How everyone wins when employees stretch, stroll or sweat

Stop scrolling and get moving.

When it comes to getting fit and staying that way, that’s the first piece of advice Pete Estabrooks gives to his clients.

For nearly five decades now, the man known as The Fitness Guy has been dispensing wisdom, strategies and inspiration to people looking to improve their health.

“The biggest factor in activity is your cellphone,” says Estabrooks, who at age 66 is the epitome of elite physical performance. “It’s the most dangerous invention of the past 30 years.”

Estabrooks’ days are spent providing one-on-one personal training services to top executives and high-powered professionals. Evenings and weekends see him offering his energetic TKO group classes to people looking to get strong in a supportive, fun setting.

Lately, he’s seen a shift in the demographics of those seeking his help. Just a few years ago, he notes, “when someone was coming in who was 55, 60 years old, it was, ‘good for you,’  ” he says. “Now, easily half the class is 50 and up.” Other changes, says Estabrooks, have been in companies coming to him for help in setting up retreats that revolve around health and fitness.

“Thirty years ago, a company retreat was all about, ‘Let’s go get drunk,’ ” he says, adding that his corporate clients range from law firms and energy companies to retail businesses.

The switch to a healthier corporate approach only makes sense for businesses.

“Increasing employees’ physical activity can create a healthier workforce, increase employees’ productivity, and decrease employees’ risk of developing costly and debilitating chronic diseases,” says The Institute for Health and Productivity Studies, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Employees who are physically active have lower health-care costs, require less sick leave, and are more productive at work.”

Additionally, the institute notes, employees who get at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week miss an average of 4.1 fewer days of work per year.

For both his young and older clients, Estabrooks promotes a fitness regimen centred on what’s commonly referred to as functional fitness. That means training for everyday activities with a focus on strength, co-ordination and balance, along with a big emphasis on preparing your body to stay strong as you get older.

It’s key to work to increase bone density and incorporate resistance or strength training in your routine, he says.

“After 65, your chances of breaking a hip go up, and if you do break that hip, your chances of dying increase.”

Estabrooks — who recently won the seniors’ category in a 100-kilometre trail race — says that he hears from far too many people who say that between their jobs, kids and caring for older parents, there just isn’t any time left in their days to give over an hour to working out.

“So many say, ‘I’ll start working out when I’m retired; then I’ll have the time.’ ”  While he notes that it’s never too late to get off the couch, “you can’t be inactive and age well. And the sooner you start, the easier it will be over time to age well.”

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Fitness has come a long way from the 1980s when Jane Fonda — in leg warmers — promoted the leanest of figures while moving to disco music. At the same time, a pumped-up, steroid-enhanced physique was presented as something to emulate for many young men. These days, in fact, there is now so much fitness information available that it can be difficult to sort out the right way to get fit.

The health and fitness industry has become a multibillion-dollar business. An avalanche of experts (and many “so-called” experts simply selling products) fill our social media feeds. Others display an all-out obsession about not only getting and staying fit, but also outsmarting the aging process.

Still, most of us are far from obsessed with what has been called the three powerhouses of robust physical health — sleep, exercise and diet. More than half of us don’t meet the minimum 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity needed for a healthy lifestyle.

According to Statistics Canada, the fitness levels of Canadians declined substantially from the early 1980s to 2009. They have now stabilized a bit, but at a lower than optimal level. ParticipAction, the well-known Canadian non-profit organization that promotes health and vitality, notes that most of us spend more than nine hours a day in a sedentary state. Combine that with overeating and eating the wrong foods — ultra-processed, for example — and you have a perfect storm of ill health.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal says 32 per cent of Canadians are obese and 35 per cent are overweight — an alarming statistic that peaks between ages 50 to 64, those years when we are at our highest earning levels before we sail off into that presumably healthy retirement. The Canadian obesity numbers have increased by about eight percentage points since 2009, proving that all the information in the world can’t replace the simple act of eating better and getting off the couch.

Obesity, we all know, is one of the biggest determinants of disease, putting people at higher risk of everything from Type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. While Obesity Canada estimates the related health-care costs to be more than $27 billion annually, the costs to individuals are a decrease in quality of life and sometimes premature death.

If all that weren’t alarming enough, recent research findings around the perils of sitting for long periods should have all of us, especially those in 9-to-5 office jobs, standing at attention. A few years ago, the term “sitting disease” entered our lexicon. Studies around the world began showing a strong link between sitting for long stretches and Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, muscular degeneration and certain cancers — not to mention its negative effects on mental health.

Still, there are strategies that, combined with exercising during off-hours, can improve your odds of staying healthier, according to Lisa Workman, an Edmonton-based clinical exercise physiologist with more than 25 years of experience helping people reach their health goals. Along with referring clients to a dietitian for assistance with improving nutrition, Workman is familiar with the obstacles facing those in jobs that require sitting at a desk all day, or standing all day (which carries its own health risks, such as musculoskeletal issues and leg swelling).

Carving out small chunks of time to exercise, she says, can add up, especially when paired with strategies while at the office, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and getting up every hour just to stretch your legs and take a small walk.

“It’s just five minutes out of every hour, and you can do it in a professional way, like walking to your colleague’s office down the hall or one floor away, rather than sending them an email,” says Workman, who also advocates for lunch-time walks whenever possible, whether you work in an office or remotely at home.

“Over the course of a work day, it adds up. A lot of my clients can get into a spiral around what they can’t do. I tap into what works, what makes you have the best quality of life you can have today,” she says.

Such common-sense strategies, however, need the backing of employers to work. Sadly, there is much room for improvement in this area. While Workman says there is a wealth of research showing that more physically fit employees take fewer sick days, have fewer mental health concerns and can better concentrate and thus be more productive on the job, it’s still up to employers to create the conditions for health to thrive.

Thankfully, a growing number have stepped up in this manner, doing everything from hosting wellness events to offering health and wellness spending accounts that can be used towards pursuits such as yoga classes or purchasing a bicycle.

One such company fostering a healthy work environment is the employee-owned Graham Construction, which has wrap-around services for its employees. An intranet service provides vital health and fitness information. A flex spending account allows employees to annually spend on anything from a gym membership to sports equipment. The company provides an in-house health and occupational safety team. And, its corporate headquarters also has an onsite gym, where staff can receive one-on-one personal training services.

“Some of our people work in dangerous environments,” says Carolynne Laughy, senior vice-president of People and Culture for the firm that has won numerous awards, including making the list of Canada’s Top Employers. “We need people to show up for work clear-minded, rested and ready to work,” she says.

Along with the benefits to the company, Laughy says a health-centred approach to employees is a major pillar of Graham Construction’s overall philosophy. In the company’s most recent employee engagement survey, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive regarding its aims to provide a work environment of safety and health.

“What resonates here at Graham Construction is our culture of caring,” she says. “It’s important to us that our employees are comfortable, not only physically but psychologically.”

Prioritizing one’s health is something that Pete Estabrooks has been preaching for nearly a half-century, the benefits of which he has learned from first-hand experience.

“Exercise has four times better results than any SSRI (anti-depressant medication),” he says. “Just put down the phone and get started — it’s never too late and you can always do more.”

Workplace well-being tips

Creating a work environment that promotes fitness is beneficial not only for employee health, but also for the health of the organization. Here are some starting points.

Tips for employers:

• Offer employee health and wellness accounts that allow staffers to participate in activities of their choice and obtain any needed equipment.

• Offer in-house resources for health, fitness and nutrition advice.

• Foster an environment that encourages regular standing and walking breaks in an office setting.

• In environments where employees stand all day, create breaks that allow people to sit down and stretch for a few minutes.

• For those employees who drive or operate machinery, ensure they’re encouraged to stop and move their bodies at various times throughout the day.

• Offer a wide array of activities staff can do together, such as entering sports leagues or charity fitness challenges.

Tips for employees:

• Find new and novel ways to keep moving during the workday, including taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to a colleague’s work station rather than emailing that person and scheduling lunch-time walks.

• Suggest that some work meetings occur while participants either standup or go for a walk.

• Prioritize the minimum recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous exercise; the benefits will far outweigh the time sacrifice. Find your passion, there’s an activity for everyone.

• Take advantage of whatever benefits and resources your employer provides to stay healthy and fit, on and off the job.

• Be mindful of nutritional choices at home and on the job. Keep ultra-processed foods to an absolute minimum or eliminate entirely. Focus on whole foods with an emphasis on fruit and vegetables.

This is week four of a 12-week series called Vitality Alberta: Work Well. To read more, go to calgaryherald.com/workwell or edmontonjournal.com/workwell, or click on the below links:

• The importance of building a culture of workplace well-being

• A seismic shift in workplace wellness: It’s ‘changing in ways we can’t ignore’

• Beating burnout in the workplace: It’s a matter of life and death

• An app a day to keep the doctor away: How technology is changing workplace well-being

• Perks at work: Reaping the rewards of workplace well-being programs

• Watch for new content each week from now until Nov. 4

Next week — How culture counts in a healthy workplace