Some of us who spend a large chunk of our waking hours at the workplace punching at the keyboard, with our mind slogging hard but our body in idle mode, may be ‘gaining' in more than one way from our jobs. A research released this month by a UAE-based entity has shown that 33 percent of employees across the GCC stay at their desk all day or only leave their desk for a lunch break. “This puts a third of office workers at risk of serious health problems, including deep vein thrombosis, stress, tendonitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, etc. People who work with computers have reported a variety of problems that can be related to work habits, work station design or job design, such as, fatigue, eyestrain and irritation, blurred vision, headaches and pains in the neck, back, arm and muscles,” said Sinead Bridgett, exhibition director of The Office Exhibition - which describes itself as “a leading showcase for high-end products, technology and services” - and which conducted the survey. Bridgett - in an interview with Saudi Gazette conducted via email - said it is essential for employers to promote wellbeing at the workplace, because “companies across the GCC lose a considerable amount of money each year as a result of employees taking time off due to work-related illnesses and injuries.” Faiz Al-Amri, a 28-year-old who works in a logistic company in Jeddah, claims that he gained about 10 kgs in the first year of his job, due to which he says he now feels lazy most of the time at work. “For lunch, because my office is far from my home, my colleagues and I wander over to nearby restaurants or malls, or sometimes even skip meals. There was a cafeteria at hand that served only egg sandwiches, which has been closed now,” said Al-Amri, who described his work as ‘sedentary'. In a country where it is estimated that about 35.6 percent of the adult population is obese and a further 36.9 percent of the population is overweight, with a whopping 45 percent of males and 60 percent of females considered obese, health experts warn that chair-bound jobs are only compounding the problem. “Apart from an array of ailments ranging from minimal psychological disturbances, to depression, to heart disease, hypertension and type two diabetes resulting from a lack of physical activity, the elevated stress levels in the workplace will raise the levels of cortisol a and adrenaline in the body, which would have negative effects on the body, such as a lowered immune system and low energy levels,” said Almamoun Al-Shingiti, an exercise physiologist and nutritionist who is currently working as an International Business Development Director in the Middle East for Saga Fitness international in Jeddah. He identified high-risk jobs as those with high stress levels and long hours of non-stop mental and physical drain, such as high-end CEOs, brokerage firms, etc. “It also depends on the person. Some people can absorb stress, others not. Exercise, a positive attitude and proper nutrition are a strong combination to ward off heath risks,” he explained. He added that big international corporations, such as Pepsico and Google have on-campus gyms available to all employees. Perhaps concerned individuals can ask their office's human resources' department for an office gym. Underscoring the importance of physical exercise, specifically for deskbound workers, Al-Shingiti said that exercise releases endorphins (feel-good hormones) within the brain and wards off the psychological ailments. Why shouldn't getting some exercise start in the workplace? A ‘Deskercise' routine devised by The Office Exhibition focuses on regions of the body where tension is most likely to build up throughout the day, such as the neck, shoulders and back as well as providing toning workouts for arms, legs and stomach. “The routine - carefully devised in conjunction with experts and the Office Exhibition team - for office workers includes sets of fool-proof exercises which you can do at your desk and your colleagues will not notice you doing. It is designed to go some way to ensure that Saudi office workers can exercise at any time of the day, providing some kind of release from everyday anxieties,” explained Bridgett. However, Al-Shingiti says: “Real exercise happens in a real gym where you sweat. You may do some light stretching and meditate in your office, but these have little effect as compared to actual lasting exercise.” The exercise should have cardio and resistance training to be effective, he added. “You need to spend 45-60 minutes 3-4 days a week to really see the effect on your body. It should be part of your weekly routine for the rest of your life.” Mounting evidence supports the idea that breakfast may indeed be the most important meal of the day. Nevertheless, rushed morning routines, trying to lose weight, and a lack of appetite early in the morning are all reasons people skip breakfast. “You should consume a healthy breakfast that contains vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates, snack on fruits and nuts during the day, have a light lunch and dinner. A way of increasing your metabolism is to have small meals throughout the day,” advised Al-Shingiti, adding that there should be an increased ‘focus' on fruits and vegetables as part of your diet. “At the workplace, get your heart pumping since it is mostly resting. For instance, park the car farther down and walk, go up and down the stairs, walk to someone in the office rather than calling on the phone,” said Al-Shingiti. Bridgett adds: “It is recommended that workers take a 10-minute rest after two hours of continuous computer use, or a 15-minute rest every hour for work that is repetitive or makes intense demands on the eyes. Workers can, after a long session at the keyboard, go and photocopy documents or collect documents from the printers.” However, the problem, Al-Shingiti says, is deeply entrenched in the society at large. “Saudi society is anti-exercise and 30 percent of people smoke. Our leisure activities are very passive; we do not instill exercise values in our kids. Our females grow up with the notion that exercise is not important for them, although they need it as bad as their male counterparts. They also do not have enough gyms to workout in since these entities are only legal when part of a hospital or a hotel. Malnutrition is another factor. Our society consumes the wrong foods in huge quantities,” he said. According to a British survey released this month, obese people miss out on jobs and are overlooked for promotion because their bosses consider them lazy. Reason enough to sweat it out? You bet!
