Rachael Lynch leads some of the Sport Whanganui team doing five minutes of Boxfit.
I am very high energy, as those in the Sport Whanganui office witness daily, and I'm extremely passionate about what I do.
Health and wellbeing is food for my soul. Growing up, I was obsessed with sport and being active and that obsession never went away. It is really the way it makes you feel that is so powerful.
No matter who you are and what your background, it draws people together. That's why leading Sport Whanganui's 9 to 5 Thrive Workplace Wellbeing programme is so important to me: it brings people together and can be the start of a journey to improved wellbeing and a happier and more productive workplace.
The 9 to 5 Thrive programme is the first of its kind in Whanganui, and we are really excited about the programme's benefits.
We spend a lot of our time at work, right? Why not make it a place that supports employee wellbeing? We want your workplace to thrive.
Sport Whanganui's 9 to 5 Thrive is a Workplace Wellbeing programme that benefits the whole team; managers to administrators, and everyone in between. We build a programme that fits the needs of your workplace.
Taking care of ourselves by eating a healthy well-balanced diet, getting enough movement in our day and making time for some form of mindfulness is important. It helps us to have healthier conversations and relationships with others, and we also manage stress better and feel motivated. These benefits don't clock off at 5pm either.
The employer benefits include improved retention, reduced sickness absence. Employee benefits include improved individual health and wellbeing, increased energy and motivation, and increased resilience to stressful situations.
We have based 9 to 5 Thrive on a three-pillared approach: Nourish, Restore and Energise.
The 9 to 5 Thrive programmes begin with a WOF Health Check that involves a health assessment. We ask the team to take part in a pre-programme wellbeing survey and follow up wellbeing survey to gauge the impact of the programme. It's great for people to see the results of their efforts.
The Nourish pillar is all about understanding the core principles of a healthy diet, and how to fit it into your busy workdays. We deliver a nutrition seminar that teaches healthier eating habits, and fun interactive snack demonstrations and practical sessions on meal planning.
The Restore pillar focuses on mental health, by offering tips on mindfulness, stress and sleep support. One of the biggest challenges people face is not getting a good night's sleep.
Poor quality sleep results in less-than-optimal health, feeling tired and less able to manage stress. We also reach for the unhealthy snacks when we are tired. While we cannot always remove the stress from our lives, we can build resilience to stressful situations.
The Energise sessions are designed to get the heart rate up, build strength and muscular endurance, improve flexibility, and most importantly have fun. We offer a variety of movement options from high energy Boxfit classes to yoga. Concentrate on one movement option or build a programme that offers a variety. The workout intensity is dependent on the level of fitness of the participants. Each exercise has an easier and more challenging option.
We want to encourage people to be resilient and make habitual changes that will stay with them in the long run. Ultimately, we want people to feel better.
If you want to know more about Sport Whanganui's 9 to 5 Thrive programme, contact Rachael Lynch — Wellness Coach rachael.lynch@sportwhanganui.co.nz
(06) 349 2312
For more information on 9 to 5 Thrive check out: https://sportwhanganui.co.nz/9-to-5-thrive:
Deb Byers — Active wellbeing manager (06) 349 2325 deb@sportwhanganui.co.nz
Sarah Whayman — Green Prescription adviser (06) 349 2328 sarah@sportwhanganui.co.nz
Christine Taylor — Fit for surgery navigator christine@sportwhanganui.co.nz (06) 349 2507 www.sportwhanganui.co.nz.