Booting out lazy lunches

13/09/2007

Water workers are being encouraged to give lazy lunches the boot.

Essex & Suffolk Water has taken the healthy step and introduced a series of walks to entice employees out into the fresh air to stretch their legs during lunchtime. 

The three walks, scenic routes around Hanningfield reservoir and Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre, are between three quarters of a mile and two miles long and will take walkers between 10 minutes and half an hour to complete.

The walks fit in with Essex & Suffolk Water’s Green Travel Plan strategy for workers at the Hanningfield site to reduce the amount that they use their cars.

The demands of work and family life can often mean that there is little or no time for exercise.  Lunch breaks are the ideal time for employees to take the opportunity to enjoy a walk and enhance their general well-being.

Seventy per cent of adults in the UK are inactive and this is a major contributor to ill-health resulting in a £8.2 billion bill for the economy every year.

Pauline Hughes, from Human Resources at Essex & Suffolk Water said: “These walks will hopefully help our staff to easily integrate regular exercise into their lives as part of a daily routine.  Our people are the most important resource Essex & Suffolk Water has so anything we can do to encourage them to improve and maintain their well-being is a positive step.  Obviously we also encourage staff to ensure they drink enough tap water while walking to keep hydrated!”

Benefits of regular exercise are varied and can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and depression and also improve mobility and general well-being.

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For further information contact Claire Bishop on 01245 212 010.