But one-third would like to do so: Survey
A majority (88 per cent) of employed Canadians spend time at work on personal activities such as checking Facebook, making personal calls or chatting with colleagues, yet only 17 per cent make time for a physical activity break, according to a survey commissioned by ParticipACTION.
The main reason employees are not taking a physically active break during work hours is because they do not have the time — however, 34 per cent said they would like to do so, found the survey of 2,001 people.
"We know only 15 per cent of Canadian adults are getting enough physical activity and that everyone is busy, but fitting physical activity into your workday can be easier than you think," said Kelly Murumets, president and CEO of ParticipACTION, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and supporting healthy and active living. "If you cannot get to the gym, think of other simple ways to get active at work like starting a lunchtime walking group or booking a conference room to do a power yoga session."
To help encourage Canadians to move more at work and in general, the organization is launching “Sneak It in Week” from April 9 to 13 to help Canadians sneak in short amounts of physical activity during the day.
"If you can fit in a coffee break, you probably have time to sneak in physical activity too," said Murumets. "A short activity break can actually count towards the recommended level of physical activity per week adults require for health benefits."
ParticipACTION is encouraging Canadians to wear sneakers to work as much as possible during Sneak It in Week, so getting physically active is easier to do. Some examples of ways to add 10 minutes of physical activity into the workday are:
•getting coffee or lunch a few extra blocks away
•having a walking meeting with colleagues
•parking 10 minutes from the building entrance
•going "power shopping" to get active while running errands.
