Newsletter: walk the talk
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This newsletter is not intended for a sitting audience! Ideally, some kind of physical activity ought to be registered with the reader. That’s because this month, we look into activity tracking -in ichange3 and beyond- from a variety of angles.
So if you’re reading this newsletter mobile, make sure to be active during reading. |
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Captivating insights on e-health and workplace strategies in a world of change
Sitting is the new smoking – and sport isn’t the answer
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Alarming scientific news: sitting is detrimental to your health. Your leg muscles, the largest muscle group in your body, are the ‘engine’ in a process in which all active muscles turn lipids and sugars from your blood into energy.This is healthy for your heart and blood vessels and reduces your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Alas: after a mere 30 minutes of inactivity, this process comes to a halt, and the sugar levels and lipid levels in your blood rise again. When sitting, your leg muscles are in a state of rest, so the negative impact is strongest. |
Now this is exactly what most of us excel in: we spend long, long hours sitting, at work, in traffic, at the table and in front of the television. This is actually very unhealthy. Even worse news is that sport isn’t the answer. Of course sport has positive effects in itself, but the negative effects of sitting need to be countered independently. Regularly standing up and making a stroll should do the trick.
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Not only is this low-threshold compared to sport, it’s also a lot easier to implement on the work floor. It’s recommended to do this after every 30 minutes of being seated. This shouldn’t be all that hard: take separate breaks to go to the bathroom, coffee machine and printer, stand up for your smartphone breaks try to stand up during meetings and phone calls as well.
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One last thing: every time you sit in your car during a traffic jam and feel your leg muscles protesting against all that braking and pressing the clutch, or when you don’t find a seat on the bus, don’t worry: you’re busy investing in your health…
Activity trackers: one arm, one leg… keep moving
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The range of activity trackers on the market is enormous: from a simple pedometer tied to your shoelaces to a smartwatch, linked to an online platform. In the previous newsletter we already pointed out how activity trackers can enhance the participation in health programs on the workfloor. But what if you can’t see the wood for the trees?
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Even though manufacturers like to boast with accuracy to sell their (higher range) trackers and apps, measurement errors are gradually disappearing over their whole range anyway. So how you use a tracker is more crucial than which tracker you use. To measure the steps it’s best worn on the hip (in your trouser pocket), as this gives a more accurate measurement than on your wrist. Moreover, the type of movement generated by more intense physical activity is more easily recognized and hence measured with more accuracy.
The built-in accelerometers of modern smartphones do this perfectly as well. This means that as an employer, you don’t even have to invest in separate wearables for your staff. |
Smartphones are obviously omnipresent to the extent that they track activity during the whole day for almost everybody anyway. Even more: they can also warn you when you’ve been sitting down for too long.
Furthermore, smartphones are so entwined with our day-to day activities that the possibility of losing them is almost zero, when compared to a separate tracker. And as an empty smartphone battery creates a lot of discomfort, people will make sure that it’s always sufficiently charged. Rather than the accuracy of the measurement, it’s knowing that your activity is being measured, which will help you to be more active. Crucial for your motivation is that you can see your efforts paying off and feel your progress. One finger, one thumb, one hand, one arm, one leg… keep moving. |
Be careful however not to be blinded by the activity tracker’s initial motivation boost. New habits can only stick within a broader framework to change behavior. In the end, you will always have to deliver the actual effort all by yourself; not a single tracker will do this for you.
Due to lack of space, we don’t mention the sources for these articles in this newsletter. An overview of the different sources can be obtained on demand.
Curious how ichange3, our effective and fun vitality app,
can help you achieve your vitality policy?
