'Cultural shift': How small movements at work can have big impacts on your life

It can be easy to spend hours sitting at a desk without even realizing it.

The Healthy Tomorrow Foundation is trying to encourage people to make small changes at work which will have big impacts on their lives. Those changes could be as simple as walking over to a colleague’s desk instead of sending them an email.

“A lot of folks spend most of their time at work, and for a lot of them, that means not moving,” said Michelle Lincoln, health promotion advisor with the Healthy Tomorrow Foundation.

“What we’re trying to do is inspire this cultural shift where moving while working becomes the norm.”

The foundation wants people to get active – one small movement at a time.

“If we spend time breaking up our sedentary behavior and doing more of what's known as light physical activity, so things like walking, wheeling, gardening, especially in short chunks throughout our day, then that can start to reverse some of the negative impacts of those chronic disease rates and those mental health challenges,” said Lincoln.

Lincoln works one-on-one with organizations through the Make Your Move at Work program to develop action plans. The office employees at Lindsay Construction have been participating in the program from the beginning.

“One of the things we know, and research shows this, is if we move we can be more creative, we can solve problems, the energy shifts, and employees can be a lot more engaged,” Amanda Penney, Lindsay Construction’s VP of people and culture.

Penney is also the board chair for the Healthy Tomorrow Foundation.

Some ways their office has added more movement is through standing meetings. There are also signs up to encourage people to stretch while waiting for items at the printer.

“One of my favorite things to see is, when I'm not a part of a meeting, when I get a photo sent to me showing that folks are making their moves in the meeting, and it usually is initiated by one of the leaders in our company,” said Penney.

The goal is to keep it simple.

“I feel more productive. For any muscle or joint pain I have, it gives me that opportunity to get up and move and stretch, so I feel a bit better,” said Robyn Vogels, who is the health and wellness committee chair.

“Our initial focus was on mental health and we were doing a lot of work around that, and then at that time the Make Your Move at Work initiative was brought to our attention and we were asked to be part of a pilot project, and at that point we really wanted to not just focus on mental health, we wanted to also focus on physical health and then just wellness as a whole,” said Vogels.

“We had such success with the program that we've continued on ever since.”

In order to keep the program fresh, leaders have been taking the initiative to find creative ways to add activity.

“My direct supervisor actually conducted our year end reviews last year as a walk and talk meeting. So it's something that kind of breaks up what can be a bit of a stagnant, awkward conversation and it actually just brings it out of the office and it just really does help kind of cement that that relationship with your supervisor,” said Rebecca Richard, a junior estimator who’s also on the health and wellness committee.

The workers have also started going on walks together over lunch breaks as an added activity.

“We strive to get staff to break up their day by getting out and just getting up from your desk. Whether that's even just sitting in a chair and stretching, getting up and going to the break room to fill your water bottle,” said Richard.

“It's the small things that like break up your day that really do keep the momentum going and keep you focused through the day.”

Approximately 12 organizations are participating in the Make Your Move at Work program. The Healthy Tomorrow Foundation hopes that number will continue to grow.

“We know that having employers and employees see the value of moving while working really empowers them to make a change in their office, and so that's what we're trying to spread,” said Lincoln.