Chris Zdeb, The Edmonton Journal
Strike a pose. Just let your boss know what you’re up to before you start Yoga @ Your Desk, otherwise seeing you prone on your desktop could cause a bit of a flap at the office.
Research shows active employees can reduce a company’s rates of … injuries, disability … costs.
Yoga @ Your Desk is a series of 10-minute videos posted on the Alberta Centre for Active Living website encouraging physical activity at work, says centre spokesperson Kathy Garnsworthy.
In less time than it takes to break for coffee, desk jockeys can relax, relieve stress and stretch out the kinks in neck, shoulders and lower back that come from being hunched over a computer. It’s especially beneficial for people whose jobs keep them tied to their desks, Garnsworthy says.
The videos came out of a research project the centre published in 2003 that looked at the benefits of being physically active in a sedentary workplace and how to make that activity happen, Garnsworthy says.
Activity makes employees more satisfied with their jobs, have a better ability to cope with stress, and more alert and productive at work, Garnsworthy says.
Research shows active employees can reduce a company’s rates of turnover, absenteeism, injuries, disability compensation, health-care and life insurance costs.
It’s all well and good for government and health experts to recommend everyone get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day, but difficult to achieve when two-thirds of Canadians over age 15 spend 60 per cent of their waking hours at work
The Yoga @ Your Desk videos
She suggests directing the boss to the centre’s website at www.centre4activeliving.ca and the section on Physical Activity @ Work that shows happy, healthy employees are also better workers.
Next up, a series of Stretching @ Your Desk videos that are expected to be posted in a couple of weeks.
“You don’t necessarily need to have a giant gym in the building for physical activity at work to make a difference in people’s lives,” Garnsworthy says. “Sometimes it’s small changes like these, small things you can do during the day that can make your life better.”
An added bonus? To be able to do relaxing yoga stretches on your desktop requires a clean desk, extra incentive for keeping it uncluttered.
The Alberta Centre for Active Living is affiliated with the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta and supported by the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks & Wildlife Foundation and the Alberta Government.
czdeb@thejournal.canwest.com
Kathy Garnsworthy of the Alberta Centre for Active Living follows yoga instructor Marcia Langenberg’s directions in the video Yoga @ Your Desk playing on her computer screen.
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