Healthy weight

The NHS have an abundance of information, advice guidance and support on Healthy living, including information on eating a balanced diet, healthy weight including a BMI calculator.

Healthy Lifestyles Gloucestershire offers coaching to help with weight management and help you maintain a healthy weight.

There is also lots of information available to help you through our Employee Assistance Programme with Health Assured, both online and via the My Healthy Advantage app.

Companies and educational settings  don't always take responsibility for the physical health of their employees, but maybe they should. Increased productivity is just one of the benefits that exercise has on educational staff. Reducing the impact of presenteeism is another. According to the British Heart Foundation, businesses that invest in the physical and mental health of their employees could see an ROI of £4.17 for each £1 spent. What's more, the global economy could get a boost of up to $100 billion a year if employers 'successfully encouraged their staff to meet World Health Organization guidelines on exercise'. To put that into some perspective, that's only the equivalent of 15-minutes walking every day.

Exercise Improves Focus and Productivity

Exercise improves employee productivity by increasing blood flow to the brain and making it easier to focus. It also facilitates creative thinking, helping employees find innovative solutions to difficult problems. One study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that workers who exercised moderately produced higher quality work and performed better in their jobs than those who did no exercise. It's the word moderate that's key here. No one is suggesting vigorous military bootcamps throughout the day. Employees certainly shouldn't be coerced into exercise, either. Education and encouragement are key. Speaking with employees and getting a feel for the types of activities they enjoy (or that think they might enjoy) can be helpful.

Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, a gentle jog, dancing, riding a bike, or pushing a lawnmower. By providing the brain with more blood, exercise also benefits other forms of cognitive performance including multi-tasking, alertness, and decision making. Which are all essential elements of a productive and focused employee. What's more, exercise has also been shown to mitigate some of the effects of the post-afternoon slump, where productivity and focus can be harder to maintain. One study found that even 5-minutes spent walking in nature was enough to reset and reduce mental fatigue. Encouraging employees to take a walk outside not only boosts physical health but mental health, too.

Start standing up for meetings. Some companies have walking meetings. Up and down corridors or even better - outside! Not only are these a great way to get your daily step count up, they'll also stop meetings running over. Educational settings could also provide standing desks.

Health MOT’s are currently being offered by Occupational Health, The Health MOT involves a 30 minute consultation with one of the team, where they will check:

• Cholesterol (finger prick blood test)
• Glucose
• Blood Pressure
• Height
• Weight
• BMI
• Waist Circumference

Email ohu@gloucestershire.gov.uk with the name and contact details of your school heading the email 'Health MOT enquiry.’

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