Firm Takes Fitness and Health to Workplaces Bid Aims to Help Staff Productivity

By Jonathan Rennie

A FITNESS service has been launched to take exercise and health advice to employees at their workplace.

SJ Fitness in Business, run by fitness instructor Sarah Jane Hunter is creating on-site classes before work, at lunchtime or after work at offices across the city.

Rather than concentrate solely on exercise, the plan is to offer full health and fitness packages for staff, including stress management, back care at work and even healthy eating classes.

Already BBC Scotland and Glasgow Housing Association have signed up with the West End firm.

Managing director SarahJane Hunter said: “With an estimated five million working days per year lost as a result of back pain, the health and fitness of workers is an increasingly important priority for good employers.

“SJ Fitness in Business will create tailor-made solutions designed to meet the needs of an organisation and its staff.

” Our approach also factors in some fun time which helps foster success.”

The fitness of staff has become an increasing concern at some of the country’s biggest employers.

Siemens polled more than 1000 executives and found half of the respondents rarely took part in any physical exercise.

Almost 29-per cent of female executives and 32-per cent of men did no exercise, and less than a third did the recommended three sessions per week.

A similar study of 2000 employees also found a gulf between the business performance of staff who exercised and those that did not.

Fit and healthy workers are up to 20-per cent more productive than ill or unhealthy colleagues.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority is also working with SJ Fitness.

Co-ordinator Alyson Craig, said: “SQA is a good place to work and organises lots of things to promote the health and wellbeing of staff.

“Pilates is one of the many things you can do. It’s great to be able to do this during lunchtime in the workplace because after work is not always convenient for everyone due to family commitments .

“I suffer from a bad back and I feel Pilates has definitely helped .

“My job is quite sedentary , so the exercises we’ve been given that we can do at our desk really help. “

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

(c) 2008 Evening Times; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.