Health and Fitness at Timber Connection

15 Jan 2019

It’s fair to say we’re all generally less active nowadays, we drive our cars or take public transport rather than walk, we sit in front of our smart phones and TVs for more time than we’d like to admit. Less and less people are doing manual work and most of us have jobs that involve minimal physical effort due partially to new technology. Work, domestic chores, shopping and other essential activities are far less challenging than for previous generations. So, what does this mean for the welfare of the staff at Timber Connection? Well in reality it can lead to physical or mental ill health which affects both the individuals and the company.

For Timber Connection, corporate and social responsibility starts with us providing our staff and their families with the free use of a fully equipped gymnasium based at our premises in Ware. Trying to ensure a healthy work-life style balance is always a challenge. Having a gym at work allows the staff to use the facility before and after work or a firm favourite during their lunch hour. There are the obvious benefits from exercising from a physical point of view, but we sometimes dismiss the benefits that exercise does for us mentally. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind which leads to a happier, more productive team.

To help the team get more out of their time in the gym they also have the benefit of a fully qualified personal trainer, Rob Bird from Lifestyle Medicine Centre, who gives the individuals a program to work with dependant on their ability and needs. Rob says “Research implicates physical inactivity as a major cause of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. With this in mind, any company that provides a wellness facility to offset the effects of sitting whilst at work should be congratulated. It is encouraging to see so many of the staff at Timber Connection reaping the benefits of being more active. If continued this will result in better mental and physical health for all those concerned as well as more productivity and less absence from work”.