April 2004 - Workplace Fitness

April 2004 - Healthy Workplaces

Workplace Fitness: A gym full of useful advice for continual learning; Resources (links, books, articles, humor)
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Workplace Fitness

A gym full of useful advice for continual learning

by: Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE

"Where do you get all your energy?" That’s a question many of us are asked as we finish leading an intense management retreat, conducting a training session or keynoting a major conference. My answer is "Exercise."

I’ve realized that some of the lessons learned in a physical fitness program are appropriate for our personal and professional growth and have also have application in the training room.

Cross train

It’s essential for continual improvement. We all get into our ruts, doing the same routines over and over again and wondering why we don’t see any improvement. The body (as well as the mind) slips into neutral.

Cross-training challenges different parts of our physical structure. We have to learn a new way of holding weights, of balancing, of breathing. We gain a new appreciation for a different skill set. The parallels in organizational behavior are immediate.

Hydrate

The body demands water when it is being physically taxed. So too does the brain.

Notice I didn’t say "coffee." Just plain old clear water.

Water might not be our favorite beverage but hydration actually helps our endurance. No wonder we want pitchers of water in our training rooms!

Push beyond your barriers

man and woman stretching There are two kinds of barriers; those imposed by others and those imposed by ourselves. The latter are the most restrictive.

I finally took a spinning class. This class uses a stationery bike that can be adjusted to tighten or loosen the gears. I can literally feel like I am pedaling up Mt. Everest or cruising along the beach sand.

It’s the hardest class I have ever taken. I love and hate it. And I go because it makes me push against what my mind says "you can’t do." Now, I’m NOT going to challenge Lance Armstrong.

My body DOES know its limits. But I AM doing that which I said I could not. It’s a thrill!

End performance anxiety

Walk into a gym and you see the jocks who grunt and lift huge weights, vying with their buddies for the most reps.

Go to a class and you’ll see the double-stepping, dance-twirling footwork of some double-jointed exerciser. If you try that move, you’ll twist your knee and land in surgery.

We are not built alike. While pushing beyond barriers, also know that each one of us has specific abilities.

To demand that I hop and dance like the knee-torquing guy in the front row is ludicrous. I am here to improve my body — not resemble theirs!

Action speaks louder than words

At my gym, there are members who spend most of their time swapping war stories and giving updates on current sport matches. Instead of working out, they talk.

And then, they’ll ALSO talk about how hard they worked out. I call that cheating.

Stick to the task at hand. Action ALWAYS is louder than words

Get a trainer

We can’t see our postures with free weights. We don’t know what different exercise might improve a specific problem area. And we don’t always stick to a regimen unless we’re accountable to someone besides ourselves.

Call it a coach, an advisor, a mentor — whatever. All of us can benefit from the advice and new eyes of someone outside of ourselves.

Celebrate your success

I admit: I despised exercise when I started. But I KNEW that I had to begin.

I set a goal of 3 exercise times per week — 30 minutes to start. Every time I exercised, I put a sticker in my appointment book. Yes — a fun sticker: animal, cartoon face, flower, you name it.

Amazing but my appointment book began to blossom with crazy kid stickers. I could literally see progress every week.

When beginning any new behavior, we all know that rewards are important. Stickers are cheap and visual. Whatever the reward, it’s the consistency of the giving that matters.

Workplace workouts — in the context of learning — can promise growth, stamina, productivity AND ultimately profitable performance.

About the Author

Eileen McDargh, CSP,CPAE is head of McDargh Communications, a training and consulting practice founded in 1980. She’s also an award-winning author, radio commentator and on the Board of the National Speakers Assoc. Her website is www.eileenmcdargh.com

Internet Resources

Eileen McDargh's articles http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/reading_articles.html
Fitness Articles http://www.nvo.com/upandmoving/fitnessnewsletter/
Workplace fitness resources http://leadership.gc.ca/categories.asp?Sub_id=110&lang=e
Health Quest http://www.turningpointuk.com/healthquest/index.htm
Washington State Wellness Guidelines For Insurance Carriers, Employers and Individuals http://www.doh.wa.gov/here/howto/images/wellnessguidelines.html
Best Practices to Promote Physical Activity http://www.doh.wa.gov/here/howto/images/BPPhys.html
Best Practices to Promote Good Nutrition http://www.doh.wa.gov/here/howto/images/BPNutri.html

Books Disclosure: We get a small commission for purchases made via links to Amazon.

Health Promotion in the Workplace (3rd ed), Michael P. O’Donnell (editor & president, American Journal of Health Promotion). Delmar Publishers 2002 ISBN 0766828662
How to Design Workplace Health Promotion Programs, Michael P. O’Donnell, Ph.D. 2000 American Journal of Health Promotion
How to Evaluate Workplace Health Promotion Programs, Ron Z. Goetzel, Ph.D., et al 2000 American Journal of Health Promotion
Promoting Employee Health: A guide for Worksite Wellness (2nd Ed), Rebecca Cogwell Anderson, Ph.D. American Society of Safety Engineers; 2nd edition March 1999. ISBN 1885581254
Workplace health, Employee Fitness and Exercise, Kerr, Griffiths & Cox, Ed. (1996) Taylor & Francis. ISBN: 0748401423
Wellness at work: Building resilience to job stress, Valerie O'Hara. New Harbinger Publications 1995. ASIN: 157224030X
How employers are saving through wellness and fitness programs (2nd ed) Editor, Beth-Ann Kerber. American Business Publishing 1994. ISBN: 1882364325

Articles

Wellness programs evolve http://money.cnn.com/1999/05/11/life/q_health/
10 Reasons to Encourage Fitness in the Workplace http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Doyle4.html
Stretching exercises http://www.stretchnow.com.au/exercises/neck.htm
Fitness in the workplace http://www.2-fit.com/miscellaneous/Fitness__workplace.html
Workplace counseling may boost physical activity, fitness http://www.hbns.org/news/work04-11-03.cfm
Easy Tips for Workplace Wellness http://www.jazzercise.com/articles/03_workplace_wellness.html
Stretching and Flexibility
Tips for being active in the workplace http://www.summeractive.canoe.ca/SummerActive/workplace.html
Fitness is fun http://www.backhealth.net/backhealth/fitness/workexercise.htm
Employers come to recognize role fitness plays in workplace http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2000/03/27/focus7.html
More Energy at Work http://www.teamflex.com/energy/workplace_energy.asp
Business Case Template (for creating a workplace fitness program) http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/fitness/work/case_template_e.htm
Exercise in the Workplace http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/healthy/en/exercise.php
Why should your company offer worksite wellness programs? http://preventdisease.com/worksite_wellness/worksite_wellness.html
Active Living at Work http://www.safety-council.org/info/OSH/active.html
Workplace Workouts
Fitness reshapes the bottom line http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/01/12/globaloffice.work.fitness/
Battling the bulge in the workplace http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2003/11/17/focus2.html
Workplace ergonomics http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/16860.html
Fitness in the workplace boosts productivity, morale http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2002/12/30/focus1.html
Employee wellness is good business http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/09709005.htm

The Lighter Side

More Than 375 Diet, Fitness, Health and Medical Cartoons http://www.glasbergen.com/fit.html
Medical cartoons 2004 http://home.swipnet.se/med-humor/index2.htm
Dilbert - a workplace favorite http://www.dilbert.com/

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