Olympic dreaming

Over the last month we were lucky enough to experience the breath-taking spectacle that is the Olympic Games.

Whether the Olympic Games provides an opportunity to watch some weird and wacky sports played at an elite level or a chance to watch your hero’s quest for gold, it has something for everyone.

Many news articles have been written documenting Australia’s poor performance at the recent Olympic Games. However emerging from this so-called “doom and gloom” were still some fantastic performances from our athletes which made Australians stand up and be proud. The entire

Australian marathon team, as an example, exceeded many people’s expectations and produced some of the most awe-inspiring results of the games.

One female runner in particular, Lisa Weightman, became the third Australian woman to finish in the top 20 of an Olympic marathon, finishing 17th overall.

Lisa Weightman is proof that with passion and persistence, anything is possible. After overcoming multiple injuries and countless setbacks throughout her younger years, she has now become one of Australia’s all-time great marathon runners.

Lisa, a past participant of the Corporate Cup, will be returning this season as the 2012 Corporate Cup ambassador. Visit http://www.amcs.yma.org.au for more information.
 

Break it up

Ask yourself this question. How often do you sit and eat your lunch on your desk in front of the computer screen?

This is a common occurrence with corporate workers choosing to eat at their desks allowing them to work through their allocated lunchtimes.

By law every corporate worker is allowed to take a pre-determined lunch break. However, some workers feel there is perceived pressure from the working hierarchy to eat at their desks, take shorter lunch breaks and appear to be working.

But at what cost does this come? In a Money Magazine report, it stated by “not taking a break can be counterproductive, sapping your energy and lowering your productivity. It also can lead to higher stress levels and, as a result, poorer health”.

Therefore, the short-term gain of skipping lunch can potentially lead to long-term problems.

The same article stated that by taking “some downtime to mentally recharge, whether it involves eating lunch, taking a walk, or reading a book, exhaustion and fatigue levels really do decrease”.

So need an idea for lunchtime? Results from 400,000 health checks conducted by VicHealth showed 70 per cent of the workforce was not participating in sufficient daily exercise.

Why not utilise your lunch hour to get out and get active and enjoy the long term benefits of exercise?
 

Ditch the Desk

It has long been established that people living an active and healthy lifestyle enjoy increased energy, concentration and motivation in the workplace.

Ditch the Desk is a fitness program developed to encourage workplaces to get out of the office and get active.

Guided by professional fitness experts, participants work at their own pace, provided with helpful tips on how to improve their health and well-being and show you that being active can be very simple.

Ditch the Desk offers a range of different exercises which can be tailored to suit different levels of fitness.

Ditch the Desk participants are not only directed but are also educated in the concept of health and well-being, providing them with ownership and knowledge to take forward in life.

Visit http://www.amcs.ymca.org.au or contact [email protected] for more information.