It's going to be an amazing summer of sport in Britain in 2022. The world's top sports stars – together with their rippling muscles – are converging on the UK and we'll be inspired by incredible performances at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham from 28th July to 8th August 2022 and the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 taking place in nine English football stadiums from 6th to 31st July 2022, plus much more.
With exercise so beneficial to our physical and mental health, wouldn't it be great however to get stuck in and get active rather than just watching the summer of sport from our seats? The super sporty Posturite workplace wellbeing team has put together a new muscle power infographic to inspire you.
Take a look below at which muscles we work in high jump and tennis and the NHS tells us the health benefits of playing football. (No matter if your dribbling skills are a bit less fabulous than Fabinho's.)
In business and in our working lives, there is stacks we can learn from sport psychology about planning and strategy, the competitive spirit, confidence at work and even job satisfaction. Dive in...
View the infographic in full. We've consulted legendary sports organisations including the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) and interviewed Team GB hockey champion Helen Richardson-Walsh MBE who is now the Performance Psychologist at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
What can sportspeople teach us that we can use in business?
Andy Murray doesn't always come across in interviews as especially enthusiastic. But we have adored watching him set the courts alight with his phenomenal tennis skills and he wouldn't have achieved his success without truly loving his sport. I feel his quote teaches us a valuable lesson about job satisfaction:
"It's better to do something you love, even if you're not as successful at it, than something you hate, even if you're a big success." Andy Murray OBE
Sprint champion Jonnie Peacock MBE has turned an enormous health setback into a positive in his life, and skydiving champion Laura Hampton urges you to invest your energy into your own performance and avoid wasting time worrying about what you can't control:
Let the confidence of sports stars Serena Williams and Helen Richardson-Walsh MBE rub off on you with their inspirational quotes here. Plus the Senior Sport Psychologist for the U.S. Olympic Committee advises you to prepare for all eventualities in business in advance – just as you would for a key race, so that you are mentally prepared to respond and get the outcome you desire.
Looking after our bodies
The Posturite team offer some simple tips below on what we can all do to improve our health during our working day. It's a quick summary of how to look after your back, neck and wrists whilst working:
For a much more comprehensive guide, take a look at the Posturite Workstation Set-up Cheat Sheet. It's been created for people working from home, but you can apply all the same principles to workstations in a shared office too.
How does a winning team behave?
How do you get the best out of your marketing team? How do you manage interpersonal relationships in a sales team? We can learn lessons from sport in these areas too. Hockey legend Helen Richardson-Walsh advises us to 'stamp out fires early' in a team:
"Every team will have little sparks being set off on regular occasions, and whether it is to do with interpersonal relationships or task related issues, it's crucial the difficult conversations are had early, instead of leaving things to fester." Helen Richardson-Walsh
View a downloadable PDF of this infographic in full
How to promote a culture of physical activity in your organisation
Businesses and employers can play a vital role in reducing our risks of sedentary lifestyle-related illness by promoting activity and movement. You could implement these ideas:
- Hold in-office fitness sessions, such as desk exercises and desk yoga
- Offer discounts for sports club and gym memberships
- Provide shower and changing facilities
- Start lunchtime walking or jogging clubs
- Hold walk-and-talk meetings
I asked Chris Jones, COO at Posturite, why he felt his team was qualified to claim they are an active workforce?
"We challenge you to out-perform the Posturite workforce in love for sport and commitment to keeping active! We have right now in our team of 120 people: 31 gym bunnies, 25 runners, 20 cyclists, 15 footballers, 15 cricket, hockey, rugby, tennis or badminton players, 11 swimmers, 11 yogis and dancers and 18 current or former sports coaches.
21% of the Posturite workforce has a degree in Sport Science! We're fascinated by anatomy and physiology and we're on a mission to reduce risk of musculoskeletal disorders. We want to look after your joints, bones and muscles, and prevent pain.
Posturite actually won the football World Corporate Cup at Anfield in 2012. We were triumphant in the final on penalties against a Google side from all over Europe!"
