Employee Well-Being: Mindful Movement
Mindful Movement
Life has become structured in a way that makes it very easy to avoid movement, but our bodies are designed to move! Being active improves your mood, helps decrease depression and anxiety, increases positive self-esteem, and improves sleeping patterns.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines suggest that Canadians 18-64 years of age should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more. In addition, it’s also beneficial to add muscle and bone strengthening activities using major muscle groups, at least 2 days per week.
4-Week Mindful Movement Initiative
During the month of June, we invite you to participate in a 4-week virtual initiative that shares simple ideas and tips to add more movement to your day, and provides helpful strategies to set you up for success. To view the weekly posts, visit our Healthy Workplace website or join the Employee Well-being Community group on Teams. Here’s the first week…
Your body was made to move, and yet we spend so much of the day sitting! Discover the value of microbursts and learn how to sneak physical activity into your day by combining it with things you already do.
- Access Week 1 of the Mindful Movement Initiative: Move in the Moment
- Download the poster for tips on adding more movement to your day
Mindful Movement Sessions for You and Your Team
To encourage individuals to increase their movement, we are pleased to offer the following virtual sessions. Whether you take some time during your work day on campus, at home, or after hours, we encourage you to walk, run, wheel, and be mindful of your movement.
Virtual Boot Camp Class
June 8 from 8 – 8:45 a.m.
Rise and shine! This high-intensity interval training class combines cardio, strength training and athletic conditioning.
Register Here
Virtual Stretch and Breathe Class
June 17 from 3 – 3:45 p.m.
Whether you’ve been sitting all day or on the move, this class will have you stretching and breathing to reduce the stress in your body and feel relaxed for your end of day.
Register Here
Getting and Staying Active Webinar
June 21 from 1 – 2 p.m.
Summer is officially here and what a better way to start it off then by making plans to get or stay active! In this session, participants will learn how to apply physical activity principles to gain specific health benefits (i.e. strength, cardiovascular, flexibility) and will discuss strategies to maintain or increase physical activity levels, both in the workplace and at home. The session will also cover important concepts such as stress management through exercise and strategies for reducing barriers to increasing or maintaining physical activity levels.
Register Here
Did you know…
- Did you know… Athletics and Recreation offers free virtual physical activity sessions for all McMaster faculty, staff and students! From A (Athletic Conditioning) to Z (Zumba), and everything in between. Check their monthly schedule.
- Did you know… Homewood Health offers free coaching sessions on many topics, including well-being! It just takes one call to connect to a life coach to help you reach your wellness goals. Learn more.