply to save money; to minimise absenteeism rates and to reduce health insurance premiums. Cost benefit is still a factor for many and a properly executed wellness programme WILL deliver long term savings but I don’t believe this is the main driver any more.
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