Active Living

Creating healthy workplaces that promote active living for their staff is great for business and a thriving community.  We are working with local businesses to help them make changes that support the health and wellbeing of staff. Go to our Healthy Workplaces page to see more about the work we are doing to get local workers moving more.

Spring into Action 2024 is aiming to get workers moving more and feeling great. Check out the range of promotional activities and resources available this November on the Spring into Action webpage 

In today’s fast-paced world, prioritising employee well-being has never been more crucial. Creating healthy workplaces that promote active living for their staff is great for business and a thriving community.  We are working with local businesses to help them make changes that support the health and wellbeing of staff. Go to our Healthy Workplaces page to see more about the work we are doing to get local workers moving more.

By encouraging a culture of physical activity, your workplace can enhance productivity, boost morale, and improve overall health. Here are some great ways to get started:

Provide opportunities for staff to be active

Share opportunities for your team to participate in physical activities – how and when they want.  This may include offering corporate memberships through local activity providers, supporting staff to enter fitness events and sporting competitions, running team challenges, and providing onsite facilities and classes.

Build more activity in the workday

Being physically active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym every day or jogging for miles.  There are lots of ways staff can build small amounts of activity into their day to boost the time they are being physically active over the week.  Just as important to health, is breaking up long periods of sitting or sedentary activity.

Promote easy ways for staff to build more activity into their workday:

• Park further away from your destination and walk or ride your bike the rest of the way.
• Use the stairs instead of the lift.
• Walk to the park to eat lunch.
• When suitable, organise walking meetings with colleagues. Check out the Make Your Meetings Move resource.
• Use a standing desk to break up sitting time.
• Use the copier or printer that requires you to walk a bit further.
• Take a walk during your lunch break.
• Do stretches at your workstation regularly – see the ‘Desk or Table stretches’ poster from Active Victoria.

Build knowledge about being active

Help your staff understand the health benefits of being active through education sessions, toolbox talks, newsletters and wellbeing program events.  Find helpful resources at these sites:

• Physical activity guidelines
• Be Upstanding
• Get Active Victoria
• Exercise Right

Lead the way to healthier and active staff

Workplace leaders have the ability to influence the health and wellbeing culture in a workplace, including physical activity.   When employees see their leader’s prioritising wellness and embracing movement, it fosters a supportive environment that promotes healthier choices for everyone.

In addition to leaders participating in activity and role modelling healthier behaviours, workplaces can also lead by:

• Creating a mission statement, policy or guideline on physical activity in the workplace.
• Surveying staff regularly to understand their physical activity needs and opportunities for action.
• Allowing flexible work hours or longer lunch breaks to accommodate physical activity during the day.

We are working with Rosewall Community Centre to explore ways that they can support their users and community members to be more active.  We spoke with users of the centre in late 2023 to learn more about what helps and what stops them walking in the local area, and to hear their ideas about the ways in which Rosewall could support them to be more active.  See a summary of what we learned in the community report below.  We are continuing to work with Rosewall to support new initiatives that promote active living.

Keeping active during and after pregnancy has many benefits to physical and mental health. We are joining forces with other teams in our health service that work with people who are pregnant or have given birth, to share the health and wellbeing benefits of staying active during and after pregnancy. We are promoting education programs and information to help people cope with the physical and mental health changes of pregnancy.

Click here to download the HYHB Poster.

Healthy You. Healthy Baby – a podcast about keeping active during pregnancy and beyond.

Targeting birthing parents and their supporting network of partners, friends and carers, and health professionals, the podcast aims to:

• Build knowledge and confidence about how to stay active during pregnancy and how to resume activity after the birth of baby.
• Highlight the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of keeping active during this life stage transition into parenthood.
• Increase awareness of when and how to seek help.

The podcasts cover topics on:

• The importance of being active during pregnancy and after birth.
• When and how to return to activity.
• How much activity is too much and how to tell?
• What a pelvic physio assessment involves and when to seek help.
• How physical activity relates to mental health and wellbeing.

Episode 1: Keeping active during pregnancy, with pelvic physio Nat

Episode 2: Recovery after birth – the first six weeks, with pelvic physio Nat

Episode 3: Returning to activity and movement after having a baby (beyond six weeks) with pelvic physio Nat

Episode 4: Active wellness – nurturing your mental wellbeing during pregnancy and beyond, with perinatal and infant psychiatrist Dr Danmei

Click here to listen to the latest episodes.

For more information contact Healthy Communities [email protected]