Make your office your gym - Health start-up urges men to rate office buildings for calorie burn
17 September 2013 - StepJockey, a new health start-up, is on a mission to label the world for calorie burn to help men get stronger and fitter during office hours.
Grounded in ‘nudge theory’, StepJockey is set to build the muscles and firm the thighs of men in offices across the world. And, all without them having to step out of their office or workplace. Trials show it is especially effective for those in desk-based work who don’t have time for the gym.
The start-up is now calling on office workers around the world to lead the way and mark the buildings they work in for calorie burn.
“It takes just one person in an office to spark a stair climbing revolution there”, says StepJockey founder Helen Nuki. “For men the benefits in terms of heart health and stoke protection can be huge”.
“In the trials some guys started using it in place of the gym. It’s serious exercise – a vertical rush”.
The StepJockey system allows any set of stairs to be mapped and rated for calorie burn in moments at http://www.stepjockey.com. Once stairs are rated, you can print off a set of free smart posters immediately or order a set of smart signs with NFC. All StepJockey smart posters and signs can be read by the StepJockey app allowing users to track their performance and share with friends.
Unusually for a tech company, StepJockey is founded by a woman. Helen, a behavioural economics expert and mother of four, who had the idea after her seven-year-old daughter, Litzi, wondered why official signs, “Only tell you about the things that are bad for you”.
“StepJockey is about looking at the positive and promoting fitness for everyone a little bit at a time”, says Helen.
“We tell people how many calories are in food but we don’t tell them where they can burn them off. Through StepJockey, we are offering the opportunity to put that right. The world is a gym and through StepJockey we aim to positively label it as such”.
It takes just one person to rate a set of stairs - an office block, say - to have a positive impact on everyone who uses that building.
In trials involving more than 250,000 stair/lift journeys, stair climbing increased by up to 29% when the building was equipped with StepJockey smart signs. When office workers were able to track and gamify their stair climbing, stair use jumped by over 500%.
According to Professor Alan Batterham, Professor in Exercise at Teesside University, and an advisor to StepJockey, stair climbing is a surprisingly powerful form of exercise and it has benefits that go beyond weight loss.
"Building a vigorous physical activity like stair climbing into your daily routine is an excellent, time-efficient way to help increase your fitness and control your weight,” said Professor Batterham. “You also reduce your risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and breast and colon cancers."
The smart posters and technology used allow StepJockey to fit seamlessly into the built environment and daily urban life, making it easy to reach those too busy to exercise or anyone who might be embarrassed to go to the gym. This makes StepJockey particularly effective in kick starting physical activity and behaviour change in those with a BMI over 25.
From mid-September, anyone with a smartphone will be able to track their progress, set goals and compete with their friends using the free StepJockey app, downloadable from the App store and Google Play.
For more information, images, samples and product details go to: https://www.stepjockey.com/
Ends
StepJockey media contact:
Nina Whitby
+44 203 397 8377
+44 7870 279 521
Notes to editors
Research and evidence:
In the trial the presence of signs significantly increased stair usage, with upward stair journeys increasing by up to 29%The most influenced by the intervention were people who were overweight (BMI over 25), infrequent takers of physical activity and women.When individuals were able to track and compare their progress stair usage increased five-fold.92% of new stair climbers said it would become a habit.
Links to key research findings on stair climbing and health can be found at https://www.stepjockey.com/science
Stair climbing facts:
Stair climbing requires 8-9 times more energy expenditure than sitting and about 7 times more energy than taking a lift. Per minute, stair climbing burns more calories than joggingYou burn about 0.1 calories for every step you climb, so you burn roughly a calorie for every 10 upward stepsYou also burn calories going down. Every stair descended burns about 0.05 calories, so you burn 1 calorie for every 20 steps downJust 7 minutes stair climbing a day has been estimated to more than half the risk of a heart attack over 10 yearsAnd perhaps best of all, the heavier you are the more calories you burn when stair climbing
About StepJockey:
The StepJockey initiative is backed by the Department of Health via the Small Business Research Initiative, a government scheme that promotes innovation in areas that bring public benefits.
For more information, images, samples and product details go to: https://www.stepjockey.com/
