Staff from Dorset HealthCare and Dorset County Council joined over 300 physiotherapists nationwide on 19 June to mark ‘Workout at Work Day’. Ten members of the Christchurch  local office including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers took to the streets to get physical as part of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s awareness day.

With 64% of UK office workers putting their mental and physical health at risk by working more than two extra hours each day on computer devices, ‘Workout at Work Day’ is an initiative encouraging people to build more physical activity into their working lives.

The Christchurch team members took part in a local walk within easy reach of their office base to demonstrate how simple it can be to build exercise into the ‘nine to five’ day.

Caroline Nash, Physiotherapist, Dorset HealthCare said: “Workout at Work Day is a great opportunity to highlight to employers the business benefits of having a healthy and active workforce. There is strong evidence to show that exercise can help to manage and prevent common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and helping in weight management.

“Poor work habits actually cost UK businesses billions of pounds each year so in the tough economic times, this is a great initiative that provides simple and fun steps to improve the health and wellbeing of staff.”