Workers told to step up to combat ‘Blue Monday’

As workers across the country brace themselves for what is officially the ‘most depressing day of the year’ on Monday, one organisation is urging them to not be so blue.

Next Monday has been dubbed ‘Blue Monday’ and it is officially the most depressing day in the year because of a combination of factors, including post- Christmas blues, cold and dark nights and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills for many.

But organisers of a new free online activity tracker, the Workplace Challenge – which is being run by the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP Network) in collaboration with the British Heart Foundation Health at Work programme - are encouraging workplaces across the country to lead more active lifestyles and unite to beat blue Monday.

The Workplace Challenge platform encourages workers to use a free online activity tracker that enables people to record their levels of activity and active travel. In doing so, they score points, using the METs scoring system, winning prestige for their workplace.

Workplaces will then be given the opportunity to go head to head with others to see who can be crowned as the local Workplace Challenge Champion of the year.

With Police forces and School teachers already active users of the platform, it is hoped that a variety of workplaces will step forward, requiring just three employees participating to register a workplace on the leaderboard for the competition elements of the platform.

Lisa Purcell, Project Manager for the British Heart Foundation’s Health at Work programme said:

“January is the perfect time to start a new exercise challenge, and what better way to do so than within the work environment, with the support of colleagues.

It is a well-known fact that exercising releases chemicals into the body called endorphins, which trigger positive feelings often giving people an energized outlook on life.

It would be fantastic to see workers starting the New Year with the Workplace Challenge and taking part in activity on this day particularly, acting as ambassadors within their workplace and inspiring others. They can then track their progress, which is a key motivational factor to sticking to New Year’s resolutions.”

Lee Mason, Chief Executive of the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP Network), said:

“It would be fantastic to see workplaces across the country uniting on blue Monday to register for the Workplace Challenge - helping people to log their activity.

We want to encourage more workplaces across the country to take up the Workplace Challenge and reap the benefits associated with taking part in regular exercise within and outside of the work environment.

People tell us that active workplaces are more fun, sociable and cohesive environments.”

Employers or employees can register their workplace and actively encourage their colleagues to log their activity to earn leaderboard points for their company.

For more information, log on to www.workplacechallenge.org.uk

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Workplace Challenge

• Workplace Challenge is a free online platform enabling people to log all of their physical activity.

• Throughout 2014, employees and employers will be encouraged to start logging and generate points, enabling them to take part in a series of challenges, events and competitions.

• Points are calculated according to Metabolic Equivalents (METs) where 1MET is a person's average seated energy expenditure which is equivalent to 1kcal.kg-1.h-1. MET values will be different for different forms of exercise and will increase with the intensity and duration of exercise.

• Active loggers will be able to see a variety of stats including distance travelled, calorie burned and CO2 saved.

• A minimum of three registered employees are required for a workplace to appear in a leader board and people can also track their own individual progress locally and nationally.

• The platform has been developed, following a successful pilot by Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport, with £500k investment from Sport England and will be run by the County Sports Partnership Network with support from the British Heart Foundation Health at Work team.

• Local County Sports Partnerships will manage the online platform for their community, ensuring that there are challenges, activities and competitions available offline to encourage people to stay active.

• It is anticipated that many people will use the platform to fundraise. E.g. The platform is already being used to support the ‘Run to Remember’ helping the Police in raising money for PC Nicola Hughes Memorial Fund, Victim Support, Care of Police Survivors and the North West Police Benevolent Fund.

County Sports Partnership Network

• The CSP Network represents 49 local County Sports Partnership teams across the country.

• Collectively, they contribute to the health of the nation by helping local partners, organisations and delivers to promote the benefits of active lifestyles across local communities.

• The CSP Network delivered The Community Games – one of the most successful community campaigns seen in the UK, attracting over 2 million members of the public to come together in local communities to take part in active cultural events inspired by 2012.  

British Heart Foundation Health at Work (HaW)

• Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer. For over 50 years we’ve pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Our work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease. But so many people still need our help. From babies born with life-threatening heart problems to the many Mums, Dads and Grandparents who survive a heart attack and endure the daily battles of heart failure. Join our fight for every heartbeat in the UK. Every pound raised, minute of your time and donation to our shops will help make a difference to people’s lives. For more information visit bhf.org.uk.

• Through its free Health at Work programme, the BHF works with employers to help them create health and wellbeing initiatives that can improve the health and productivity of their workforce. The scheme includes free tools and resources employers can use to encourage their workers to get active, eat well and reduce their stress. More than 7,000 organisations have already benefited from the programme.

Phase 1 - Participating County Sports Partnerships (further phases in 2014)

• Active Essex
• Active Norfolk
• Bucks
• Derbyshire Sport
• Get Berkshire Active
• Greater Sport (Manchester)
• Hertfordshire (HSP)
• Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport
• Lincolnshire
• Living Sport (Cambridgeshire & Peterborough)
• Northamptonshire Sport
• Northumberland Sport
• Oxfordshire
• Suffolk Sport
• PRO-ACTIVE (collaborative support from 4 London CSPs)
• Somerset
• South Yorkshire Sport
• Sport across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent
• Sport Hampshire & IOW
• Wesport
• West Yorkshire Sport

Michelle Leavesley, Citydesk Sport, on behalf of Workplace Challenge and County Sports Partnership Network.

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