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LESS THAN ONE-THIRD of adults in Ireland meet the minimal physical activity recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week.
Workplaces around the country are trying to combat this by getting their employees involved in exercise and healthy eating initiatives.
Regular physical activity reduces people’s risk of heart disease and stroke and, with this in mind, Irish Heart Foundation’s Active@Work programme supports companies that help their staff achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Enda Campbell, Irish Heart Foundation’s Workplace Health Promotion Officer, said it’s understandable that some people can’t get 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week due to work, commuting and other commitments.
If possible, Campbell recommends doing exercise in shorter bouts – such as 10 minutes – and working this into your daily routine.
“That could mean getting off the bus a couple of stops early … or going for a bit of a stroll on your lunch break,” he said.
Noting that getting exercise can be more difficult if you drive to work, Campbell said people could consider parking somewhere along their route and cycling the rest of the way. ”This is not about drastic measures, it’s just about getting into a routine.”
Campbell noted that research carried out by Ibec found out that an active workforce can reduce sick days by 27% and broader absenteeism by up to 20%.
Specialist nurse
Irish Heart Foundation arranges for a specialist nurse to visit companies that sign up to the Active@Work programme. They test people’s blood pressure – the best way of identifying risks of cardiovascular disease – as well as carrying out cholesterol and diabetes tests and carbon monoxide testing for smokers.
The nurse then helps people set out a plan to achieve their goals for increasing fitness or losing weight.
As part of the programme, some organisations hold fitness classes or set up a running club or sports team.
Some employees at Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, Co Offaly have set up a running club, while a weekly circuit training class also takes place.
Miriam Weir is a multi-task attendant at the hospital. She was inspired to take up running when her husband and other colleagues ran a 10k race in Mullingar in 2016.
“My fitness level wasn’t great – I wasn’t active, I was overweight, I had high enough BMI (body mass index) but I got involved … They all came back excited, I said I’d do [the race] next year.
“I did the couch to 5k, that had me out running and it just took off from there.”
‘To run 5km was just brilliant’
Weir, 42, said she sometimes wanted to give up, but her colleagues kept encouraging her to stick at it. She did smaller runs and walks a few times a week until she was able to run 5k without stopping.
“Plenty of evenings I didn’t want to go, but I did because I didn’t want to let them down. It’s good to have that support, it’s a social thing as well.
“The achievement to run 5km was just brilliant,” she said.
Weir has lost over two stone through running and healthy eating. Last year, she did the Women’s Mini-Marathon in Dublin and her goal this year is to run a half-marathon in Mullingar.
It’s very good for your mind to get out. When you’re running you just let go of everything, you’re focusing on breathing and what your goal is. Anything that’s on your mind, you put it on the back burner.
Theresa Bracken works in the hospital’s cardiac unit. She goes to a circuit training course at the hospital once a week, as well as walking regularly.
“I find it very good. Otherwise you just go straight home from work, you get a burst of energy after the class, it’s a great boost.
“Beforehand you’d often not be in the humour to go, you’d feel too tired and say you’re not going to go but you tell yourself, ‘Right, I am going to go’ and you feel great afterwards.”
Bracken, 55, said her work at the hospital can be quite physical as it involves pushing patients from one area to another.
Bracken and Weir have both taken part in sports challenges organised by the hospital, saying they’re a great way to meet people from other departments who they might not know otherwise.
Campbell said a company hoping to create a healthier environment at work should set out a plan that’s sustainable. If it can’t organise its own classes, the business could identify local clubs and events that staff could go to, he suggested.
“The key thing is that you need variety – something that is appropriate to one proportion of the workplace might not be suitable for another group.”
For more information about Active@Work, click here.
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The winter vomiting bug (norovirus) had been around for some time now. What I cannot understand is Joe public visiting hospitals despite requests not to. Next of kin of course must visit. I’ve seen so much recently of aquatinted people and neighbors …. we can only stop infection by following requests of medical experts.
You get people going to A&E that really don’t need to be there.. the minor injuries clinic will sort you out for things like sprains, stitches, and minor fractures. A&E should be for medical emergencies like serious fractures, head injuries, spinal injuries, cardiac and respiratory problems. If you go to A&E with the sniffles or a minor injury, you are part of the problem in the Irish Health Service. If it’s serious enough, you’ll be referred from your GP or the minor injury clinic or the swift care clinics. They may even get you a spin in an ambulance.
@David: It’s not always practical. Minor injury clinics don’t operate 24/7. The one in Smithfield for example is 8-6 excluding weekends and bank holidays.
Go to the equivalent of SouthDoc then. Get your referral letter, if required, it’ll save you money as you won’t pay the A&E fee, provide reassurance and free up space in the A&E. Most doctors can put a few stitches in… it comes down to common sense. There are an awful lot of hypochondriacs in Ireland.
@David: The problem with crowding is the numbers who require admission and patient flow which is at a standstill. It’s all well and good telling people to first go to their GP, but high acuity patients need to go directly to an A&E. Minor injury units need to operate 24/7. GP’s should have direct access to diagnostics which again should be open 7/7. Triage should also be able to redirect inappropriate attendees back to GP’s.
Another thing that’s strange is people turning up to A&E with not medical issues. Do they not realise theres a out of hours doctor facility Care Doc or South Doc that are more than capable another thing I don’t get is people queuing at a doctor surgery coz they’ve a cough or cold.
Their GPs are still on holiday. If they attend Southdoc they must pay for the service. By going to the CUH they produce their medical card and get it for free and then ring their local radio station complaining about having to wait 8 hours in A&E.
Southdoc don’t charge if the patient has a medical card.
People who require a certificate for work because they have a heavy cold will have to get it from someone. I don’t see the issue with them queuing too get it from their doctor.
Anthony
Most doctors were open 28-30 December plus the car doc deals with any problems put of hours.
Charge everyone the a an e charge. If it is a real emergency you will get admitted and therefore no charge for a and e. Other than that see a GP and let them refer you to a and e if deemed necessary. Medical card holders can see out of hours doc for free but many go straight to a and e as that is free too.
Get well soon, all of ye.
To avoid €100 fee you need a gp letter or a medical card. Seems strange.Ambulance cases or gp referrals only.
Gosh! sick people over the Christmas / winter period, that’s something we’ve never seen before
no mention of the skeleton crews running the hospital last week…
yes yes I know someone will say that Hospital staff are entitled to holidays too, of course they are but not all at the same time
Have seen first hand the volume of patients presenting to an A&e in Cork over the Christmas period. It’s not a case of Skelton staff, in fact there were staff including doctors drafted in from other areas of the hospital to assist with the influx of patients. The doctors and nurses I have met were nothing short of excellent and have given the very best of care to all in the A&E.
No one should be allowed into hospital with the flu unless they’ve been vaccinated. Ditto other preventable diseases. Anyone pissed should be heavily fined.
Awful awful hospital. And shite doctors who will discharge patients without even interacting with them and telling them what’s wrong. Great nurses though.
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