Australian Medical Association says workers should work out during office hours

INSTEAD of being tied to their desk, bosses should be encouraging their staff to work out during office hours, the nation’s peak medical body has recommended.

CMNEWS_Flight Centre staff members Chloe Pham and Jason Ruttley completing a gym session inside the company office personal gymnasium this afternoon Wednesday June 18, 2014. Pictures: Jack Tran / The Courier Mail

INSTEAD of being tied to their desk, bosses should be encouraging their staff to work out during office hours, the nation’s peak medical body has recommended.

The Australian Medical Association has released a new policy statement on physical activity in response to statistics showing 60 to 70 per cent of the Australian population are sedentary.

AMA President Brian Owler said physical inactivity was killing Australians and said employers had to encourage their staff to move throughout the day, not just before and after work.

“If people are working a long day, they need protected time to do physical activity, rather than having to be constantly available,’’ Associate Professor Owler said.

“People also often eat their lunch at their desk instead of getting out in their lunch hour — employers need to encourage people to get up and around.

“Just sitting in a sedentary work environment is not great for your health.’’

He said encouraging staff to be active could also benefit the employer by resulting in healthier staff and less sick days.

“If people are off or not performing well because they’re sick, that costs employers money,’’ he said.

“Whatever they can do to make their workplace healthy is a good thing — whether that is encouraging exercise or group activity or standing desks.’’

The AMA Position Statement on Physical Activity 2014 recommended adults try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days.

Flight Centre encourages their staff to keep fit, placing gyms in their head offices where staff can do classes such as pilates or boxing or visit a personal trainer during their lunch break.

Flight Centre tax specialist Chloe Pham, 24, said she worked out at the on-site gym five days a week for 45 minutes.

“I fit sessions in during the lunch break, having a gym on site allows you to fit in a workout and gives you a refresher to kick on for the afternoon,’’ she said.

“I set it in my calendar so people know I’m going to be away from my desk for that time.’’

Flight Centre accountant Jason Ruttley, 27, said he attended regular work gym sessions, before and during work.

“We also play touch footy every Tuesday Friday lunchtime — all the executives play as well,’’ he said.

“For me, it helps me focus — if I’m getting a bit stressed, I go work out for half an hour and it clears my mind.’’

HOW MUCH EXERCISE SHOULD YOU BE DOING?

- Adults should be doing at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days.

- If you want to lose weight, this should be increased to 60 to 90 minutes of moderate activity per day or smaller amounts of vigorous activity.

- Toddlers and preschool aged children should be physically active for at least three hours per day.

- Children aged 5-12 should do at least 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity every day.

- Older Australians should aim for 30 minutes of exercise per day, depending on their mobility and balance.

Source: AMA Position Statement on Physical Activity 2014