Shake up to shape up

If you haven’t heard the news lately, I’ll say it again. Research says that people who spend more time sitting are likely to live shorter than those who do not, according to BMJ Open an online-only general medical journal. What’s troubling is the fact that most people nowadays spend more time watching TV, playing or net-surfing with their computers. So for people like me who are in the IT industry, I would like to count myself in. So who’s with me?

I find it absurd that people in our field are generally touted as “solutions provider” but do not have the time to find a solution on the health risks that come in this kind of work. To make matters worse, we can’t seem to get away with computers even after work! What most of you do not know is that a typical software coder spends like an average of 12 hours a day on his computer. I may not have the stats to back me up but you can ask around or check out their work and private habits.

I think it may be worth the attention of our policy makers to take a peek on the other side of the tech industry and pass a law that mandates IT companies and their employees to allocate at least one hour a day in exercise. Say 30 minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon.

It’s worth mentioning that for an already labor intensive industrial complex like Tsuneishi Heavy Industries in Balamban, people and management can still afford to spend a few minutes of their time together to do some exercise before they get to work in the morning. If companies can emulate this good habit, then there wouldn’t be a need to have such law.

We all need to exercise for health reasons and companies must realize its value and importance in terms of having a healthy inventory of human capital. If you still think that exercise is expensive, try sickness. Did I hear you say health insurance? If you think that health insurance is the answer. You’re not listening. The notion that having a health insurance guarantees the kind of health you want for your workforce may not be entirely correct.

Health insurance does not insure you good health. It is there when you’re sick. If I had it my way, it’s more apt to say that it’s a “sick insurance” (lol).

Levity aside, I believe it’s less expensive to invest in preventive approaches. And exercise may even save you more money than investing in insurance. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t buy insurance. If your company can afford it, by all means, go ahead! What I’m driving at is that, insurance does not solve your problem when a productive employee is sick. Insurance only helps in terms of recovery of a sick employee but cannot help you recover the losses you incurred during his/her absence.

Worse, insurance cannot help you when your employee is permanently sick say if he gets a heart attack because of the sedentary nature of his work. In other words, exercise should form part of a company’s investment in people to preserve and maintain their productivity at all times.

So what do you do if you happen to be that employee who works for a company that does not have insurance or an exercise program? Well, you’re not going to say your last prayers and wish for a long life ahead -- that I can bet your neighbour’s dog will live longer than you if you just sit there and pray that nothing happens to you. You got to do something. Stand up, stretch and shake that belly over here and there. For heaven’s sake, do your own exercise! 

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