New campaign to get Northamptonshire workers more active

A new campaign aimed at tackling inactivity in workplaces across Northamptonshire has launched, giving you the chance to get involved.
The 2018 Workplace Challenge launched at the start of this week.The 2018 Workplace Challenge launched at the start of this week.
The 2018 Workplace Challenge launched at the start of this week.

Alarming statistics show the average Brit sits down for 8.9 hours every day and one in four of us do fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity a week – contributing to around 131 million working days lost to sickness in England each year.

Workplace Challenge, in collaboration with Northamptonshire Sport, is tackling the issue with the launch of its latest campaign designed to break down the culture of a desk-bound lunch.

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It aims to help address and break down the barriers we face in fitting physical activity into busy work/life schedules.

Northamptonshire Sport's Jackie Browne said: “It’s all too easy to stay at the desk over lunch or to work late in the office to meet a deadline, but this is contributing to a worrying trend of inactivity amongst the working population.

"Too many of us aren’t getting the recommended 150 minutes of exercise in a week – and it’s having a serious impact on our mental and physical health, not to mention the productivity of workers.

“The 2018 Active Workplace Challenge is about giving people the support and inspiration to get up on their feet and bring physical activity into and around their working day.

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"Northamptonshire Sport will be offering a series of events and inter-workplace competitions including bowls, squash, archery, canoe slalom etc and more, together with the Workplace Challenge online activity tracking resource, it couldn’t be easier to get involved."

The 2018 Active Workplace Challenge will include a series of initiatives, events, inspiration and advice provided for local people by Northamptonshire Sport over an eight-week period, which began on January 8.

When you sign up to the campaign you can track your physical activity online, easily comparing activity levels to other participating individuals and organisations.

The focus this year will on bitesize chunks of activity, encouraging workers to step away from their desks and out of the office during the lightest and brightest part of the day.

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Northamptonshire Sport has set a target for everyone to walk, jog, run or cycle one mile each day during the eight week period.

There are also a series of workplace offers from National Governing Bodies of sport, available on the Workplace Challenge website to support physical activity in and around the working day.

Find out how you and your workplace can get involved in the 2018 Active Workplace Challenge here.