Health management encompasses a variety of initiatives, such as increasing opportunities for exercise, improving health checkup results, and reviewing dietary habits.
My initial consultation with IREX Corporation concerned the “mental and physical health” of employees who had shifted primarily to telework and remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When commuting disappears, opportunities to walk decrease, and stairs are used less frequently. Sitting time also increases. On the other hand, a decrease in opportunities to move the body is related not only to physical health but also to mental health.
Therefore, as a first step toward health management, we started with a “health awareness” seminar to help employees take an interest in their own bodies and understand their current state.
Starting with daily “posture, breathing, walking, and sitting”
For busy working people, being told to “make time for exercise” can itself be a hurdle.
Therefore, in my training, rather than increasing special exercise time, we start by reviewing how we use our bodies in daily life, such as the breathing, posture, walking, and sitting we already do every day.
We check posture, experience the relationship between breathing and posture, review how to sit, and confirm how to walk. By actually moving the body, participants learn their current status.
In addition, I had them actually experience how their mood and sensations change by moving their bodies, and I also spoke about mental and physical health from the perspective that “the body supports the mind,” rather than thinking of the body and mind separately.
From the Tokyo Headquarters to 4 locations nationwide
The first seminar was held in a hybrid format, combining in-person participation at the Tokyo Headquarters with online participation from across the country.
A wide range of people, from managers to general employees, participated, including those online.
After that, this initiative did not end with just one session.
June 2023 Tokyo Headquarters
September 2023 Hiroshima Branch
October 2023 Osaka Branch
January 2024 Yokohama Branch
In-person sessions expanded from the Tokyo Headquarters to Hiroshima, Osaka, and Yokohama, and were also streamed online to branches nationwide. It was also implemented as a program for new employee training.
In the new employee training, young employees also gave feedback such as, “I thought I was fine because I was young, but I realized my posture was poor,” “I realized I should pay attention to how I sit and walk precisely because I do desk work,” and “I learned that daily awareness is necessary to work healthily for a long time.”
Health is not something to think about only after you start feeling unwell. Knowing your own body from a young age is also an important foundation for working healthily for a long time.
Actual corporate training scene
You can see the training at IREX Corporation in a short video.
A health seminar that makes you want to share what you’ve learned
After the first seminar, we received a variety of feedback from all the participants.
Comments included appreciation for the explanation that integrated the mind with the body, realization of changes even with simple body movements, and a desire to incorporate these practices into daily life.
What left the strongest impression was the comment, “It was a seminar that made me want to tell someone else about it.”
Health promotion is not something you work hard at only on the day you attend a lecture. It is about being able to think, “Let’s try this,” after returning to your workplace or home. And it is about that knowledge being passed from person to person. I believe that such small, cumulative efforts lead to healthy habits.
The person in charge also told us that managers participated actively, the seminar was very well received within the company, and there were requests from participants for follow-up sessions.
As a result, we continued to assist with the employees’ health promotion efforts the following fiscal year.
＜Excerpts from Participant Feedback＞
“I don’t usually think about ‘health’ unless I have an opportunity like this, so I’m glad I was able to participate.”
“I realized that even a slight difference in how you move your body can make a big change.”
“The explanation that integrated the mind with the body, not just the physical aspect, was very persuasive.”
“It was a seminar that made me want to tell someone else about it.”
Conditioning the mind and body of workers through the body
I believe that health and productivity management and mental health initiatives only hold meaning when they connect to the daily lives of each individual, rather than just being systems or knowledge.
Breathing. Sitting. Standing. Walking.
Because these are things we repeat many times every day, if you change the way you use your body even slightly, you can turn it into daily health promotion.
Before adding special tasks, we should transform our existing daily routines into healthy habits.
Thinking about mind and body health starting from the body is the fundamental philosophy behind my corporate training.
*The training at IREX Corporation was conducted in person at the Tokyo Head Office, Hiroshima Branch, Osaka Branch, and Yokohama Branch, as well as via online streaming to locations nationwide. At the time, the seminar was featured on the company’s official website, but the link to that page is no longer active due to corporate integration and website migration.
Details about the day, the program implemented, and participant feedback are also available in the lecture report on the official iwalk website.
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