Fit for Work

Physical activity is good for health and good for business

Team Ipswich has created Fit for Work to help employees in Ipswich get fit and healthy, have fun and make friends.
Half of our waking hours are spent at work and many jobs involve long periods of being inactive - for example, sitting down. Nationally, 32.9 million working days are lost annually from people taking time off because of their illnesses.

Physical activity is essential for good health and contributes to positive wellbeing. Active people report less illness and recover more quickly from the illness they do get.

Just 30 minutes of activity a day helps to maintain fitness and manage stress, including problems such as back pain, obesity, heart disease and type two diabetes. Being active during breaks, or active travel to and from work, can all help people to add active minutes to their day.

What's more, employees who are regularly engaged in physical activity initiatives tend to find greater enjoyment in their work, have increased concentration and mental alertness, and find that cooperation and rapport among colleagues is improved.

Fit for Work started within Ipswich Borough Council, where a variety of different activities have been set up to address the work life balance and help council staff get their 30 minutes of activity within the work place. Activities introduced include:

• A running group;
• Yoga classes;
• Workplace massage;
• Cycle to Work scheme;
• Boxacise and Kickercise classes;
• Lunchtime Wildlife Walks.

There is also a 5-a-side football team and a cricket club.

Team Ipswich Trailblazers

More recently Team Ipswich has recruited five 'Trailblazer' companies, based in Ipswich, to roll out Fit for Work across the town. The five companies were selected following a successful launch seminar hosted by Olympic legend Kriss Akabusi.

The selected trailblazers are:

• Call Connection;
• Copleston High School;
• Ipswich Building Society;
• Jewson Ltd; and
• Prettys.

All five Trailblazers have identified a workplace champion who will be supported by Team Ipswich throughout 2009. The companies will also receive a package of benefits, including £500 to spend on activity related equipment/services to increase participation in sport and physical activity.

In addition, as part of the Suffolk Healthy Ambitions programme, the Trailblazers have access to a range of other services including:

• Workplace massage;
• Yoga;
• Dance;
• Smoking cessation services from Suffolk Stop Smoking;
• Lunchtime walks;
• Access to gym equipment.

Find out more

Why not take advantage of this exciting opportunity and get your company Fit for Work?

Full details of how to get involved and a resource pack to help you get started are available at www.healthyambitionssuffolk.nhs.uk.

The resource pack includes:

• A needs analysis questionnaire
  Staff questionnaire that will enable you to provide a focussed activity programme and collect staff health and wellbeing baseline information;
• Delivery plan
  A practical example of planning for your activity programme;
• Activity Risk assessment (yoga/pilates)
  A guide to help identify the safe practice measures that may be required when providing activities;
• Instructor induction
  To ensure activity deliverers are providing a quality and safe service;
• Health and Safety checklist
  To ensure activity deliverers are providing a quality and safe service;
• Participant health par-q form
  Essential health screening for participants
• Activity evaluation form
  To ensure that the quality of activity is monitored and evaluated.