Employee Health & Fitness Month: Tips to be Active at Home and in the Workplace!

Here in San Diego, we are lucky to live in a very active community. With yoga studios on seemingly every corner, hiking just minutes away and, of course, the beach, fitness is very accessible. While it can still sometimes be a challenge to get motivated, it is more important than ever to maintain an active lifestyle.

The benefits of engaging in daily physical activity are astounding. Not only does working out help reduce chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, it also has been proven to improve work performance, sleep quality and mood. Working out with co-workers, friends and family only makes these benefits even more prominent.

In Japan, according to an article by Lumity¹, citizens are encouraged to work out together on a daily basis. This is done through a ritual known as “Rajio taiso,” a practice where the Japanese national radio plays a tune along with simple stretching instructions every morning.  Additionally, workplaces are encouraged to implement 10-15 minutes of  exercise into their employees’ daily routine. This encourages both social interaction and healthy movement.

Here in the U.S., May is Global Employee Health & Fitness Month (GEHFM), a government initiative to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to employers and their employees through worksite health promotion activities and environments. In celebration of GEHFM, the Mirus team got our zen on at our weekly meeting on May 14th. Business Development Specialist, Lexi, who is also a certified yoga instructor, led our team in a twenty minute relaxing yoga session. Our office dog and company mascot, Gus, approved of our downward and upward facing dogs!

We were also invited to San Diego Magazine’s annual Sweat event that took place on Saturday, May 18th. Lexi and Marketing & Operations Specialist Caroline attended this fun event and were able to take short fitness classes led by local San Diego fitness studios, including Pure Barre, Buddhi Yoga, Orangetheory and more, as well as sample healthy food and beverages from a variety of local and national companies. We were excited to see that Mirus clients White Claw Hard Seltzer, KYLA Hard Kombucha and Brew Dr. Kombucha were sampling their better-for-you beverages!

With May and Global Employee Health & Fitness Month at a close, we are moving on with the reminder and encouragement to continually be active both at work and at home. Grab a friend and try out some of these fun, free/low cost fitness options below!

At Home

• HIKING

Hiking is a great way to get exercise, socialize and explore outdoors. A quick Google search can help you find fun hikes and trails in your area.

• CLASSPASS

With different levels of membership, Classpass is great for someone who is still figuring out what type of workouts are for them, are new to an area or just want to shake things up. Try out different studios in your city and discover your new favorite way to sweat.

• STAIRS

Want a challenge? Find a set of stairs and see how many times you can run up them. If you’re in San Diego, check out the Convention Center stairs downtown!

• SCHOOL TRACKS

Whether you loved or hated P.E. when you were younger, your local high school’s track is still a great way to get a workout in. Run some laps or do a HIIT workout on the field!

• YOUTUBE VIDEOS

If you’re short on time, don’t bother going to the gym! Grab your computer and search YouTube for a fun workout video. There’s something for everyone and they’re totally free!  

At Work

• YOGA IN MEETINGS

Incorporate a short yoga or stretching routine with coworkers before your long meetings to get centered and improve your focus.

• ENCOURAGE ACTIVE BREAKS

Gather some coworkers (or your dog if your office is pet-friendly!) and take just a few minutes to walk outside during your short breaks. Even just a short amount of time getting your body moving can help improve your mood, focus and work performance for the rest of the afternoon.

You can also dedicate your lunch break to a certain route around the office building or to a nearby coffee shop or food place. And if you’re on a phone call and don’t need to be behind a screen, bring the call outside and give your legs a nice stretch!

Extra Tip: Stash a pair of sneakers in your work space so that even your cutest pair of heels doesn’t keep you from getting your steps in!

At Mirus Promotions, we highly value the importance of workplace wellness when it comes to our physical health, and we encourage you to take these fitness tips into consideration for your own. Here’s to living active and healthy lifestyles! 

¹ Workplace Wellness: Benefits of Exercise In The Workplace, LUMITY